Rev. Jacky Gatliff brings this message to Ward Church during a tender season of communal grief following the death of our senior pastor, Dr. Scott McKee. Drawing from John 11 and Jesus’ encounter with Martha and Mary after the death of Lazarus, she gives voice to the honest cry of “if only”—the questions, regrets, and deep longing that surface when loss disrupts faith and life. Rather than offering easy answers or rushing past sorrow, this sermon reveals a Jesus who listens, who is angered by the power of death, who weeps with those who mourn, and who meets grieving hearts with both compassion and truth. As Jesus declares himself to be the resurrection and the life, we are invited to consider what it means to believe not only with our minds, but with our wounded hearts. Rev. Gatliff gently reframes grief as a shared journey that requires patience, community, and the courage to remain open to Christ’s presence. In a moment when the church itself is learning how to carry loss together, this message offers pastoral wisdom and gospel hope, reminding us that Jesus does not stand apart from our grief but enters it with us, calling us toward healing, trust, and renewed life even in the midst of sorrow.
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