1 Thessalonians 4:13-14

¹³ But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. ¹⁴ For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep.

When I recently faced my father’s impending death, a number of people said to me something like: “I’m so very sorry. I cannot imagine what you must be going through. It must be absolutely terrible”.

Deeply sad and heavily draining it was to face. There is indeed always something ugly about death. Real tears there were, and are. I much appreciated the sincere love and concern for me in these people’s comments. And the humble wisdom that recognised one can never fully know what another person is going through inside.

But, “absolutely terrible”, no. That was not my experience. I knew a lot of people were praying for me and us. I am so thankful for those prayers and God’s answers. As I found myself chatting with Dad about the new journey he was on, and prayed with him, and enjoyed the honour of helping care for him in his last days and hours in this life, it was also a very special time of love, fellowship, inspiration and hope.

Death does hurt when it comes, but in Christ, it is not all-consuming. More real, and profound, is the joyful experience of his risen loving presence, the eternal perspective of life in him, the living hope of resurrection that is not only promised in Scripture to believers, but evidenced and guaranteed by the Holy Spirit who takes up residence in them. It’s glorious to know Dad has gone on ahead!

I was honoured to be able to tell something of these things in answer to those I mentioned. Indeed I felt quite disturbed that it seems they might not have yet tasted new life in Jesus and therefore need him and his salvation more than anything. And I feel motivated to do all I can to point them to him, and repentance and faith in him.

So I sensed God lead me to read the words of our Scripture today at Dad’s funeral, to point to the kind of grieving that is undergirded by living hope, when we are already alive eternally, in Christ alone!