by Danny Woodall

dannywoodall@yahoo.com

Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice. (Philippians 4:4)

This recent Christmas season we saw Black Friday turn into Black and Blue Friday. With all of the hustle and bustle it was hard to find a reason to rejoice. It is easy to see why psychologists tell us people can suffer depression during the holidays. In the verse above, the Apostle Paul implores us to always rejoice. Paul never had to fight the masses at the malls, or wait in line for Santa, but he did almost get beaten to death, thrown in prison, and shipwrecked in the Mediterranean. In the book of Philippians he gives us a blueprint on how to rejoice.

This year the holidays were bittersweet for my wife’s family. Christmas 2010, we wished our nephew, David Drake the best as he joined the army. His brother, William, was already in the army and was stationed in Iraq. David joined in January, and was deployed to Afghanistan in June. We knew he was in the thick of the war when we learned he had helped recover the bodies of the Navy Seals that crashed in a helicopter during August. A roadside bomb killed him in Afghanistan on September 28.

One of my wife’s family traditions is to read the Christmas story before we open presents. How do we rejoice during the holidays knowing that David will never sit with us again, as the second chapter of Luke is read? First of all, we know we will see David again. The Baby born in Bethlehem would defeat death and the grave. The Resurrection is the believer’s hope.

Second, we are to be gracious. Funerals are trying times for everyone under the best of circumstances. Add to the mix a long-lost dad showing up and you have an explosive situation on your hands. My sister-in-law, Tommye, set the tone from the first time all of the family gathered at the church. She invited her ex-husband to set at the table with her. By being gracious, she let everyone know this was not the time to settle old scores. During the next few days, there were a few tense moments, but they passed, and everyone moved on.

Third, we know that the Lord is near, even in our sorrow. His mother, Tommye, after years of struggling as a single mom, remarried in March. Steve, her husband, is a veteran and his knowledge of how the military operates proved invaluable. William was on leave when he received in the news his brother was killed, which meant he was home with family. Last of all, the Sunday night service before David was killed our pastor, Dr. David Mafouz, shared the thoughts and struggles of his college professors as they dealt with former students becoming a causality of war. My youngest son was there, and later in the week, those thoughts came to life.

While the critics may sneer and say it is fate, we see the hand of a loving God. Think about the possibilities of all four things happening, Tommye getting remarried, William on military leave, our pastor sharing the struggles of his teachers, and David’s death. Then think of the chances they would happen in that order. Serving Christ doesn’t wrap us in a magic shield that protects from troubles. However, we know He will be with us during those times.

Christ’s birth gave notice to the Devil that the battle was almost over. God’s plan of salvation was on schedule. We rejoice and celebrate when God not only took on the image of a man, and was aquatinted with our grief and sorrows, but also made it possible for us to be reconciled to Him and see our love ones again.

© Danny Woodall