5- God's family died.

18 While this messenger was speaking, another arrived and said: “Your sons and your daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house, 19 when a strong wind came from the desert and struck the four corners of the house. It fell upon the young people, and they died. I alone escaped to tell you.”
Job 1:18-19 CEB

It's amazing how casually we talk about Jesus' death as Christians. It's almost as if it's an inconvenient footnote, that must be read so we can get to Easter Sunday. We can't sit in the statement, "Jesus died," unless we can stick a "but" right after it. When Jesus actually died, no one said "but." There were no "buts." Jesus died. Period.

More than that it means God's family died. When we sit in that statement, we realize there are phrases that don't work anymore.

"It'll be okay." Well, no. In some way it won't.  Saying it will be okay is a lie, and one said to make yourself feel better, not to better the feelings of the person you're talking to. Would you say that to God? It'll be okay. 

Job, blameless before God, couldn't say it, and called his friends out for sharing similar feelings. Sitting in mourning everything was anything but okay. 

More than that, God is okay with us not being okay. Not that God wants us to suffer. Just that God gives us space to mourn. The Israelites wrote some pretty difficult words about being a displaced people in their oppressors land. God gave space for that. 

Weep. Gnash teeth. Mourn. It's allowed. God's family died.

Let us pray:
Holy God, I'm filled with sorrow. Be with me as I weep. Amen.