Sharing in the Sorrow

As some of you might know, R. C. Sproul, Jr.'s wife, Denise, passed away earlier this week.  She had been on our hearts and minds since we learned of her battle with cancer at the Ligonier National Conference back in March.  R. C., Jr. used this family challenge to encourage others to remember that God is Almighty over all. . .even in the midst of pain and suffering.  (Click here to read my blog post on his poignant comments.)  Yesterday, Joel directed me to the memorial meditation that R. C. Sproul gave at his daugher-in-law's service, knowing it would be an encouragement to me.  R. C. Sproul has a gift for ministering to hearts with biblical truths.

As we are also still grieving, I appreciated Dr. Sproul's comments on practical theology in the midst of bereavement:

"In the years that I spent teaching in seminary, we would prepare students for ministry with academic disciplines in theology, biblical studies, church history, apologetics, philosophy, that sort of thing. But in addition to those disciplines, we would provide courses in what we called “practical theology” to help the students understand how to administer the sacraments and how to visit people in the hospital. But a question I was frequently asked by seminarians was this: “What do you say when you visit people who are bereaved at a funeral service or during visiting hours at a funeral home—what do you say?” And I would answer that question two ways. First thing I would say to them is that there is no script that has been given to us from heaven on what you’re supposed to say to people who are in the midst of grieving. There’s no rehearsed speech that you can take with you into the funeral home. And the second thing I said was that it really doesn’t matter what you say. In fact, you don’t have to say anything. Just be there. Put your arm around those who are in pain."

This is a lesson well-learned.  We may be praying for others in sorrow, but are we willing to help carry their burden by just being there?  A phone call, visit, providing a meal or an invitation to dinner are ways to express Christ's love to those grieving the loss of a loved one.  I'm learning that the grieving process necessitates communicating with others. . .telling the story, so to speak. And that process takes time, so it's good to continue to express concern after their loved one has passed.

You can read Denise Sproul's memorial meditation in it's entirety here.