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GENESIS 50:7-9. 7 So Joseph went up to bury his father; and with him went up all the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his house, and all the elders of the land of Egypt,
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GENESIS 50:7-9 • 7 So Joseph went up to bury his father; and with him went up all the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his house, and all the elders of the land of Egypt, • 8 as well as all the house of Joseph, his brothers, and his father's house. Only their little ones, their flocks, and their herds they left in the land of Goshen. • 9 And there went up with him both chariots & horsemen, and it was a very great gathering.
GENESIS 50:10-11 • 10 Then they came to the threshing floor of Atad, which is beyond the Jordan, and they mourned there with a great and very solemn lamentation. He observed seven days of mourning for his father. • 11 And when the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, saw the mourning at the threshing floor of Atad, they said, "This is a deep mourning of the Egyptians." Therefore its name was called Abel Mizraim, which is beyond the Jordan.
DEALING WITH THE LOSS OF A PARENT
THE LOSS OF A PARENT • I Am Not Unique • Death spreads to all men (Romans 5:12) • Many have lost: a spouse, a child, a grandparent, a close friend, a loved one. • And many have lost a parent or parents. • I stand with countless others that have lost a parent since the beginning of time.
THE LOSS OF A PARENT • The Parent-Child Relationship • Your parents are irreplaceable. • The relationship upon which all others are based. • You believe in your parents’ unconditional love. • A parent’s death is an encounter with mortality.
THE LOSS OF A PARENT • My World Turned Upside Down • Thursday, August 20, 1992 • Shock, Denial, and Disbelief • Frozen in time; Refusal to accept such news. • Questioning God... “Why?” (Job/David) • “My God, my God why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from helping me, and from the words of my groaning?” (Psa. 22:1)
THE LOSS OF A PARENT • Home Again & the Funeral Service • Ecclesiastes 7:2-3 • The living take it to heart, and the heart is made better for it (later). • Shell-shocked and my mind still with a thick fog looming over it. • Tried to remain strong for my mom; tried to appear strong before others.
THE LOSS OF A PARENT • The Sunday After • Psalm 116 • I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go into the house of the Lord” (Psa. 122:1). • Singing, praying, feeding upon the Word of God, remembering our Savior’s death. • “…the members should have the same care for one another. And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it” (I Cor. 12:25-26).
THE LOSS OF A PARENT • Don’t Forget the Others! • My three sisters also lost a father. • My mother lost her closest companion. • Guard against a selfish grief. “Woe is me!” • No, woe is everyone that has personally suffered such a loss! • Romans 12:15 • Philippians 2:4
THE LOSS OF A PARENT • Be Thankful… • If you were taught the Bible from childhood (2 Tim. 3:14-15; Eph. 6:4). • To God for the time you did have to be with your mother/father (I Thess. 5:18). • For the memories & experiences created. • If your parents are still living, be sure to express gratitude (Eph. 6:2; I Tim. 5:4).
THE LOSS OF A PARENT • Will There be a Reunion? • A Sense of Longing for Dad • Luke 9:28-36; 13:23-28; Matt. 22:23-33; I Thess. 4:13-18; John 11:25-26 • After death, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and the prophets had not lost their identity. • The family roles and relationships will have ended, but we will know one another.
THE LOSS OF A PARENT • Will There be a Reunion? • Do not sorrow as those who have no hope. • Saints living will join the resurrected dead in the clouds with the Lord. • Do you believe this (John 11:26)? • “Therefore comfort one another with these words” (I Thess. 4:18). • John 14:1-4