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A week ago, we celebrated Easter! Jesus Christ IS RISEN! HE IS RISEN INDEED, ALLIJUIA!
In our journey to Easter, we observed Good Friday and the suffering of Jesus Christ to atone for our sins. He willingly accepted death on a cross, was buried, and rose again in glory on the third day so that we may have eternal life – a blessed, certain life that never ends. We are resurrection people!
This past week, our Saints family has endured a significant and poignant loss: the passing of a beloved Senior, Ryder Barnes. I wish I could say that such a tragic loss of young life is rare. But in my forty-year career, I have experienced this unexpected grief too often. One loss is always one too many. To live as resurrection people means to live with the belief that death, failure, and despair do not have the final word.
Yet, we are caught off guard. We live in a blessed Christian community that often feels like a protective bubble, and the surprise and shock of tragedy have a way of piercing that bubble. In the Gospel of John, Jesus speaks directly into moments exactly like this: "I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world" (John 16:33). While we struggle to understand why bad things happen to faithful people, I want to leave you with this reassurance: while we have unexpected tribulation, we have an even greater hope. This is a hope in Jesus Christ, who has overcome sin, death, and the devil, a hope that Ryder knew personally as a baptized believer.
Right now, the halls of our school feel different. There is a heavy silence where laughter often fills the air, a weight in our chests that feels impossible to lift. When we lose one of our own - especially someone so young and aspiring - the world feels fractured. It is okay to admit that we are in shock and hurting. It is okay to feel that things are not as they should be. Something is out of our control, something is out of place.
In these upcoming days and months, we have an opportunity. An opportunity to live our mission; an opportunity to Proclaim Jesus Christ Through Excellence in Education – and in all that we do, yes, even in tragic loss. While Jesus didn’t sugarcoat our reality in this world. He didn’t say, "if" you have trouble; He said, "you will." He acknowledged that this world can be a place of profound brokenness and tragic loss, and that won’t change. It was true in His time, it is true now; goodbyes that come far too soon and are completely unexpected.
But “Take Heart,” Saints, He didn’t leave us only with a warning; He left us with a promise. He speaks of a place of peace that exists in Him - a peace that can coexist with our greatest fears, unimaginable pain, and even heartfelt tears. Peace is not the absence of pain and suffering: It is the presence of God in the midst of it. The presence of a Savior who endured the pain of the cross, died for our sins, and commits never to forsake you - inviting you to be with Him in eternity. The command to "Take Heart" isn't a call to "cheer up, chap" or ignore our deep pain, grief, and suffering. It is an invitation to breathe when we feel we can’t, knowing that the story doesn’t end in the grave and that in Him we have hope. Breathe and feel His peace in your lungs and in your life. Both can happen because of Him; it’s okay when you feel like Hell and take heart in Heaven.
To "overcome the world" means that death and tragedy do not get the final word. Our hope is anchored in the fact that even in the deepest valley, we are not walking alone; we are never left alone. We find hope in the way we show up for one another, in the shared memories of the life we lost, and in the quiet strength of a Savior who is "acquainted with grief." Acquainted with grief far beyond our ability to understand what this is like. A Savior whose nail-pierced hand is reaching out to you to lift you up every moment of every day through eternity.
In the upcoming days, we will pause, a difficult thing to do in these busy days of life. We will pause to reflect, pray, read scripture, share conversations, care for one another, be by and with each other as we walk through this tragedy together. When we reflect on the loss of Ryder, we reflect on the combined losses we’ve experienced in life. Please, while you pause, give yourself permission to feel both the sorrow of Ryder’s absence and the gratitude for the time we shared with him; permission to feel other losses that so easily sneak into our grieving. Most of all, feel the hope we have in Jesus Christ, our Savior, our promise of eternal life, which He has given us – a Savior who loves you and cares about you.
We grieve, not as our world grieves, Saints. The world grieves in darkness; we grieve in light, the light of Jesus Christ. Even as resurrection people, the next week and beyond will be difficult, for sure. We have a strong community that knows its mission. As the Saints come marching in, back from celebrating Easter and Easter Break, let us together celebrate our faith in Jesus Christ. Yes, the loss of Ryder will hurt, but together we will face this with the full assurance of our faith in Christ Jesus. Together we will find peace, the peace we’ve obtained when our Savior overcame the world. Amen.
Lord, our hearts are very heavy, and our spirits are weak and weary. We don't understand why this happened, and we don't try to hide our pain and hurt from You. We thank You for Ryder’s life and the impact he made on the Saints’ family. In our grief, hold us in Your hand, wrap us in the peace You promised, the kind that surpasses all understanding. Help us to "take heart," knowing that You have overcome the world and that You are holding us close right now. Amen.
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