Birthday Cake With Jesus

The phone rang and with it came the dreaded news. My beloved Uncle Bill had passed away just two short days before Christmas.

I thought of the many families for whom the Christmas season will forever be overshadowed by the death of a loved one. How do we make sense of our sorrow? How do we celebrate this joyous season?

As Christians we often put aside our belief in the resurrected soul. Consumed by grief over our loss, we behave as if our loved one had passed from this world into everlasting death, rather than Everlasting Life.

If only we could step aside and see the passing from the perspective of the deceased. What greater joy than to be born into eternal life while celebrating the birth of Jesus, the giver of Eternal Life.

On Christmas morning, I awoke with prayer and thanksgiving for the birth of Jesus. I asked our Savior to welcome my uncle with open arms into the Heavenly Feast. My heart warmed as I pictured my uncle sitting beside our Lord. What a Blessing … Uncle Bill had arrived in Heaven just in time to have Birthday Cake with Jesus.