-Is there such a thing as good grief (I argue yes, not sure it’s debatable.) But there’s also bad or unhelpful, unhealthy, dishonest, or refused grief that gets in the way of us properly and healthfully grieving. Good Grief (Joe Primo; good-grief.org) 

-What do you say to people when they are grieving? What if you’re grieving too? Ring Theory of Grief (Susan Silk) 

-Is Crying Biblical? (duh; John 11:1-35)  

-Grieving what we know is coming (Matthew 26:36-46). Death is a part of life. We’ve heard that before, but it’s no less true or necessary to remind ourselves. But here’s the thing, we believe in a life beyond this earthly realm as we know it. I’m a Christian, you’re a Christian, Aaron, you’re a Christian, Jon. We believe the Bible, which is God’s word for us that tells us that He has prepared a place for us beyond this one. Eternal life with Jesus, central to the gospel message that those who believe in Him will have eternal life. One day, a new heaven and a new earth will be established and we will get to inhabit it, praise the Lord! (Rev 21, maybe a little heavy for right now, but it’s in there.) But in the meantime…we grieve because we are human. We grieve because our emotions are stirred by loss, death,  change. We live in a broken world marred by sin and death feels very final on this side of eternity, I’ve seen it particularly in those who don’t believe in much of anything past this existence. As much as that pains me and saddens my heart isn’t that what we’re tempted to feel, too? When death comes swiftly, unexpectedly, tragically, our first thought may not be “God’s got a plan” but “I’m so angry/sad/confused/devastated.” All part of grief but how do we make it good? How do we make sure our grief is just as much a reflection of our faith as our joy / celebration?   

-What (else) does Jesus do while we know he must have also been grieving? In grief, we see His wonder, generosity, compassion, and community (feeding masses in Matthew 14 happens presumably not long after Jesus receives news of John the Baptist’s death). 

(sidenote) Jesus is methodical, unhurried, maybe even slow to some, in nearly everything he does. As if to emphasize Eccles 3 and who Jesus is in general, we see him act and behave with a beautiful deliberateness and intentionality throughout his life, from getting “left behind” in the temple as a pre-teen to “going away” or being alone to pray. It’s not a direct mention because the show itself does not rely on a religious or supreme deity undertone to explore its themes, but the opening episode of Six Feet Under brings this to bear in a different way. Nate, the salvific figure of the show, goes on a rant to entreat his family to allow themselves the space to grieve intentionally and purposefully at their father’s funeral instead of restrained,  tight-lipped, somber stoicism.