‘All things that we ordained festival,
Turn from their office to black funeral;
Our instruments to melancholy bells,
Our wedding cheer to a sad burial feast,
Our solemn hymns to sullen dirges change,
Our bridal flowers serve for a buried corse,
And all things change them to the contrary.’
Romeo & Juliet
Lord God, sometimes things happen that are almost too sad to believe. We read about such things in stories but we don’t expect them in our everyday lives. And Lord, we’re so shocked and saddened we don’t know how to accept the news or how to reconcile it with our faith in you as a loving and powerful God.
We know and believe you know everything. We know and believe you love us. And yet, Father, with the greatest respect, we have to confess that we don’t understand how our loving God could allow such sad and painful things to happen.
Why would families be buried by an earthquake? Why must mothers weep at the loss of precious children? Why must some babies be born lifeless? Why would you allow a bride to lose her fiancé a week before their wedding, and see all her hopes and dreams snuffed out in one dreadful, shocking, unchangeable hour? It’s too hard for us to understand.
We don’t understand but we do strive to believe. We choose to trust you. We know that you have always comforted us in the past and we know you will comfort us now.
Father God, wrap your loving arms around those who grieve. Comfort them with your peace beyond understanding. Soothe their anguish; heal their pain; calm their fears. Grant them deep, healing sleep. Give them companionship when they’re lonely and space when they are overwhelmed. Provide calm minds to help with the paperwork; kind professionals to arrange funerals; loving friends, family and neighbours to tend to the daily tasks.
Lord, death is so absolute. We can’t negotiate with it, diminish it, rationalise it away. It slams itself into our lives and changes everything. It’s a terrible thing.
And yet, when the worst has happened, somehow you bring hope. You bring kindness. You sit beside us in our bewilderment and you bring calm. You soften the dry, angry grief into warm, plentiful tears and gradually you enable us to smile again. We’ve seen it before and we ask you now to do it again for those who suffer anguish and grief today. Lord, comfort the broken- hearted and bind up their wounds.
In Jesus’s name.
Amen.