What
about Suicide?
I hope you had a chance
to see the interview last week on CNN with Rick and Kay Warren as they met with
Piers Morgan. Rick is the well-known
pastor of Saddleback Church and the author of several best-selling books.
Basically, the interview wanted to
know how they, as a pastor family, dealt with the recent death of their son by
suicide. Rick and Kay were intensely
honest and vulnerable about the experience and helpful in understanding the
realities and the pain that go with this increasing epidemic in our nation.
Most of us don’t want to even think
about this. At the same time, many of us
have been forced to. I have been
interested in the number of emails and conversations I have had with many of
you in the last week or so as we broach this topic. The circumstances are different, but all
around it there is personal pain that often meets good people who don’t quite
know what to do or how to respond.
The scenario reminds me of Jesus as
he gathered around the tomb with Mary and Martha. Their brother Lazarus had been in the tomb
for three days, but even so, Jesus instructed them to roll away the stone. The sisters were hesitant. Behind that stone was nothing but the foul
aftermath of death. Even so, Jesus told
them to push it aside. They did. Then, Jesus did what Jesus does. He spoke into the darkness, and all that was
in that tomb, and out came new life.
This weekend, as we speak to this
hard topic of suicide, I am praying that Jesus will do it again. Every one of us would rather keep that stone
in place over this darkness. But this
weekend, with humility, love, fear, and holding on to Jesus, we will remove
it. As we will see, despite the
darkness, the church has a word to offer.
In this place of seeming hopelessness, the church can and should offer
hope. Corrie Ten Boom used to say: “There
is no pit so deep that he is not deeper still.”
In that confidence, join me in praying that throughout our weekend
services, Jesus will do it again, and we will be able to offer a word of hope,
even to the darkness that is suicide.
See you there,
Pastor Pete
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