Making and Maturing

Our hearts are broken. Today we are caught in between two immutable truths. Lucy is experiencing ineffable joy with the Lord; we are experiencing unspeakable grief and sorrow.

John Newton penned a beautiful poem reflecting on the first truth.

In vain my fancy strives to paint

The moment after death,

The glories that surround the saints,

When yielding up their breath.

…

Thus much (and this is all) we know,

They are completely blest;

Have done with sin, and care, and woe,

And with their Saviour rest.

Two truths: Lucy’s joy, our pain.

Our tears express the second. Lucy has gone home to be with the Lord, but that means she has been taken from the Morgan family.

To hold both of these truths in tension is a temporary challenge due to living in a world broken by sin. The gospel facilitates the first truth: by faith in Jesus Lucy is a daughter of the king and at home with him. But the gospel also guarantees the end of the second: because Jesus has defeated death its days are numbered.

So today we weep in Christ. We mourn in the shadow of the cross and the empty tomb. We look to the Father for care and comfort in this sometimes terrible in-between.

Nestled in Hosea’s bold confrontation of Israel’s persistent idolatry is a remarkable promise:

I will ransom them from the power of Sheol. I will redeem them from death. Death, where are your barbs? Sheol, where is your sting? (Hosea 13:14).

It is this prophetic promise that Paul quotes in 1 Corinthians 15:55. It is this promise that John sees realized in Revelation 21:4. But for today we are caught in between. What can we do? We fight to have faith, to trust our good God in the face of sin’s tragic effects. Today, we worship through tears, but we worship.

If you have not been following I strongly recommend reading Pastor Jesse’s blog as they are walking through this valley. We are coordinating care for the Morgans as they head home. A Go Fund Me has been started to help with funeral costs. A link to sign up for the meal train will be available soon. To help in other ways just reach out to the church office (sarah@greenpondbible.org).

As hard as this is for the Morgans, they are not weeping or walking alone.