The Good News

Christmas has a some new angles for me this year.  Last year I found myself connecting with Mary in anticipation of a child – this year I resonate with a Mary who holds so much hope for her child, and yet is also told that a sword will pierce her heart.  I find myself wishing for little hands trying to pull up on the edge of the couch to see the Christmas decorations that mommy is arranging on the mantle. But most of all, I’ve been struck by the promise of Christmas – the promise of hope.  A hope that causes the weary world to rejoice.

The angels proclaimed Good News that would be for all people – and Good News is exactly what this Christ child was and is. The idea of “Good News” got me thinking about the theme from a VMMissions Retreat that I attended last year that asked the question, “What is good news in my context?”  Those attending were invited to reflect on what the Good News was for their unique ministry setting.  So depending on their context (working with college youth, welcoming refugees, ministering to recovering addicts, etc) the Good News took on different angles and highlighted different aspects of Jesus’s redemption.  The beauty was that these descriptions of Good News were rooted in the facts of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection, and yet were unique to the everyday experiences of each context.

Andre’s life and death, and now learning to live without him have greatly shaped the context of this year in our family’s life.  So I wanted to take some time to reflect on “What is Good News for our family?” in light of these circumstances. What is our hope?

(Some of these nuggets of hope were shared with me from friends like Laura Carpenter, Lynn Suter, and Holly Colonna.  Sometimes in the midst of incredible grief you need help remembering the promises of God. Thank you for pointing me to the Good News.)

What is the Good News for my family?

In the days following Andre’s death I found myself stuck in the memories of his last moments, replaying every action – wishing that somehow I could have saved him.  I questioned how I could have done things differently, if one small change could have meant life instead of death.  I knew I had done everything I knew how to do, I just wished it would have been enough. I finally found hope in reading the reflections of another mother, now several years out from the loss of her own 2 month old child.  “When all those that loved them floundered in and reached the brick wall of humanity, a Love stronger than me was present and caring for their body and soul.” The Good News is that there is a Love that could save.  We are so limited in our humanity – we are no match for death.  But in Jesus – because of His resurrection – death does not have the final say. I couldn’t save Andre, but Jesus could. Jesus said, “Sorry death, but this life isn’t yours, this sweet boy is going to live!” More on that to come…

With the incredible hope that Andre is alive tucked in our hearts, we are still left to navigate this life with the deep pain and grief of being separated from our son.  Andre is safe, whole, loved – but what about us? The Good News is that we are not abandoned. We’ve been gifted with the Holy Spirit – the Spirit of a Jesus who understands our suffering because He Himself suffered, and who promises to walk with us. There is such a gift in being understood by someone who has experienced deep grief and it was a great comfort to realize that I could hear my own heart in Jesus words in Matthew 26:38, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow.”  Jesus knows what it means to walk a path of sorrow. 

We’ve been learning to hold joy and grief together. There is joy that has come and will continue to come from various blessings the Lord gives us.  But at the same time, there is an ache in our hearts that will not be erased.  This is the reality of our broken world.  And so even while we seek to follow Jesus and live in His love here on earth, we are looking forward to when redemption comes in its fullness.  After Andre’s death, a friend was trying to reconcile with the idea that “sorrow may last for the night, but joy comes in the morning.” Yes, there is the promise of joy, but even sorrow that lasts for the night is too much sorrow. That’s when she realized that God promises us freedom from the night – “And there will be no night there–no need for lamps or sun–for the Lord God will be their light.” Revelation 22:5  The Good News is that the sorrow of this life will be healed by the very presence of God.

Someday we’re going to experience that healing, that redemption.  And it won’t be just an altered state of mind where we’re ignorant to negative emotions, no. For the first time we will be truly alive, living in the way God intended His children to live – free from sin and death and all the brokenness it brings. We will experience the new creation in its fullness. The Good News is that Andre is even more alive than us, and someday we’ll join Andre in truly living because of the resurrection and redemption of Christ.