Comforting All That Mourn
TO BE faithful to his commission a Christian must “comfort all that mourn.” (Isa. 61:2, AS) In the United States it is a custom for mourners to decorate the graves of loved ones on what is known as “Decoration Day,” May 30 each year. So Jehovah’s witnesses made it a point to visit cemeteries on that day with the comfort of God’s resurrection hope, as contained in special issues of The Watchtower and Awake! That they succeeded in comforting mourners is apparent from the following experiences:
“I saw a man standing alone, looking into space. As I began to speak to him his face lighted up. He told me that his wife had died two years ago, took me close to her grave and then said he would like to ask me a question: ‘My wife was ten years younger than I and very well educated; I’m not educated. Why did God take her instead of me?’ I answered his question from the Scriptures, using among other texts Hebrews 2:14. He readily accepted the magazines and was glad to have me call at his home to comfort him further.”
“When we asked the caretaker about witnessing to the people in his cemetery, he replied: ‘Why certainly you can—I’d like to see more preachers doing that, but it seems they’re just too busy.’”
“After I told a family group about the Scriptural resurrection hope, the wife proved so interested that she desired and obtained a copy of the New World Translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures, the Bible-study aid “Let God Be True” (both of which I happened to have with me), two magazines and a booklet. I was also able to arrange to call at their home for the purpose of starting a Bible study with them.”
“One young woman had just placed some flowers on a grave and turned back with tears in her eyes. I told her my name and that I was a minister bringing comfort to mourners by means of two magazines that contained the articles ‘The Memorial Day for Rejoicing’ and ‘Where Are the Dead?’ She eagerly accepted the magazines, smiling through her tears. Later, in passing by the same place, I saw her reading The Watchtower with two young men, one on each side of her, to whom she was pointing out things in the magazines.”
“A group of six persons were putting flowers upon a grave as I approached and asked for a moment of their time. After we had introduced ourselves to each other I commented on the beautiful day and that, while it was a day to be thankful for, there could be no real joy so long as death was in view for all mankind. However, I continued, we could be truly joyful for the promised ‘Memorial Day’ of rejoicing close at hand. I offered the magazines telling about this hope, which they gladly accepted. As I was preparing to leave, one of the men, with tears in his eyes, told me that he was very grateful for the message of hope he had received and that it made what had begun as a day of sadness a day of hope in God’s promises.”
“I approached and struck up a conversation with a caretaker to sound him out about witnessing in his cemetery. He proved to be a Unitarian and told me that he was a social outcast among his friends because of his occupation, as if they were afraid death would rub off onto them. I told him, among other things, that Jehovah’s witnesses did not fear death of the body but only the second death and that to them he was no outcast. Upon asking him if we could destroy the fact of his being a social outcast by calling at his home with this message, he fairly jumped for joy. He also readily agreed to my suggestion that I speak to others in the cemetery.”
Among the various other comments heard by those witnesses who visited cemeteries on that Decoration Day were:
“I think it’s wonderful that you came out to the cemetery today. Our people ought to do that.”
“This thing proves you people are Christians. . . . I think people don’t appreciate Jehovah’s witnesses as they should.”
“If my departed loved one had known you he surely would have wanted you to come here today and say what you did to me.”
“God must have sent you here today, because you brought me real comfort from the Bible.”