I had the privilege of officiating at the graveside service this past week for a woman I never met. Jeanne was a fifty-nine year-old woman who died from complications of Alzheimer's. For most people, that would seem an early age for the ravages of Alzheimer's to take one's life, but Jeanne's mother, Lucille, shared with me that many Down Syndrome adults who live into their fifties contract this awful disease. I sat with Lucille Wednesday afternoon and heard her tell wonderful stories about her daughter. Jeanne was a courageous and independent young woman. She navigated Northern Virginia's transportation system, routinely, making bus transfers on her own to get to her job in the hotel/service industry. She even flew apart from her family to Memphis, Tennessee several years back to visit the home of one of her idols, the King, Elvis Presley. She loved key lime pie, conversations with her family and friends, and was ready to travel whenever anyone invited her to go along.
After spending time with Lucille, I felt like I knew Jeanne, even though I never met her...all because her mother shared her grief with me and the wonderful story of her daughter's life. In reality, she was really sharing her comfort with me, for she believed that Jeanne was secure in the hands of Jesus now...no more pain, no more confusion, no more struggle. I was reminded of Paul's encouragement to the church at Corinth in our text today; "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God." Sharing our burdens is a mark of Christian community as the love of Christ flows in and through us, making the darkest of life's moments more tolerable because we share a hope and faith in Jesus Christ.
I look forward to meeting Jeanne someday in heaven, face to face, sharing the comfort of Christ with her, her mother, and so many others whose lives have been changed by the One who willingly endured the humiliation of the cross...the One who comforts us now, in all our troubles.
Jim Abernathy
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