I stumbled across this phrase this morning as I was reading NT Wright's Paul for Everyone commentary on 1 Thessalonians 4, which is one of the passages I've chosen for Sunday's Remembrance service.  It is a great phrase because it gives Christians permission to grieve, a need that sometimes seems to be suppressed, repressed or even denied.  It is a great phrase because it says there is a Christian way of grieving that is different from other expressions, not that these lack authenticity, but that they miss something that our faith offers.  It is a great phrase because it forces us to think what is appropriate, and what is maybe not, for us as Christians.

Wright's reading of the text will inevitably offend some Biblical literalists, since he refutes the idea of a rapture, points out the meshing of three ancient metaphors, and centres on the aim of the text, which is to comfort, encourage and reassure those who are alive.  Death, resurrection, heaven and/or a new creation are mysteries we cannot begin to grasp, and what the symbols and metaphors offer us is only ever partial, but we can be sure that those who have died remain in God's care.

If I am able to communicate some of the liberation and hope that this passage offers those who grieve, then I will be satisfied.