The Lord proclaims:
A voice is heard in Ramah,
weeping and wailing.
It’s Rachel crying for her children;
she refuses to be consoled,
because her children are no more.
16 The Lord proclaims:
Keep your voice from crying
and your eyes from weeping,
because your endurance will be rewarded,
declares the Lord.
They will return from the land of their enemy!
17 There’s hope for your future,
declares the Lord.
Your children will return home!
Reflection
As I write this I’m sitting in the emergency room with my mom. It seems the whole human drama is playing out around us. So many are sick and in pain, some are confused, some are unconscious, some are calling out for help. And then there’s the waiting. Waiting to be seen, waiting for tests, waiting for results. Even though we’re looking for answers, we also worry we won’t like the results. It feels like we’re holding our breath, knowing everything can change
in one moment, one diagnosis. Which brings us to grief. It’s the one human emotion we all will experience. When we see others experiencing grief, that we ourselves have felt, we feel a common bond of compassion and we can either choose to embrace grief or push it away.
In our scripture, Rachel is grieving over her lost and dead children. As a matriarch of Israel, Rachel is a symbol that mourns for those who have been killed or carried off by the enemy into foreign lands. This forced diaspora signals the end of her country, her culture, her religion and her future. Her grief involves weeping and wailing. It is an inconsolable grief for all that has been lost and can never be restored to what it once had been. And yet, in this moment of grief, God speaks to Rachel. God hears her wailing and sees her tears, because God is right there in the midst of what is happening. Rachel does not mourn alone, God is mourning with her. God tells her to stop grieving because her endurance of all that has happened will be rewarded because her children will return home from captivity and “there’s hope for your future.” Rachel stands at the threshold of two realities, where “her children who are no more, “and hope for a future” which she can’t yet see. Rachel bears witness to the pain and suffering of this world, but God speaks the promise of hope and redemption to those who have no hope.
by Jeneene Reduker
For Pondering and Prayer
As we look back at 2025 there was an awful, and I do mean awful, lot of things that happened that left us grief stricken. It seems as though we’re totally consumed with grief. Mourning takes time and we need to honor the space and the spiritual transformation that results from the grieving process. It’s a time of Spirit led transformation and growth that forges compassion for ourselves and the world. God is with us through this journey, whispering healing words of the promise of hope and a new future. It takes time to let go of the “what was” for the “what can be,” so we don’t miss the opportunity for all that God is ready to do in our lives. We must acknowledge our pain before we can be healed. As followers of Jesus, we know the despair of loss through Jesus’ crucifixion and death. But we have also experienced
the joy of resurrection and the hope in the promise of eternal life in Christ.
Are you on the threshold between grief, letting go of “what was,” and hope, embracing “what can be?” Who do you know that is grieving and needs your prayers and compassionate support?
Prayer: Holy and Loving God, we are grieving for those who are suffering from war and cruelty in this world. Help us to hear your promise of hope and to offer compassionate help and hope to all that suffer. Amen.
