The (Grief) Journey Begins | Jesus Wept # 2
Jesus Wept # 2

Jonathan Grubbs • Associate Pastor
August 13, 2026

2 Minute Read

John 11:35 — "Jesus wept."


The Great In-Between: Mourning and Dancing

In the middle of May, my wife, Suellen, and I walked through a Bible reading plan titled Mourning and Dancing.

Scripture deliberately pairs light and dark realities because it knows the human experience is almost never just one thing:


A Time to Mourn and a Time to Dance (Ecclesiastes 3:4)

Death and Resurrection (John 11:25)

Sin and Redemption (Romans 5:20)

Mortality vs. Eternal Life (1 Corinthians 15:53-54)


If you are grieving, you already know that life doesn't ask you to experience these in neat, isolated chapters.

More often than not, you are forced to hold a celebration in one hand and a heartbreak in the other.

You are living in the tension of the already but not yet life.


Things We Will Cover

As we unpack this short verse ... "Jesus wept"...

we are going to lean on a few brilliant guides who have already charted these waters.

While the Scriptures remain our ultimate compass, we will be heavily referencing

a phenomenal resource by Nancy Guthrie: What Grieving People Wish You Knew About What Really Helps and What Really Hurts (ISBN-13: 978-1433552359)


If you are walking through the dark right now, here is a preview of what we are going to discover together along the way:


The Permission of Your Tears: Why the Creator of the universe stopping to cry means your sorrow is completely valid, deeply seen, and never rushed.


The Architecture of Presence: Unpacking what actually anchors you versus what accidentally stings when people try to show up for your pain.


The Coexistence of Joy: Learning how to let mourning and dancing occupy the very same room in your heart without feeling guilty about either one.


We are pulling back the curtain on grief, not to analyze it from a distance, but to lean into it with messy, honest, and even whimsical love.


QUESTION

What is your Grief like these days?

(hint: there are no wrong answers)

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From this Collection: Devotionals
August 13, 2026 • 4 Minute Read
Jesus Wept: Acceptance First | Devotional Three
I'll never forget when I had a participant complete my workshop : "Recovering from the Losses of Life” She came to meet with me following the class to explain the extent of her Grief. "I'm in the Breakout Sessions, and all these people around me are crying about things that happened so long ago, and I don't feel that intense sadness. Is there something wrong with me?” The ironic thing I’m going to say as a Pastor (who is writing you a devotional to help you in your grief) is: No one gets to tell you how to grieve. Not even me. What I will tell you to do is embrace it as a part of your life. What doesn’t often get mentioned is that Grief & Love coexist as parts of each other. Pushing Grief away because it’s uncomfortable or messy doesn’t do anything for you. And it doesn’t fully acknowledge the great Love for which the loss is so devastating. The methods I’ll share won’t matter much if you haven’t given yourself Permission to grieve. It’s not dissimilar to attending any type of recovery meeting. You have to start by saying “Hi, I’m NAME, and I am bereaved.” The five stages of Grief are : Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, & Acceptance. Acceptance comes at the end, but the other four can occur in any order and sometimes simultaneously. I add that Acceptance isn’t just the last stage of Grief; it’s also the first. There are those reading this who just haven’t had time to grieve because of life circumstances. Others whose loss is a year old, and still others who are still in shock from a loss this year. All are experiencing the same Category of Spiritual and Emotional pain, But in different levels of severity and type. So for example … Jane Doe’s grief Journey may look like this: START: Acceptance of being bereaved -> Anger & Bargaining -> Denial -> Depression -> Anger -> Depression -> Bargaining -> CLOSE: Acceptance of the Loss. Notice how I say CLOSE instead of END. Any of these may be reopened even after the loss is accepted. But post-acceptance, you and that loss have become acquainted. The tears may be involuntary … but you still are in a place of control that you may not have had when the shockwave of losing someone hit you initially. Still, John Doe’s may look more like this: START: Acceptance of being bereaved -> Depression -> Denial -> Depression -> Anger -> Depression -> Bargaining -> CLOSE: Acceptance of the Loss. See the variety? I redirected my Counselees to think of it not in terms of asking whether there is something wrong with you. But asking if you feel whole. Have you done all you needed to do to feel and release the pain? If the answer is no, or I don’t know, then likely we’re still in the thick of it and that’s ok. The alternative question would be … Is the burden finally light enough to carry? The time it takes to achieve that lightening can vary. I do think Christians have a unique hope and advantage. We believe in resurrection. Right after Jesus wept over the dead Lazarus, he proclaimed “Even though a Man shall die, yet shall He live.” For believers who have this baked into the fiber of their being, The pain can be greatly reduced and the process of grief even shortened. In light of Scripture ... a separation is a loss, but it’s not a permanent loss in the Kingdom of God. And don’t hear me wrong ... that I’m just telling you to just have more faith; What I’m saying is what St. Paul said: “We Grieve but not as those who have no hope.” So three Scriptures for you today: (1) First Thessalonians 4:13 “We do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope.” (2) Ecclesiastes 3:11 "He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end." (3) John 11:25-26 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. 26 And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” → Of the stages, which is the loudest right now? → Or do you feel like you're completely off the map? I’d love hear from you. Pastor Jonny M.Min Biblical Counseling Church by the Sea

Jonathan Grubbs

Associate Pastor

Currently Reading
August 13, 2026 • 2 Minute Read
The (Grief) Journey Begins | Jesus Wept # 2
John 11:35 — "Jesus wept." The Great In-Between: Mourning and Dancing In the middle of May, my wife, Suellen, and I walked through a Bible reading plan titled Mourning and Dancing. Scripture deliberately pairs light and dark realities because it knows the human experience is almost never just one thing: A Time to Mourn and a Time to Dance (Ecclesiastes 3:4) Death and Resurrection (John 11:25) Sin and Redemption (Romans 5:20) Mortality vs. Eternal Life (1 Corinthians 15:53-54) If you are grieving, you already know that life doesn't ask you to experience these in neat, isolated chapters. More often than not, you are forced to hold a celebration in one hand and a heartbreak in the other. You are living in the tension of the already but not yet life. Things We Will Cover As we unpack this short verse ... "Jesus wept"... we are going to lean on a few brilliant guides who have already charted these waters. While the Scriptures remain our ultimate compass, we will be heavily referencing a phenomenal resource by Nancy Guthrie: What Grieving People Wish You Knew About What Really Helps and What Really Hurts (ISBN-13: 978-1433552359) If you are walking through the dark right now, here is a preview of what we are going to discover together along the way: The Permission of Your Tears: Why the Creator of the universe stopping to cry means your sorrow is completely valid, deeply seen, and never rushed. The Architecture of Presence: Unpacking what actually anchors you versus what accidentally stings when people try to show up for your pain. The Coexistence of Joy: Learning how to let mourning and dancing occupy the very same room in your heart without feeling guilty about either one. We are pulling back the curtain on grief, not to analyze it from a distance, but to lean into it with messy, honest, and even whimsical love. QUESTION What is your Grief like these days? (hint: there are no wrong answers)

Jonathan Grubbs

Associate Pastor

June 17, 2026 • 2 Minute Read
Jesus Wept | Devotional Number One
Jesus Wept #1 Dear Friend, Over this past year, our Church by the Sea family has carried a significant weight of loss. This series originally went to Five People I identified, that turned into Seven ... then Ten, and now I’m just making it Public. I launched this e-devotional, Jesus Wept, as a shared resource for those navigating the landscape of bereavement. __ The Path Forward This resource is designed to meet you exactly where you are: The Individual: Some of you are already supplementing this e-devotional by meeting with me in person. Everyone should know: you are always welcome to schedule time to dive deeper into anything that resonates here. You're also welcome to just read and reflect. The Collective: While our losses are diverse, there is a shared heavy burden in grief. It is my hope—perhaps a pastoral pipe dream—that as we move further down this road, we might eventually put faces to names and find strength in one another. I’m thinking a shared meal and Q&A. A little Light in the Shadow Talking about grief is difficult, and I won't sugarcoat the reality of the ache. However, the goal of Jesus Wept isn’t to be a bummer, but to cast a little light into the shadows. To talk about grief is to talk about life. ___ Here is what I want you to hold onto today: Grief is not a task to be completed. While that may sound daunting, it is actually a liberation. It means we don't have to ‘get over it’. Instead, we can learn to carry it better. We can refuse to let it consume or define us, and eventually, we can even allow it to be the soil in which we grow. You are profoundly cared for. You are being held in prayer, specifically and deeply. There are ways to tame your grief so it works for you, but there is no 'right way' to Grieve. So don't expect instructions or platitudes, just support. Grieve your way, and never feel ashamed. Whether your loss is fresh or you are approaching a difficult anniversary, know that you are not walking this path alone. Keep an eye on your inbox in the coming days as we begin this guided journey through the hurt. Question: What's the hardest thing you're facing in your grief journey right now?

Jonathan Grubbs

Associate Pastor