The joyful pictures of the last twenty Israeli hostages reunited with their families bring tears to my eyes. Imagine being violently kidnapped during a barbaric killing spree that targeted women and children. For more than two years, you live in darkness—unsure if you will ever see the light of day again, wondering if you will be the next to die at the hands of your captors. Then suddenly, you see familiar faces—your wife, your parents, your children and grandchildren. You can see the joy and relief etched into their tears. I can’t help but cry and laugh with them.

Yet deep grief accompanies that joy. My heart aches for the families who are still waiting—for those longing for the return of the bodies of their loved ones who died or were murdered during captivity. Their bodies must be returned. Their families deserve the sacred right to bury them.

We all share this deep and moral commitment to honor our loved ones in burial. I have preached far too many funerals over the years, and in each one, I’ve seen how profoundly sacred that moment is. When you see the body of someone you loved, you remember the life you shared. You recognize the person who once held your hand, spoke your name, and filled your heart. You bury that body in faith—in the sure and certain hope of the resurrection and the reunion of body and soul.

I am thankful for President Trump’s persistence and commitment in helping bring an end to this war between Israel and Hamas. Surely there is joy in Gaza as well, as families there are being reunited and a fragile peace allows hope to breathe again.

In moments like these, our hearts are stretched between joy and sorrow—between what has been restored and what is still broken. Yet even in that tension, we glimpse the heart of God: the One who rejoices over every homecoming, who weeps over every grave, and who promises one day to wipe away every tear.

“Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning.” Psalm 30:5

“Heavenly Father, thank you for every life delivered from evil and for every family reunited. I pray for those who are grieving the death of their loved ones and await the opportunity to bury them. How heavy their hearts must feel. We weep with them. Please comfort them. Oh, I cry out for peace that will last between Israel and Gaza. I pray for the peace of Jerusalem. I pray that Your Kingdom will come and Your will be done. Amen.