There have been several sudden losses in our community over the past week, and we join with the families and friends of these dear ones in their grief. A preacher wiser than I once commented that when we mourn, we find ourselves grieving every loss we’ve ever had. Recent losses draw us back toward the old ones, sorrow melding together in ways that are at best poignant, at worst overwhelming. If the overwhelm should set in, please reach out. We can walk the road together.
Our text for this Sunday points us toward a kind of grief that especially needn’t have been: Jacob mourns for his son, Joseph, whom he thinks has perished, but has in fact been sold by his brothers into slavery. As we stand at the crossroads and look at some of humanity’s worst behavior, we are invited to consider both where we can do better, and where we can but trust God’s power.
With much prayer as we mourn,
Pastor Jen