When the phone rang, I had no idea what was about to be said would change our lives forever. I was standing in the Mansion Library at St. Luke’s when I received the call from my mom. She said that my two nephews had just been in a serious car accident and that things did not look good for the younger nephew, Jacob.
We were unable to learn of their condition until several hours later. Those hours were so long… praying, wondering, waiting. Painful.
When I was finally able to reach my sister, she spoke the words that I can still hear so clearly today. “Jacob went home.” I knew what home she meant. His forever Home. Our forever Home.
When we said goodbye, I fell to my knees and cried out to God. I wanted to be angry! But anger wouldn’t abide. Only love, faith, and gratitude filled my heart. There was no room for anger.
I was reminded of a small baby in a manger who became a man that saved my soul. A man that saved Jacob’s soul. In that moment, death was no longer something to be feared; it became a doorway to life. And even though, in that moment, I was alone; I was so, very not alone.
There are many roads that lead to Bethlehem. Sorrow is one of those roads. Jesus came to live among us, God with us. He loved, he healed, he suffered. He knows. When we come to Bethlehem, we encounter a Savior who understands our sorrow.
And, once we find the way to Him, we discover it was the road that leads us home.
Stephanie Greenwald, Director of Worship
