Friday, September 27, 2013

What about Suicide?


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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