As a country – and a church – we’ve faced many hard things in recent months: health worries, job insecurity, financial instability and physical distancing from those we love.
Many churches have found creative ways to carry on providing services, small groups and pastoral care. Technology is being harnessed like never before and we have been seeking ways to stay connected as best we can. But some things remain tough. Maybe one of the toughest is helping people grieve.
This time last year, the loss of a congregation member would have been experienced as a profoundly communal affair. No doubt the death would have been announced in a service and people would have embraced each other with tears. After the service, there would have been friends praying words of comfort into each other’s lives. Pastors would have done home visits. Multiple members of the congregation would have played a part in the funeral service: setting up, stewarding, providing music, refreshments, and more. And church leaders would have led congregations through services of thanksgiving – opportunities to remember, celebrate and cry. That is as it should be.
