Mar 31, 2020
Episode 12 – Grief: God of All Comfort
Intro – grief patch story from:
https://heidigoehmann.com/blog/loss-and-grief-grief-without-shame
2 Corinthians 1:3-5 (ESV)
Psalm 10:14 (NIV)
God is thoughtful about our grief and holds our grief with us.
So we are: thoughtful about grief for one another, and we help one another hold the grief and the weight of that grief
Psalm 34:17-18 (NIV)
God of All Comfort = God of all losses
Exercise: write down all the losses that you’ve encountered personally, or those you see around them, then write the word All or God or Jesus or a favorite Bible verse over it
We have both – honor the losses and embrace the comfort
God isn’t far off – He is big, but also personal
Isaiah 53:3-4
Jesus encountered his own grief and entered into other people’s grief
Jesus took on the judgment of grief as well
Biblical narratives of loss:
Mary, Martha, Lazarus – loss of loved one, the experience of illness
Mary and John and the crucifixion – comfort in one another, finding a community to morn with
Joseph – loss of family, loss of freedom, loss of dreams, loss of promises, restoration
David – loss of men in battle, loss of an infant, loss of a son to betrayal
Solomon – Ecclesiastes, loss of time and opportunity, sense of hopelessness but comfort
Ruth and Naomi – widowhood, loss of livelihood, loss through moving
What loss narratives have given you comfort in Scripture?
Luke 7:11-17 (NIV)