At the tomb of Lazarus, Jesus already knew what he was about to do. He had told his disciples he was going to wake his friend. He still stood with the mourners, was troubled, and wept. Grief in the presence of hope is not a failure of faith. Scripture shows it in the Son of God himself. That gives grieving people two things to learn. The first is how to mourn honestly while holding on to God. The second is how to stay with someone else who mourns, including someone who has lost a person to suicide, without explaining their pain away.
Over four gatherings, a group or a single reader will practice both. You will read the passages slowly, write and pray, test the claims that so often pile shame onto grief, and rehearse what to say and do when someone is hurting. Each gathering builds a capacity the next one needs. The guides are John Onwuchekwa, a longtime pastor and author who grieved his brother in public; Dr. Anita Phillips, a trauma therapist and minister; Dr. John Swinton, a professor of practical theology and pastoral care who worked for years as a mental health nurse and then as a chaplain; Dr. Christina Edmondson, a college dean trained in counseling psychology; and Lisa Fields, founder of Jude 3 Project.
The material speaks about suicide directly. If you are thinking about ending your life, or you fear someone near you might, set it aside and reach a person now. In the United States, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at any hour. If someone is in immediate danger, call 911. These pages will still be here when you are safe.