{"id":133,"date":"2009-07-15T10:50:10","date_gmt":"2009-07-15T15:50:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/?p=133"},"modified":"2009-08-06T10:24:54","modified_gmt":"2009-08-06T15:24:54","slug":"july-15-22-2009-private-grief-in-the-limelight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/july-15-22-2009-private-grief-in-the-limelight\/","title":{"rendered":"July 15-22, 2009 – Private grief in the limelight"},"content":{"rendered":"

Contributed by Pastor Claudia Bergmann<\/em><\/strong>
\nEisleben, Germany<\/p>\n

Warm-up Question:<\/span><\/strong> What\u2019s so scary about speaking in front of a crowd?<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery since I was born, Daddy has been the best father you could ever imagine and I just wanted to say that I love him so much.\u201d These few words spoken by eleven-year old Paris Jackson at the end of her own father\u2019s memorial service brought tears to millions of people\u2019s eyes around the world. What a remarkable witness to a loving relationship, many thought. And what courage it must have taken to step up to the microphone and make your own grief public.<\/p>\n

But ever since the event, the Jackson family has also been criticized for pushing Paris into the limelight. Some witnesses claimed that they had overheard the little girl crying and screaming backstage as she was trying to refuse getting on stage. When she did appear, family members surrounded her and held her, one person even making sure that the microphone was adjusted correctly. Yet, child psychologist Linda Blair believes that the family made a \u201cbad judgment\u201d. She says: \u201cThis is a girl who has been shielded from the media her whole life. When a child is in shock, as Paris still will be from her father\u2019s death, the most important thing is to keep everything as normal as possible. But the opposite has happened here.\u201d Blair expects \u201cpotentially traumatic results\u201d.<\/p>\n

In light of the psychologist\u2019s assessment, the images of Paris speaking look a bit different. A wall of adults surrounding one little girl\u2026 all of them hiding their vulnerable faces and their grief behind sunglasses. The only one who had nothing to protect her face and her teary eyes from the public was the most vulnerable of them all: a little girl who had just lost her father. Is a family known for dragging children on stage doing it again to the next generation?<\/p>\n

Discussion Questions<\/span><\/h2>\n
    \n
  1. Would you ever consider speaking at a loved one\u2019s funeral?<\/li>\n
  2. What do you think are the right things to say at a funeral? What should remain unspoken?<\/li>\n
  3. For those of you who watched the event at the Staples Center: Do you think that it did justice to Michael Jackson\u2019s life and work? Why? Why not?<\/li>\n
  4. Have you ever thought about your own funeral service? Would you want to have a say on what is said, what music is played, what lessons are read?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Scripture Texts (NRSV) for Sunday,\u00a0July 19, 2009.<\/span><\/h2>\n

    (Text links are to oremus Bible Browser<\/a>. Oremus Bible Browser is not affiliated with or supported by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. You can find the calendar of readings for Year B at Lectionary Readings<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

    For lectionary humor and insight, check the weekly comic <\/strong><\/span>Agnus Day<\/strong><\/span><\/a>.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n