‘Tears in Heaven’ by Eric Clapton. Taken for the 1992 motion picture soundtrack "Rush". Following the tragic death of his four-year-old song Conor. Eric Clapton found solace in songwriting. He wrote this somg as a way of expressing the pain that he was felling at the time. Clapton actually retired the song from his performances in 2004, feeling that he couldn’t connect to it in the way he had in the years following Conor’s death (such as on 1992’s Grammy-winning ‘Unplugged’ album). But in 2013, he began playing ‘Tears in Heaven’ again.
If I saw you in heaven?
Would it be the same
If I saw you in heaven?
I must be strong
And carry on,
'Cause I know I don't belong
Here in heaven.
Would you hold my hand
If I saw you in heaven?
Would you help me stand
If I saw you in heaven?
I'll find my way
Through night and day,
'Cause I know I just can't stay
Here in heaven.
Time can bring you down,
Time can bend your knees.
Time can break your heart,
Have you begging please, begging please.
Beyond the door,
There's peace I'm sure,
And I know there'll be no more
Tears in heaven.
Would you know my name
If I saw you in heaven?
Would it be the same
If I saw you in heaven?
I must be strong
And carry on,
'Cause I know I don't belong
Here in heaven.
This is a heartfelt ballad, in which the guitar great imagines a situation in which he can spend a little more time with his little boy.‘Tears in Heaven’ isn’t just about death, but finding the resolve to deal with all-encompassing grief. “Beyond the door / There’s peace, I’m sure” he sings, sounding unconvinced. The song is about loss and heartbreak, the kind of pain that never goes away at the unexpected death of someone close. The lyrics give comfort to those who are struggling with loss And I know there'll be no more, Tears in heaven. They give comfort because they echo some words from the book of Revelation, words that the saints have looked at for centuries to find comfort in times of need.
Revelation 21:1-6 "1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. 2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. 4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. 5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. 6 And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely."
Loss is a terrible thing it cuts you up inside and brings to the surface a great many thoughts and reflections, regrets and emotions. In loss things that could have been said are left unsaid and deep sorrow takes root. Death and dying is something that we would rather not experience, but unexpected death is even more traumatic. The scripture hold out to us the hope of our faith in God, the hope of our trust in Jesus. "And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away." The promise is there "No more death, No more sorrow, no more crying, no more pain" I for one am hanging on to these verses as they are a spring of life to me at present. When loss happens, we can all take comfort in these words. I can truly say that there will come a day where the fullness of death losing it's sting and being swallowed up in victory will happen. This will not happen for any other reason than the compassion and mercy of God "God shall wipe away all tears form their eyes" This side of that day is fraught with pain and heartache but there is some consolation in these words today to help in our great loss and bereavement. When we get to the other side we will share together in God's eternal plan of us together dwelling with God himself. Clapton sings "I must be strong and carry on" this is his way of dealing with loss and I guess this is how we all deal with loss, but we carry on in the light of hope that one day we shall be reunited with those who travel the road before us, we carry on in light of the hope of God's compassion and mercy, we travel on in the light of the hope that pain and sorrow will be swallowed up in victory.
Today, may God bless the passing of all his dear ones may each one know the blessed rest of eternity, the glad "Well done, faithful servant" and the reunion which is to come. In the film gladiator the is a fitting moment after the death of Maximus when a fellow gladiator called Juba plants the images of Maximus' ancestors in the dirt of the Colosseum he buries the small statues and says with a smile I will see you again... but not yet... not yet... For those who have gone on before us we will see again but not yet............
Now We Are Free "Gladiator " Theme Song
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