PODCAST
Grace In The Midst of Grief
November 26th, 2021
Genesis 50:1-11
While at the end of my first year in seminary, my dad was diagnosed with terminal cancer, which he had valiantly fought for years. In one of the hardest decisions of my life, I withdrew from classes for the next year and headed back to my parents’ home to spend those last months with my family. Those were difficult days to be sure. Each of my siblings dealt differently with grief. We got by one day at a time trying to believe that God was with us, though, most of the time we still felt a huge hole in our hearts.
It was during this time I came to a new understanding of God’s grace. People from our community of faith provided for us in ways that only God knew would bless us. Nurses from our congregation volunteered to take a shift caring for my dad. People brought us meals. We received cards, letters, and phone calls offering prayerful support. God was present in our grief, through the lives of Christian sisters and brothers. As Joseph buried his father, Israel, a community grieved with him and gave him comfort. God has always called His people to be a vehicle for His grace.
Author: Carol Rittenhouse
