At some time in our lives we will all suffer the pain of bereavement, when a loved one dies and no matter how strong our faith or how much we tell ourselves that they are safe in the arms of Jesus, it doesn't lessen the pain we feel at the time.

It was just another morning for the Wilkinson family, they had breakfast together, and his wife had made him some sandwiches for his lunch, which she had packed into a lunch box. John put on his coat, drove the car out of the garage, kissed his wife goodbye and drove off to work. They had gone through the same routine every working morning for over twenty years, but this morning was to be different, because on his way to work John was killed in a car accident on the motorway. We cannot plan or prepare ourselves for such disasters and we live in the belief that our lives will always continue as we had planned. So, when the unexpected happens, it’s very much like an earthquake, when what seems firm and dependable at the time, is suddenly taken away from us and smashed to pieces.

Jesus had a friend called Lazarus, who became ill and died. When Jesus arrived, Lazarus had already been buried and it is recorded that Jesus wept beside his friend’s graveside. This story reveals something of our own experience of being bereaved. To weep at the death of someone we love, doesn't mean we no longer believe in God. Jesus knew that his friend would live again after his death and yet he still wept, because he knew it was important to mourn for his friend.
We too need to express our grief, even though we know that death is not the end, but the beginning. God understands our sorrows and shares in our tears.