Daniel

Most of us were surprised, if not shocked, when we heard that Daniel had died on Christmas Day. We were shocked because Daniel was such a young man and it didn’t seem right that his life was ended so abruptly. It just didn’t seem fair because he had just started out in life and he should have had a lifetime ahead of him. Because of his sudden death, some of us probably reflected on the uncertainties of life. It probably caused others to contemplate our own mortality.

At his funeral, all of the ministers that spoke recognized and acknowledged the sorrow and sadness among family and friends. However, all the ministers that spoke, focused on and emphasized the idea that this was a time of “Celebration” because when we looked at Daniel’s body, we were looking at an empty shell. Daniel was evicted out of his body and he was now at home with the LORD.

As I thought about Daniel’s death, I was reminded of the death of another. Like Daniel, Jesus also died. Like Daniel, Jesus was buried. But that’s where the similarities end. When we gathered around Daniel’s casket, we saw his body. When people went to Jesus’ tomb, it was, and still is, empty. Because it’s empty, we can have confidence in Jesus words: “He who believes in Me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in Me will never die.” (John 11:26)

This is why a death of a believer is a time of celebration. When we approached the casket and looked at Daniel’s body, we didn’t see a corpse, we saw an empty tomb. Isn’t that something to celebrate?

(Note: Christmas Day marks the Advent of Jesus into this world. Last Christmas was Daniel's advent into heaven).