God.

We miss them.

We know, of course, that to be absent from the body is to be present with you.

That’s all very well for them, and for you, but we miss our loved ones.

And on this All Saints Day when we have said goodbye to more loved ones that usual, our hearts are unusually sad.

Decades ago, a poet prayed with deep honesty about the tension we feel:

O blest communion, fellowship divine,
we feebly struggle, they in glory shine;
yet all are one in thee, for all are thine.

I ask that you will give us comfort today in the memories we have of those we no longer can see. Help us know the immensity of the communion of the saints, which we affirm, but which we often do not feel. Help us be faithful for those who follow us, building courage into them rather than adding to their uncertainty.

May we be unusually aware of your presence today.

Amen.

+++

And for some other context: Excess Grief