While at Hogwarts, Harry Potter wanders into the woods and he sees another student, Luna Lovegood, and she’s standing next to this very odd-looking creature. It looks kind of like a large horse with these massive wings. And Harry realizes that most of the other students cannot even see it. That he sees something that others do not see. And it always feels awkward when we’re the only one. And he asks Luna, what is it? She says, It is a thestral that only those who have experienced loss can see it.
Because grief gives us eyes to see what we could not see before. It is the gift that nobody wants. But if we live long enough, It is the one we all receive. And this is true of all grief. Beforehand, there are certain things we cannot see. Afterwards… We can notice the pain of others in new ways. Because grief can soften our hearts and widen our souls. And when Harry discovers that Luna can also see what he can see, he finds this comfort in knowing that his experience of grief is shared by others.
and Martha and Mary could see what others could not because of their experience of loss. Their brother, Lazarus, had become sick and he was not getting any better. They even sent word to Jesus, the one that you love is ill. And Jesus deeply loved Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, but for reasons that are unclear to us, he waited two more days. Finally, he decided to go. The disciples were somewhat apprehensive. He would face imminent danger along the way. There were people plotting against him, and he would be going towards Jerusalem, which was more dangerous for him, but he needed to go. Lazarus had died.
We can experience loss in countless ways. The loss of a loved one, the loss of hope, the loss of opportunity, the loss of innocence, the loss of friendship, the loss of financial stability. And just two more days can make a significant difference in our lives, leaving us with questions we cannot answer and burdens that we cannot carry alone.
After a long night in the hospital, where I looked around in the waiting room and every seat was taken by a friend from church. We were confronted with the shocking news that Mary, a good friend, had passed away. The injuries of the car accident had proven to be too much. So I had to put on a coat and tie for the funeral. I was only in high school, but along with several other members of the youth group, we were asked to serve as pallbearers. And the sanctuary was full, not an open seat anywhere. And the service was beautiful. And then we recessed out of the back of the sanctuary. We stood next to the exit because we didn’t know what we were doing. They just told the pallbearers where to stand.
and then the family recessed out. And when Mary’s mother walked out of the sanctuary, she lost all of her strength. When she walked by me, she almost collapsed. Instinctively, I put out my arms. And I had never. felt the burden of such grief before. that we cannot carry it alone.
and unable to carry their burden, Martha and Mary went running out to meet Jesus when he finally arrived. They were full of questions. If you had been here, our brother would not have died. Then, in this profound moment that impacts our lives, going beyond mere words, assuring us that we are never, under any circumstances alone, Jesus wept. It was the tears of the divine. It is the very heart of God.
And then they walked to the tomb, like visiting the grave after the headstone has been placed. Lazarus had been dead four days. And standing there in front of the cave, peering into the past and fearful about the future, Jesus said, roll the stone away. Lazarus, come out, unwrap him and let him loose. Death is not the victor, and the love of God is stronger than the grave.
wake of loss, we can eventually find the strength that we need for tomorrow. And then the day after tomorrow, it is a one day at a time kind of journey and we find the strength that we need through the tears of God and the hope of love that is shared with us by others.
And in the wake of loss, we are not always sure what to say. We just know we don’t want to say the wrong thing. But the one thing we can always say. is that we are held by the hands of God. Even when our hands are not strong enough to hold on to God, God holds on to us because God can bring life. Out of death.
We began the journey of Lent here in this room with ashes, the sign of the cross on our foreheads, saying, from ashes we have come and to ashes we shall return. And I remember years ago, I received a phone call a couple weeks before Ash Wednesday, and I was asked to help lead a chapel service at a hospice facility on Ash Wednesday. They needed someone, anyone, to offer the imposition of ashes. And for reasons I will never understand, they called the Baptist Church. But I drove over there that morning with ashes in the passenger seat.
And at the beginning of the service, we listened to the hopeful words of Scripture. We talked about the celebration of Palm Sunday. And we reflected on the heartache of Good Friday. And then we heard again the good news of Easter morning. and I walked around the room. standing by each patient. From ashes we have come. and to ashes we shall return. those words. never felt so tender. but within them and behind them are the hopeful words of Easter. because Jesus weeps with us and God’s compassion comes to us and the love of God is stronger than the grave. because the hands of God will never let us go.
On the day that Desmond Tutu handed over the final report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, where they investigated and documented all of the horrible tragedies of the apartheid, trying to foster dialogue between perpetrator and victim, then on that day when he handed over the report, Richard Lisher reminds us that Desmond Tutu said, when the church looks at the cross. It sees the very worst of what human beings can do. but it also sees the very best of what God can do. And when we experience loss or we are overcome with grief, we need to remember and be reminded of the very best of what God can do. A grace that is beyond measure. A hope that exceeds our understanding. and a love that is stronger than death. Amen.