July 25, 2015 - Church at Worship

Much of our theological discourse is punctuated by our attempt to placate the bitter sting of pain. But what happens when people of faith encounter what American poet Langston Hughes describes as “grief so paralyzing that our eyes are frozen from not crying, and our hearts know no way of dying.” Could there be a role for suffering in the drama of human existence?

This morning we descend to the valley of ashes to sit shiva with the faithful and upright Job. The purpose of our trip is not to answer the question will Job curse God? Rather, we will sit at his feet, share in his pain, and identify with his anger. We do this because as German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer noted, “true communities of faith must learn to regard people less in the light of what they do or omit to do, and more in the light of what they suffer.”

Join me as we take a break from theorizing on the problem of suffering and sit in solidarity with all those who have experienced or are experiencing soul-crushing grief.

May God bring you comfort.

Miguel Mendez

Study Pastor