The Blessing of Grief

The Blessing of Grief

(Matthew 5:4)

Yearly Theme:  “Patience is…”

Series Title:  “Good Grief”

November 6^th, 2022

Something to think about:

We begin a new series today entitled “Good Grief,” and our subject matter is… you guessed it:  Grief.  But what is grief in its simplest form according to the dictionary?

As a noun grief means – “keen mental suffering or distress over affliction or loss; sharp sorrow; painful regret.”[1]

As we explore grief today, I thought it fitting to look to Jesus’ words of blessing and comfort in the Sermon on the Mount, specifically the Beatitudes:

Matthew 5:4 (NLT),

“God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted.”

The Gospel of Luke also has a rendering of this same verse.  Luke writes that Jesus proclaimed:

Luke 6:21b (NLT),

“God blesses you who weep now, for in due time you will laugh.”

In the same vein, Luke seems to tie this beatitude to what Jesus had said when He first started out in His ministry.  Following His baptism and initiation into the purpose for His coming to earth, Jesus returned to His hometown of Galilee.  Luke records His return this way:

Luke 4:14-19 (NLT),

¹⁴ Then Jesus returned to Galilee, filled with the Holy Spirit’s power. Reports about him spread quickly through the whole region.  ¹⁵ He taught regularly in their synagogues and was praised by everyone.

¹⁶ When he came to the village of Nazareth, his boyhood home, he went as usual to the synagogue on the Sabbath and stood up to read the Scriptures.  ¹⁷ The scroll of Isaiah the prophet was handed to him.  He unrolled the scroll and found the place where this was written:

¹⁸ “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,

for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released,

that the blind will see,

that the oppressed will be set free,

¹⁹ and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come.”

Jesus was reading the scroll of Isaiah, and more specifically from chapter 61 which reads:

Isaiah 61:1-4 (ESV),

 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,

because the Lord has anointed me

                                  to bring good news to the poor;

he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,

                                  to proclaim liberty to the captives,

and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;

                                 ²  to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor,

and the day of vengeance of our God;

to comfort all who mourn;

                                       to grant to those who mourn in Zion—

to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes,

                                       the oil of gladness instead of mourning,

the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit;

                                       that they may be called oaks of righteousness,

the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified.

                                       ⁴ They shall build up the ancient ruins;

they shall raise up the former devastations;

                                       they shall repair the ruined cities,

the devastations of many generations.

So, what is all of this, and why does it matter that we understand what it means?

Here’s the takeaway this morning:

Key Point:  “Our brokenness reminds us of our need for GOD who is the great Comforter.”

So, how does our brokenness lead us to the Great Comforter?  Here are a few things to consider:

• In our brokenness, we are often able to see  need for GOD.

• In our brokenness, we are often able to see the  need for GOD.

• In our brokenness, we are often able to become  than we were before.

Something to take home:

In your sorrow, have you found comfort in Christ?  Have you grown stronger or weaker?  Have you gotten so stuck in the valley of grief that you cannot find a way to the other side of hope?  The journey is a difficult one, but we know that we can walk through that valley of the shadow of death and fear no evil for GOD is with us!

Key Point:  “Our brokenness reminds us of our need for GOD who is the great Comforter.”

[1] “Grief Definition & Meaning.” Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com. Accessed October 27, 2022. https://www.dictionary.com/browse/grief.