What important qualities and knowledge are required in Christians helping the bereaved? How might growth of these qualities and this knowledge be encouraged among members of the church?
Essay Title: What important qualities and knowledge are required in Christians helping the bereaved? How might growth of these qualities and this knowledge be encouraged among members of the church?
Introduction
‘In this world nothing can be said to be certain except death and taxes. While many may try hard to minimise the latter, none of us can avoid the former. Death is one human experience that we can all anticipate with absolute certainty’ (Legood/Markham 1:2003).
Death and dying are inescapable aspects of the human experience, and at some point in everyone’s life it is inevitable that they will have to face the death of a loved one, but how each person deals with that situation is different. For some it may be a relief from a restrictive way of life, for others it may be a bolt out of the blue, but for everyone there will be a time of grieving and wondering, during which it is our Christian duty to offer them comfort and love.
The Bible and Grief
Throughout the Old Testament there are numerous examples of grief: Abraham mourned the loss of Sarah (Gen 23:2), Joseph grieved at the death of Jacob (Gen 50:1), and many of the Psalms express intense grief (Psalms 6, 35, & 42). In the New Testament, Jesus withdrew privately after news of John the Baptist’s death reached him (Matt. 14:13), devout believers mourned for Stephen (Acts 8:2), and a group of women wept for the loss of Tabitha in Joppa (Acts 9:39).
When Jesus’ friend Lazarus became ill and died (John 11:1-44), Jesus felt the pain of loss again. As his sisters, Mary and Martha, mourned their brother’s death, they were consoled, comforted and cared for by their neighbours and friends. After a three day journey, cross country, Jesus finally arrived in Bethany, to the news that Lazarus had not survived long enough to be healed by him. His friend was dead, and Jesus was himself now a mourner. He openly wept (John 11:35) in grief and in empathy with his friends Mary and Martha at the tomb of
Introduction
‘In this world nothing can be said to be certain except death and taxes. While many may try hard to minimise the latter, none of us can avoid the former. Death is one human experience that we can all anticipate with absolute certainty’ (Legood/Markham 1:2003).
Death and dying are inescapable aspects of the human experience, and at some point in everyone’s life it is inevitable that they will have to face the death of a loved one, but how each person deals with that situation is different. For some it may be a relief from a restrictive way of life, for others it may be a bolt out of the blue, but for everyone there will be a time of grieving and wondering, during which it is our Christian duty to offer them comfort and love.
The Bible and Grief
Throughout the Old Testament there are numerous examples of grief: Abraham mourned the loss of Sarah (Gen 23:2), Joseph grieved at the death of Jacob (Gen 50:1), and many of the Psalms express intense grief (Psalms 6, 35, & 42). In the New Testament, Jesus withdrew privately after news of John the Baptist’s death reached him (Matt. 14:13), devout believers mourned for Stephen (Acts 8:2), and a group of women wept for the loss of Tabitha in Joppa (Acts 9:39).
When Jesus’ friend Lazarus became ill and died (John 11:1-44), Jesus felt the pain of loss again. As his sisters, Mary and Martha, mourned their brother’s death, they were consoled, comforted and cared for by their neighbours and friends. After a three day journey, cross country, Jesus finally arrived in Bethany, to the news that Lazarus had not survived long enough to be healed by him. His friend was dead, and Jesus was himself now a mourner. He openly wept (John 11:35) in grief and in empathy with his friends Mary and Martha at the tomb of
References: http://www.belief.net http://www.bereaved.ie http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov http://www.psychcentral.com http://wol.jw.org