You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy. (John 16:20)
And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. (Revelation 7:17)
To proclaim the year of the Lord's favor...to comfort those who mourn. (Isaiah 61:2- quoted by Jesus in Luke 2)
Thoughts: Of course there is the comfort of Christ to those who are mourning in that He comes to offer eternal life. In heaven mourning stops and every tear is wiped away. But there is also a hope that Christ offers in life. The sadness of life is mollified. Jesus came to offer us the hope of heaven right now. Jesus is the resurrection and the life. He raised Lazarus and others.
The mourning, many feel is not the mourning over death but of the sin and problems of life. World sorrow bring remorse, but godly sorrow brings repentance and life. Jesus calls us to mourn over sin, but not to stop there. Jesus promises a way to life and hope in the face of sin, guilt, and death.
The Christian way is to always choose love. If we never loved, we would never mourn. Jesus was affirming it is right to love even though it hurts. Jesus mourned for Lazarus when he died- even though He raised Lazarus. Jesus mourned for Jerusalem that rejected him. He mourned for the world in the Garden of Gethsemane. He mourned for evil and death. But one of the names of God is "The Comforter." He is "The God of all comfort." (1 Cor. 1:3). God comforts the mourning, and our call is to do the same.
At the sentencing hearing of Dylan Roof (who killed nine in Emmanuel AME Church in a race-hate crime) many mourned. But one in the courtroom did not cry- Dylan Roof. It is a blessing to be able to mourn. Those who truly love and care will be enveloped by the love and care of God.
The mourning, many feel is not the mourning over death but of the sin and problems of life. World sorrow bring remorse, but godly sorrow brings repentance and life. Jesus calls us to mourn over sin, but not to stop there. Jesus promises a way to life and hope in the face of sin, guilt, and death.
The Christian way is to always choose love. If we never loved, we would never mourn. Jesus was affirming it is right to love even though it hurts. Jesus mourned for Lazarus when he died- even though He raised Lazarus. Jesus mourned for Jerusalem that rejected him. He mourned for the world in the Garden of Gethsemane. He mourned for evil and death. But one of the names of God is "The Comforter." He is "The God of all comfort." (1 Cor. 1:3). God comforts the mourning, and our call is to do the same.
At the sentencing hearing of Dylan Roof (who killed nine in Emmanuel AME Church in a race-hate crime) many mourned. But one in the courtroom did not cry- Dylan Roof. It is a blessing to be able to mourn. Those who truly love and care will be enveloped by the love and care of God.
Prayer: Lord, give me grace to mourn my sin. But let me trust in your tidings of comfort and joy.
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