Happy Are the Sad

Probably one of the saddest times in life is the loss of a loved one. At the funeral service tears are shed and a huge sense of the void created descends upon the mourners. While the death of a Christian has the same sadness, it is overcome by the joy that the departed has entered into the presence of God for all eternity. I have been at some funerals where the service was a celebration. When Christian music artist Howard Goodman died his service was filled with singing, clapping and general rejoicing that he was with the Lord. His wife Vestal appeared in a concert in our town the very next week with a joyful testimony in word and song praising God for his goodness.

Another occasion when sadness is wiped away by God's goodness is mentioned in the second beatitude in Matthew 5:4, "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted." Here the mourning is over the sin that brought about the spiritual poverty of the preceding beatitude and the death of Jesus that was necessary to pay for that sin. It is a mourning that reoccurs every time sin raises its head in life. But the comfort of God's grace and presence on behalf of the sinner brings forgiveness, a restored relationship and ongoing fellowship that enables the mourner to rejoice.

Sin is a spiritual disease that results in death. But God has overcome that death. When we each realize the price paid for our rescue it ought to cause us to mourn. When we mess up and fall victim to sin as life goes by we also ought to mourn knowing that Jesus death was necessary to include payment for that sin. Failure to mourn indicates that there has been no recognition of our spiritual poverty and as a result there is no comfort. But the mourning indicates we have turned to God for his grace. His resulting forgiveness for salvation and for our daily failures is the comfort that will make turn our sadness over sin into happiness in Christ.