When a Loved One Dies

Very dear to the LORD are the lives of his followers. He cares when they face death. (Psalm 116:15)

We struggle with this truth......especially when the follower who faces death is someone dear to us. We want to leverage our own thoughts and opinions against God and say things like, “If you really loved her, You would have healed her!”, or, “Why couldn’t it have been someone else?!?!”

Yesterday Billie went to be with Jesus. I can't be sad for her......she had fought hard for the past 20 years, and today is the first day she's found rest. But for her husband and son and parents and siblings and countless friends.....my heart is breaking. And the pain they feel isn’t lost on God.........if He cares when one of His followers faces death, then he cares when the loved ones lose someone they love.  In fact, Jesus met this head on when He said:

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
(Matthew 5:4)

And if I may, allow me to remind you of something Moses said to Joshua:

The LORD will lead you. He himself is with you. He will not fail you or leave you. Don't worry. Don't be afraid!" (Deuteronomy 31:8)

My prayers today are for Billie’s family and friends. Her mother said to me, “There was pain in her birth and there is pain in her death.”  And I said, “The pain at her birth quickly passed.  The pain in her death will linger.  But this is temporary for there is a reunion coming.......and it is eternal!”

Hold on to hope in Jesus, friends.......hold on to hope in Jesus.

Who's That Message For?

I was driving in another town today and saw a church sign that caught my eye.  It was one of those nice, LED signs where the pastor or media person could display any message they chose to display.  There were actually several message rotating through on the sign, but one in particular caught my eye.  Here's what it said:

We preach Christ crucified!

When I saw that message, as true as I'm certain it is, it immediately raised a question in my mind:

Who is that message for?

Is it for the church person who's not satisfied at their current church?  Is it for the church down the street who, as you perceive it, doesn't preach Christ crucified?  Is it meant to be a reminder to their own congregation?  Is it meant to be some kind of statement of superiority and deeper theology?

My objective here isn't to mock this church, but to raise the question - the very relevant question - who's that message for?

When someone is exploring faith, they're probably not concerned about the fact that Jesus was crucified.  When someone feels lost and is searching for something they can hold on to, I don't think they're driving by churches wondering, "Do they preach Christ crucified?"  When someone has lost hope and is searching for direction, I don't believe they're looking for a crucified Christ, but a risen Christ.  When a relationship is on the brink of falling apart or a loved one has received a terminal diagnosis or a family or friend has lost their life, I'm pretty sure the first thing to come from a person's mouth when they meet with a pastor isn't, "Do you preach Christ crucified?"

I've pastored for 30+ years and not once have I received a phone call asking if we preach Christ crucified.  I have, however, received countless calls asking if there's hope out there, asking if there is any solution to a horrible situation, if peace can be found, if there's an answer for all of the pain.........

I'm confident that this message on the church sign was put out there with the best of intentions......but......while the crucifixion of Jesus paid for our sins and should be preached, it's the resurrection that assures us of God's grace and forgiveness and offers us hope for all of life's "messyness".

So yes, preach Christ crucified, but also preach Him risen!  And by all means, preach that He is the hope of all mankind!!!