Memories provide sense of peace

The Rev. James Bush, senior pastor, First Southern Baptist Church, 4300 W. Sixth St.:

On Monday, we celebrate Memorial Day, a day set aside for our nation to honor the memory of men and women who gave their lives serving our country. Memorial Day reminds us that those who die in service to their country do not die in vain. Their contribution lives on.

Our faith in God comforts us in ways similar to what Memorial Day does for our nation. The New Testament serves as a guide for us in overcoming any fear or doubt we may have about death.

First, God helps us overcome the fear that death is a dark and lonely chasm. The Bible reveals that one who dies is never alone, but leaves this life in the presence of Jesus Christ. Jesus promises his followers that in death we are in his presence (John 14: 2-3).

Second, God promises that we will see our loved ones again. The Bible teaches that a day will come when we will be reunited with those who have gone before us (I Thessalonians 4:13-17). Death is not the end; we will see our deceased loved ones again.

Third, God comforts us in a matter many people may sense is true but cannot prove. The Bible describes the presence of a great cloud of witnesses who watch over us and cheer us on (Hebrews 12:1). The contribution a loved one – a parent, spouse, child or friend – has had on a life is real and is not diminished in death.

– Send e-mail to James Bush at pastor@sunflower.com.

God shares our burden of grief

Debbie Stiel, rabbi, Lawrence Jewish Community Center, 917 Highland Drive:

“Your grief is not only frightening but erratic.

Even though each of us faces a death in different ways …

There is no detour around bereavement.”

These words from “Living When a Loved One has Died,” by Rabbi Earl Grollman, speak to the anguish, confusion and grief we feel after the death of a loved one. While friends, family and God cannot expunge our sorrow, these words can comfort us.

Rabbi Harold Kushner, in his book “The Lord is My Shepherd: Healing Wisdom of the 23rd Psalm,” encourages us to learn from Psalm 23. A close examination of the psalm shows that the speaker begins by referring to God in the third person: “The Lord is my shepherd … He maketh me to lie down in green pastures…” The psalmist’s connection with God is indirect and impersonal here.

However, there is a shift that occurs in the middle of the psalm: “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me.” Now the psalmist uses the second person perspective. The writer has entered into a relationship with God.

We are reminded by this that to gain comfort from God we must turn to God the parent, the friend, the source of life and open ourselves to a relationship with God. When we do this, we find that our grief can be shared, and we are able to gain solace from our connection to God. As simple as this sounds, I think it is at the heart of this issue. When we ask God for help and we enter into a dialogue with God, we find that we do not have to go through the mourning all alone.

– Send e-mail to Debbie Stiel at dstiel@everestkc.net.