Celebration of Life

the passing of a loved one and a new born celebrated…

dealing with pain and loss:

grief (psalm 34:18) - The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit

comforted (matthew 5:4) - blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted

hope (revelations 21:4) - He will wipe every tear from their eyes. there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.

support (romans 12:15) - rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn

encouragement (psalm 42:11) - why, my soul, are you downcast? why so disturbed within me? put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.

multiple Bible characters experienced deep loss and sadness, including job, naomi, hannah, and david. even Jesus mourned; after lazarus died, Jesus went to the village of bethany, where lazarus was buried. when Jesus saw martha and the other mourners weeping, He also wept. He was moved by their grief and also by the fact of lazarus’s death. (John 11:35; Matthew 23:37-39) ~gotquestions.org~

scriptures covering new life, birth, and children:

psalm 127:3-4: ""behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, offspring a reward from him. like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one's youth"." 

proverbs 1:8-9: "a graceful diadem will they be for your head; a pendant for your neck."

1 timothy 2:15: "yet she will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith and love and holiness with self-control".

where true peace comes from:

for to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. ~isaiah 9:6~

recently a beloved family in our church had to deal with the highs and lows of life: a dear brother, kalei, passed the day before thanksgiving, while a boy who is now a young man, nainoa, had brought his baby to be dedicated the previous sunday. losing a son, gaining a grandson - at the same time demonstrating steadfast, unwavering love.

while visiting their family during thanksgiving, they all gathered having a meal together; even though it was a time of mourning, they were rejoicing in the goodness of God. how does one do that when sadness weighs on ones heart? it is a question that non-Christians often ask; including how can we love God when He allows death, tragedy, and other bad things to happen. it’s not lost on me when and how they feel this way. what i do know from seeing this beautiful family is that they are immovable in their faith, trusting God that His plans and what He has in store for them is bigger than what we humans can understand. this is truly hard for non-believers to grasp.

what i do know is that they knew what was or is in store for kalei - that he is in the presence of Our Lord, Our God something we want for EVERYONE, regardless if we know them or not. the promise that there will be no more pain, no more suffering, that we will be in our renewed bodies. no longer did he have to deal with the life and health challenges. not feeling he was no longer the man that he used to be - active, strong, tough, all the things he used to identify himself as.

53 For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. 54 When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:

“Death is swallowed up in victory.”
55 “O death, where is your victory?
    O death, where is your sting?”

56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. ~1 corinthians 15:53-57~

so how can you have peace in difficult situations, challenging times, and an uncertain future? when you need peace in your life:

micah 5:4-5 and he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. and they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth. And he shall be their peace.

romans 15:13 may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

psalm 4:8 in peace i will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.

isaiah 26:3 you keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.

fast forward today since kalei’s passing and we have a family that, while likely still grieving, they come to church to be fed, to get refreshed on the Word of God, and also to serve because the foundation of their lives are set on God, on Jesus - our Lord and Savior, and their family will not be moved, shaken, distressed, nor fraught with emotional turbulence. how is that even possible - their eyes are on Jesus and the promises we can hold on to:

philippians 4:6-7 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

john 14:27 peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. not as the world gives do I give to you. let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.

#faiththatinspires