Well, with a loss of a brother in Christ comes a lot of different reactions and emotions. I'll try not to spend too much time in this post talking about all of the different things that come with loss, but I did want to outwardly process and express some of the things God has been doing in my calloused heart since our brother, Colton Burran, died a week ago.
I didn't know Colton super well. We had one class together freshman year in Dr. Bean's Psychology class. And one thing I've always thought about him was how inclusive he was. You see, Colton was the kind of guy who was voted Class Beau. He was well known and well loved in his fraternity, in his academics, and in social circles. His smile could change the atmosphere of a room. He was that kind of guy. And that kind of guy can either make things about himself or turn the focus from himself to the others in the room. Colton daily chose to do the latter. In class, he would not only say hi to those who were often overlooked, he would talk with them about their day. He would make them feel special in a very real way. What a blessing Christ was through him.
So you can imagine that losing a man of God like that at age 23 would be devastating. And it has been for so many. Last night, there was a memorial at a church here in town where his friends from college came from all over to celebrate his life here on earth and the life he's enjoying with Christ right now. We also came to grieve alongside his family. So, at this memorial was a group of Christ followers who were (and are) torn apart and broken over the loss of a friend, a son, a brother, an uncle, a fiance. What God did in our hearts last night is something I will not easily forget.
With separation, there is always grief. But there is not always hope. Hope is only present when God is present. With Colton, there was no doubt in that room that he was (and is) worshiping God while being completely surrounded and enveloped in His presence. That brings us hope. We were also able to hold onto the fact that though there is darkness now, the dawn is near. It's a new day. We sang a song last night that represents this hope so well. Some of the lyrics are included in these lines...
All is lost, find Him there.
After night, dawn is there.
After all falls apart, He repairs.
It's a new day. Everything will change. Things will never be the same.
In Christ, we have hope of His glory; hope of someday being in His presence. Yes, the Kingdom of God is HERE, now. We must live for Jesus today and not wait for the day our bodies die. Salvation is HERE! These are all true. But my focus and exhortation for this blog is for us to hope in the glory that is to come when we are with our brother, Colton, and all of the people we say goodbye to in this life, but more so the day we are standing in the presence of our Lord, our Rescuer, our Redeemer, our Prince.
That day will come, and we should long for it. Romans 8:23 says "And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children, including the new bodies he has promised us."
There is a puritan prayer in a book titled The Valley of Vision called "Earth and Heaven". Here are some beautiful words from that prayer:
"Here I can have the world,
there I shall have thee in Christ;
Here is a life of longing and prayer,
there is assurance without suspicion,
asking without refusal;
Here are gross comforts, more burden than benefit,
there is joy without sorrow,
comfort without suffering,
love without inconstancy,
rest without weariness."
The loss of Colton has led us as his friends and as followers of Christ to grieve but also to rejoice in our sufferings. Though we suffer now because of the separation that comes with death, we rejoice in the hope of someday worshiping our Living and Triune God alongside Colton in Heaven.
Glory to God, forever and ever. Amen.
