Grief Resources at the Church Library

Grief Resources at the Church Library
Dear CLC Members,

Advent is a season of hope. In the weeks leading up to Christmas, we anticipate the coming of the long-awaited King into the world who was sent to redeem it from the power of sin and death. Whatever we face, our ultimate hope is in Christ, who already has the victory and will one day come again.

In the meantime, we deal with the realities of death. Our Christmases may feel especially blue this year without the presence of the loved ones who have gone before us. But unlike the rest of the world, as Christians we have hope in our grief (1 Thes. 4:13).

For this hope-filled season, there are four excellent (and new!) resources available at the Church Library to give comfort during times of grief and provide a better understanding of the Christian perspective on death:

Living with Grief: Bound by Sorrow, Wrapped in Comfort

Are you still grieving even months after the passing of someone in your life? The effects of grief, loss, and mourning are long-lived, even if it seems the rest of the world has moved on. Sometimes you question your faith, wondering where Christ could possibly be in the midst of this mess or why Christ would take this beloved person from you.

Pastor Kristian Kincaid has been through substantial loss, mourning the death of seven different family members, all taken in tragic and horrific ways. During all of these tragedies it can seem as if you are trapped and bound by your sorrow, unable to see Christ’s light. But Pastor Kincaid wants you to know that Christ is always there, wrapping you in His comfort of His promise in the resurrection.

(Listen to Pastor Kincaid’s comforting interview on the Concordia Publishing House podcast at CPH.org or by using your podcast app).

Hope When Your Heart Breaks: Navigating Grief and Loss

Whether you have lost a job, a dream, a friendship, or a loved one, you mourn. You might mourn for a few weeks, or your grief may extend for years. Sadness seems to build a permanent residence in your bones, weighing down your soul. You wonder if you’ll ever feel whole again.

Then—hope. God plunges into your heartbreak and works abiding and holy transformation in your life. It may take months or years for you to heal, but you can ground your hope for healing in Jesus. He will always be your hope when your heart breaks.

Living with Dying: Blessings and Prayers for Those Who Grieve

Through devotions, prayers, Scripture, and hymns, this little book brings comfort, peace, encouragement, and hope to those who have lost a loved one or those nearing their own death. This Christ-centered devotional is designed to be a convenient take-along resource to help readers find the comfort provided by the Christian understanding of death. Because of Jesus’ death and resurrection we realize that even while dying and death can cause pain and grief, death has no ultimate power over us.

Death, Heaven, Resurrection, and the New Creation (Bible Study)

Death wasn’t part of God’s original design for humanity; it’s an unfortunate reality of living in a fallen world. It feels unnatural because it is.

But Christ has conquered death; it has no hold over us. In death, Christ becomes our all in all as we live forever in communion with Him. In light of this promise that is sealed in our Baptism, we can live this impermanent life as an act of bold confession, trust, and hope.

This six-session Bible study examines the role the physical body plays in life and death, the experience of dying, and the nature of the new creation and our resurrected bodies.
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These resources and much more can be found in the Church Library New Books section next to the children’s bookshelves (through the Fellowship Hall by the Sunday School office). Materials can be checked out for up to two months. Simply remove the card in the back and write your name and the date, then deposit it in the basket by the bulletin board.

Be sure to browse through the catalogue at this link - There are 150 new titles this year alone!

Happy reading,

Kaylin
Church Librarian