Love and Grief

This has been a season of grief for many members of our church family, in various ways.  Grief is natural and grief is heavy.

Some are experiencing the death of a friend way too early.  What do we do with the emptiness? 
Some are trying to figure out what happened to their loved one.  Why so quickly? 
Some are experiencing the loneliness of not being able to reach out to one they loved one more time.  Where are you?  
Some are remembering the way things once were. How do you handle all the change?

Grief is a journey.  Not an emotion that we work our way through, but a companion for the rest of the days on our journey of life.  Jason asked the question at a recent funeral service, what if we invited grief into our live as a friend?  What if we welcomed grief as a way to remember?  What if we reconsidered grief as our ultimate expression of love?

I want to share with you a few words I found from author and poet Wendell Berry’s novel Hannah Coulter.

Berry writes, via the fictional character Hannah,

I began to know my story then.  Like everybody’s, it was going to be the story of living in the absence of the dead.  What is the thread that holds it all together? Grief, I thought for a while.  And grief is there sure enough, just about all the way through.  From the time I was a girl I have never been far from it.  But grief is not a force and has no power to hold.  You only bear it.  Love is what carries you, for it is always there, even in the dark, or most in the dark, but shining out at times like gold stitches in a piece of embroidery.

I don’t think grief is something they get over or get away from.  In a little community like this it is around us and in us all the time, and we know it.  We know that every night, war or no war, there are people lying awake grieving, and every morning there are people waking up to absences that never will be filled.

Wendell Berry eloquently shows us that grief (that comes and goes) does not hold us down,  love (which is always there) carries us on.  Rest in the power of love.  Know that grief is an expression of love. Remember the pain, loneliness, and many other emotions of grief are evidence of love and can draw us closer to the One who IS Love.

Sunday Morning Small Group Series – Half Truths

We are exploring the truth behind common sayings, such as Everything Happens for a Reason, God’s Helps Those Who Helps Themselves, and Love the Sinner Hate the Sin. They sound Christian – like something you might find in the Bible. We’ve all heard them.  Maybe we’ve even said them. They capture some element of truth, yet they miss the point in important ways. Discover the whole truth by comparing Christian cliches with the wisdom found in Scripture.

Sunday Mornings from 9:45 – 10:30 am

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This Week at Hood

Wednesday, July 18 – No Prayer & Inspiration
Sunday, July 22, 11:00 am – Worship –  Faces of Our Faith: Judas Iscariot, Mark 14:1-2, 10-50
Sunday, July 22, 12 noon – Fellowship Fundraiser Lunch with Pizza, Salad, Desserts (Salad condiments and desserts still needed).

Upcoming Events

Wednesday, July 25, 11:00 am – Volunteer Opportunity, Serving Lunch to Veterans Affairs workers at Tart Park Community Center; We need 4-6 people to help serve lunch between 11:00 am-2:00 pm.  We also need volunteers to make and bring desserts and drinks.

*Get your pens and paper ready—we want to flood our campers with cards and letters while they are at Camp Caroline. Cards need to be in the mail on or before Monday, July 30^th in order to reach our campers in time.  Use the address below:
Camper’s Name & Name of Camp
Camp Caroline
3398 Janerio Road
Arapahoe, NC 28510

Beta Camp: Zoey Godwin, Evan Harrell, Briley Parker, Joy Kate Williams
Alpha Camp: Gigi Williford, Nora Williams