Good morning…
Our 25 year old borrowed my car last week to drive with his girlfriend down to Jacksonville, Florida. They were going to a funeral for a friend. Most 25 year olds in this generation have been to way too many funerals, funerals celebrating the life of a young friend or family member that they have loved and lost.
When I went out to my car after they had filled it up and returned it home, I saw the bulletin from the service sitting in my passenger’s seat. I picked it up, explored it, and read these touching words.
The liturgy for the dead is an Easter liturgy. It finds all its meaning in the resurrection. Because Jesus was raised from the dead, we, too, shall be raised.
The liturgy, therefore, is characterized by joy, in the certainty that “neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Jesus Christ our Lord.”
This joy, however, does not make human grief unchristian. The very love we have for each other in Christ brings deep sorrow when we are parted by death. Jesus himself wept at the grave of his friend. So, while we rejoice that one we love has entered into the nearer presence of our Lord, we sorrow in sympathy with those who mourn. (The Book of Common Prayer, page 507)
My 25 year old son and his 25 year old girlfriend described the service as “phenomenal.” Several of their friends are not church-goers, so the minster taught this young crowd about what Jesus Christ did on the cross and why we have hope in this time of great sorrow. Because Jesus was raised from the dead, their faithful friend was also raised from the dead and has entered into the nearer presence of our Lord.
“My friends and I really needed to hear that hope,” said my son.
A dear friend of mine also lost a beloved family member way too young. She taught me this week, “I am learning that grief is like braiding hair. We experience three distinct parts. The joy of our loved one’s life, the sorrow of their tragic death, and the love of God that binding it all together.”
Joy. Sorrow. The love of God.
Whatever age we are when we grieve the death of a loved one, we braid these three strands over and over again in our hearts and minds.
Joy. Sorrow. The love of God.
Joy. Sorrow. The love of God.
Ecclesiastes 4:12b (NLT) meets us here. A triple-braided cord is not easily broken.
…Sue…
P.S. To strengthen our bond with loved ones we have lost, please consider coming to our All Saints Program on Wednesday, November 4th from 6:30 to 8:00 pm in the Northside Church chapel. Here are the details.
All Saints Program: Connecting with Our Loved Ones Through Letter-Writing
Wednesday, November 4, 2026 | 6:30–8:00 PM | Northside Church Chapel
Join us for a special evening honoring loved ones who have gone before us in the faith and reflecting on the “communion of saints.” Susan Patterson, founder of Gifts from the End, certified dying coach, and member of the Threshold Singers, will guide us through letter writing as a meaningful way to honor and connect with those we have lost.
Cumberland Counseling and the Threshold Singers will also be part of this meaningful evening. Men and women, young and old, anyone who have lost a loved one, recently or a long time ago, are welcome to gather for this sacred experience.
