After his wife Natalie died, he received an anonymous poem about tears and heaven.
The episode opens with a reading from John 1, focusing on the incarnation: 'the Word became flesh and lived among us.' The speaker then shares a personal story about his wife Natalie Retimosa, who died of colon cancer in 2007. He received an anonymous poem titled 'Tears' from Heaven's Roll Call, which offered comfort by framing tears as memories and death as a graduation to heaven. While appreciating the intention, the speaker critiques the poem for promoting a spirituality that transcends the physical world, avoiding earthly suffering. He contrasts this with the incarnational message of John's gospel, which affirms God's presence in flesh and history. The speaker introduces Gnosticism, an ancient heresy that views the material world as a mistake created by a demiurge, advocating escape to a realm of pure spirit. He notes this tendency persists today, especially during grief. As an antidote, he turns to Paul's letter to the Romans, studied in a fall Bible study. Paul describes creation as broken and groaning in labor pains, with the Holy Spirit working to mend (Tikkun) this world, not escape it. The speaker emphasizes that spirituality involves engaging with suffering and transformation here and now. He discusses hope in Paul's theology, which differs from optimism or pessimism, involving dying with Christ and being made alive again to see creation as a gift. The sermon also explores prayer, drawing from Romans 8:26, where the Spirit intercedes with groanings too deep for words, highlighting prayer as yielding and receiving grace. The speaker shares a journal entry from Natalie, showing her simple, daily faith focused on awareness of God, kindness to patients, and love for family. He concludes that Natalie is present through her legacy, not in a heavenly mist, affirming faith in Jesus Christ who raises the dead. The episode ends with a Christmas and New Year greeting, reiterating the promise of the incarnation.
