I have a friend who lost her son in a firearms accident.
Both her children were looking at a new rifle that one of them had purchased when the gun went off, killing one child, and sending the other child and his parents into an abyss of unimaginable grief.
It was from the cell block of this sadness that she wrote, detailing what had happened and expressing the depth of her family's sadness.
As a byproduct of love, grief is not something we cure, but something with which we cope. And so my words to her were much along these lines, laced with encouragement, hope, and concern, for no one can bring her son back, make the accident go away, or otherwise fix it.
This Sunday you and I will hear the story of one of Jesus's post-resurrection appearances. This one famously stars the apostle Thomas who's best known by his first name, Doubting,
In this story Jesus appears to the apostles, who are hidden behind closed doors, rapt in their own anxiety, pain, and mourning over the crucifixion. And Jesus mysteriously appears to them and tells them, more than once, "Peace be with you."
We notice that Jesus does not then go out and magically vanquish the Romans and their occupation - nor does he rid the land of corrupt religious leaders - Jesus' solution is to simply offer his followers his presence in the midst of brokenness - his presence of peace.
As we you and I experience life's trauma and life's pain, and as we come out of this lengthy, devastating, period of COVID, our prayers may also resemble a yearning for what we've missed, a restoration of what's been taken away.
But we soon realize, things can't be fixed, the clock can't be turned back, we simply have to develop new ways of coping, and at the heart of that is Jesus and the peace he offers by trusting in him.
My friend's son is not coming back, at least to this world anytime soon, but Jesus remains, and in him there is the newness of resurrection, a new way of being in the world, that promises fulfillment of its own.
The irony of trauma, is that these things that most devastate us are the things that most shape us - and more times than not - they make us better people - more understanding, more empathetic, more aware of the fragility, and hence the value, of our lives.
So let us not fear too much for what has been lost, but like Thomas, exclaim. "My Lord and my God," in faith that the resurrected One has plans for us that are needful for the world - and that promise fulfillment of their own.
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