St. John’s Lutheran Church
5 November 2023 + All Saints Sunday
Matthew 5:1-12
Rev. Josh Evans
I don’t know about you, but it doesn’t feel very ‘blessed’ to mourn. When your whole world is ripped out from under you, when an unfathomable loss leaves a gaping hole in your heart, when all you can do is sob and gasp for breath — ‘blessed’ isn’t exactly the first word that leaps to mind.
This is a story about when things come crashing down like that…
[The Rabbit Listened by Cori Doerrfeld]
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
There is a blessing in the grief, after all.
There is a blessing in the gentle accompaniment of a rabbit who listens.
The rabbit didn’t force Taylor to grieve in a particular way or on a specific timeline, but the rabbit’s silent presence – just being there – helped Taylor to experience a range of feelings on their own time and in their own way … until Taylor was able to make plans to build again … not ignoring the loss, or trying to remember and fix things exactly as they were before … but doing something new entirely.
There is a blessing in the solidarity and support of the communion of saints who surround us in this place.
The communion of saints — the community of the church — reminds us that we do not grieve alone, we do not weep alone, we do not journey through life alone.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.