~ GRIEF SHARE ~
"The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit." -Psalm 38:18
After a loss there’s a VOID. It’s very common to feel disconnected, isolated, and possibly even resentful towards our God. When we share with others who have also experienced such loss, we can reconnect! In these moments we gain the confidence to realize God is walking with us. Through Grief Share, you can find:
Hope
A sense of community
The trust that “WE ARE GOING TO BE OKAY”
It doesn’t matter if your loss is recent or from prior years, it’s never too late to take time to heal!
In the group setting, Grief Share offers support for anyone suffering from a loss (i.e., death, illness, financial hardships, etc.). Our meetings are Bible-based and include videos from experts in the field offering insight on grief and spirituality. If you are lost, confused, lonely, or simply needing extra support, join us. We may be just what you need right now.
We meet in person on Tuesday evenings from 6:30-8:00pm for 13 weeks. Sessions are self-contained, and anyone is welcome ANYTIME! Additional details on the GriefShare program can be found at GriefShare.org.
2024 spring sessions
April 23 - May 21
June 4 - June 25
July 9 - July 30
We look forward to seeing you.
Ready to join? Have questions or want to learn more? Email us and one of our trusted leaders will reach out to you.
Resources
Grief Literature
On Grief & Grieving: Finding the Meaning of Grief Through Five Stages of Loss by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross and David Kessler
Finding Meaning: The Sixth Stage of Grief by David Kessler
Option B – Facing, Adversity, Building Resilience, and Finding Joy by Sheryl Sandberg & Adam Grant
A Grief Observed by C.S. Lewis
The Good Grief Devotional 52 Weeks Toward Hope by Brent D. Christianson
Scripture Readings about Grief, Loss, & Hope
Isaiah 40:1, 25-31 - O comfort my people…
Psalm 13 - How long O Lord must I wait ...
Psalm 23 – The Lord Is My Shepherd…
Psalm 121 - I lift up my eyes into the hills…
Psalm 139 - O Lord, you have searched me and you know me…
Matthew 5:3-12 – …Blessed are those who mourn…
Matthew 11:28-30 - Come to me all who labor…
Poems & Readings
We Are Raw Nerves
Rev. Sarah Speed | A Sanctified Art LLC | sanctifiedart.org
We are raw nerves, exposed and tender.
We are weary bones, hunched and fragile.
We are silent prayers, lips saying your name.
We are wedding rings we can’t take off, even though time has passed.
We are the same pew, but it feels different now.
We are a brave face when we have to be strong.
We are tears in the shower when grief roars its head.
We are setting the table, but there are empty seats.
We are stuck in the swell, caught in the storm.
We are moving on, caught in our guilt.
We are okay some days, but some days we’re not.
We are familiar with the night, we know it by name.
We are night-walkers, dream-makers, star-chasers.
We are close to home, but home has changed.
We are close to the surface, but the waters are rising.
We are all of this, plus everything else, and we are here.
We are here. Grief is here. God is here. The night is here.
And all of this is true, and we are not alone.
Take my hand. Take these words. Let them be your life raft.
Let this be the longest night, and let it be whatever you need it to be.
We are here. Grief is here. God is here. Take what you need. Amen.
How Do We Go On?
John Mark Green
How do we go on, after the unthinkable happens?
How can we carry the burden of knowing the world can be cruel and dangerous?
The future so unpredictable?
How do we grieve with empty arms and a head filled with echoing memories?
~
We are stronger than we know, and this is how we show it:
Holding each other, Giving comfort in the midst of pain.
Loving more fiercely, through our actions and the things we say.
Making the world just a little bit better, every single day.
Never taking life for granted, knowing that it can be snatched away.
~
This world may bring deep darkness but we are the bearers of light.
We’ll join our flames together and shine in the blackest of nights.
On That Night
Jan Richardson
On that night
when you are holding your very last hope,
thinking to let it go as too small to be saved or sanctified;
on that night
when you turn away at last from the far horizon
over which you had thought your life would come to find you;
on that night
believe me,
this is where the ache will give way to the mystery
and the blessing
that seemed so distant
will quietly come to meet you,
holding your heart in its two luminous hands.
Hopi Prayer
Mary E. Frye
Do not stand at my grave and weep.
I am not there, I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow.
I am the diamond glints on snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain.
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you awaken in the morning’s hush
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet white doves in circled flight.
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry;
I am not there, I did not die.
Grief Prayer
Source: https://prayer.knowing-jesus.com/prayer/grief-due-to-loss-of-a-loved-one-331
Loving Father, I am finding it so hard to even get up out of bed to start the day, knowing that I have to face it alone and without the one I love so dearly. I know that without Your grace and sufficiency I could never get through the day, but I thank You that You have promised to be with me and to provide me with Your strength for today as well as bright hope for tomorrow.
I can’t imagine tomorrow being anything but a day filled with pain, as I do not have my loved one beside me, but I ask that in Your grace You will give me the strength to get through today, step by step, knowing that You are there to carry me, even when my heart seems to fail from the grief and pain that I am going through.
Give me hope for tomorrow, for my hope and my trust is in You, Lord. Hold me close I pray and thank You for always being with me and the great comfort that I have in knowing You, as my own dear Savior and friend.
Amen.
There Was Jesus
Song Lyrics by Zach Williams, Jonathan Smith and Casey Beathard
Every time I tried to make it on my own
Every time I tried to stand and start to fall
And all those lonely roads that I have travelled on
There was Jesus
When the life I built came crashing to the ground
When the friends I had were nowhere to be found
I couldn't see it then but I can see it now
There was Jesus
In the waiting, in the searching
In the healing and the hurting
Like a blessing buried in the broken pieces
Every minute, every moment
Where I've been and where I'm going
Even when I didn't know it or couldn't see it
There was Jesus
For this man who needs amazing kind of grace
For forgiveness at a price I couldn't pay
I'm not perfect so I thank God every day
There was Jesus