| The Eyes Have It - article by Joel Hempel
On Sunday, when we celebrated All Saints Day, I was touched deeply by the tears I saw in the eyes of brothers and sisters following the naming of loved ones who are no longer with us in this life but for whom we give thanks for their presence with Christ in heaven. As meaningful and restorative as it is to trust in the grace of God and to know the one we love is with Jesus, the pain of losing the physical, in-person love of someone special is profound. I will not be so foolish as to grade the depth of pain based on differences between the loss of a child versus the loss of a spouse or parent, for example. Pain invades us with different intensities for different reasons. When I went to the hospital with my two brothers and the mortician to pick up our mom after she had died from a massive stroke, she was lying naked and lifeless on a gurney. Although shocking, I knew what I saw was only a body, not my mom. She had ascended to be with Jesus. But my tears still flowed uncontrollably. That was thirty-one years ago, and yet to this day, when I look at her photo on my desk, I feel both love and sorrow, and often my eyes moisten with gratitude and sadness. Why is that? Why do we never let go completely? If we think about or even talk to our departed loved one, it keeps the person alive in our hearts and reminds us that they continue to live spiritually with God, among and with other saints. Some believe that our souls, as well as our bodies, cease to exist at the time of death. But this position is refuted by texts that state otherwise (see 2 Cor 5.6-8, Philippians 1:21-23, Luke 23:42-43). Tears that flow years and decades after a loved one dies remind us how deep our love was and continues to be for that person. God created us for communion, and our communion continues with loved ones who have passed from this life to the next. But what about those who may have strayed from the church or denounced their faith in Jesus? For them, our tears may carry a deeper pain. We lift up that pain to The God of Mercy and remember this solid truth. Through his Word, God clearly states our salvation is linked to faith in Jesus Christ alone (John 14:6). But nowhere in Scripture does it state that God restricts himself. God’s mercy is the best friend of the person who fears their loved one is lost. Who knows how the Spirit may have found them before their final departure? Finally, I invite you to read and celebrate this verse from the hymn, For All the Saints: Oh, blest communion, fellowship divine, we feebly struggle, they in glory shine. Yet all are one in Thee, for all are Thine* – all are (present tense) Yours. *For All the Saints, verse 4, LSB 677. | 
