been shaken by the tragic events of last week, by the sudden and unexpected loss of those we loved, of those who are part of our team, a part of our family, there is a poignant poem that captures the feelings experienced by the psalmist and may capture your feelings as well, the poem simply says, when you lose someone you love, it hurts. it hurts in the middle of the night, it hurts in the middle of the day, it hurts in the middle of your stomach. it hurts to lose someone you love. the reason it hurts so much, is because we love so much. we love the one who is no longer with us, husband, son, father, brother, friend. we love them and now they re gone and we grieve their passing but we must never forget that we do not walk through the valley of grief by ourselves.
worlds have been shaken by the tragic events of last week, by the sudden and unexpected loss of those we loved, of those who are part of our team, a part of our family. there s a poignant poem that captures well the feelings expressed by the psalmist and may capture your feelings as well. the poem simply says, when you lose someone you love, it hurts. it hurts in the middle of the night. it hurts in the middle of the day, it hurts in the middle of your stomach. it hurts to lose someone you love. the reason it hurts so much is because we loved so much. we loved the one who is no longer with us, husband, son, father, brother, friend, we loved them and now they re gone and we grieve their passing, but we must never forget that we do not walk through the valley of
grief by ourselves. the psalmist recognized this when he placed book ends of reassurance around his description of the chaos. he began his words by saying god is our refuge and strength and ever present help in trouble. he ended by say iing, the lord almighty is with us. god walks with us and even carries us when life hits us hard. not only does god walk with us, others come alongside to walk the journey. family members, close friends, fellow soldiers, sometimes total strangers all come alongside to support us and to lift us and to, if possible, ease our burden and carry our grief. we never have to walk alone. there s a contemporary song that describes this powerful truth. part of the chorus sung as one
believ believ believed ladies and gentlemen, at this time the chaplain will provide a scripture reading. a reading from psalm 46. god is our ever present and strength in trouble and we not fear though the mountains give way and fall in the water and sea and roll in foam and mountains quake with surging, the lord almighty is with us. be still and know he is god. the psalmist here describes a world in chaos. things are not as they should be. some great force has shaken the foundations of life. for all of us here today, our
terribly. and even as we grieve, we are also thankful for those who responded in the face of terrifying violence. for those who strove to end it. for those who gave medical assistance. for those who lent a helping hand or put an arm around the shoulder, we give thanks. gracious lord, you heal the brokenhearted. you bind up their wounds. we commend to your care the families and the friends of those whom we have lost. the psalmist reminds us that we are not alone. whether we ascend to the heights or descend to the depths or take the wings of the morning and dwell in the utter most parts of the sea, even there your hand