Cause For Rejoicing

There is cause for rejoicing here, although for a while you may have to suffer through various trials, so that the genuineness of your faith, more precious than gold that is perishable even though tested by fire, may prove to be for praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 1:6-7

Picture this! The year is 1986. You’re at game 6 of the World Series at Fenway Park, top of the 9th. Two outs, one more strike, and the Red Sox win the World Series for the first time since 1918. It’s History in the making. You watch the windup, the swing. You hear the crack of the bat, a line drive to first base, an easy out. You watch the ball go through the legs of first baseman Bill Buckner. Some say the worst moment in Red Sox history. You stand there in shock, your eyes wide and your jaw opened as the hopes of a championship crumble before you. Then you notice this guy all clad in Red Sox gear, jumping around, cheering as though the Sox had just won it all. There’s something to rejoice about? This guy’s got two heads.

Imagine this. You haven’t been feeling well so you go to the doctor. He orders a CAT scan. You’re sitting there by yourself waiting for the results and finally you get called into his office. He is sitting there with a big grin on his face. “I have some GREAT news for you! You have an inoperable brain tumor you’re going to have a painfully miserable, agonizingly slow, humiliating death. Let’s go out and celebrate!” What planet is this guy from?

As unlikely as it is that either of these two scenes would actually play themselves out, this is exactly the kind of thing that the author of 1 Peter is doing when he says to this group of Christians. “There is cause for rejoicing here!”

These were people who were being persecuted for following the Lord. They were being ostracized by there communities, their friends; perhaps they were losing their livelihoods or homes. Maybe they were getting spit upon. Perhaps things were being thrown at them. They knew that some of them would probably lose their very lives. Rejoice?

We all endure trials of every kind. It’s the human condition. Several years ago, during my deaconate formation, just around the time all our papers were coming due, a lot of stuff was hitting the fan in my life. My mother was gravely ill, there were legal problems with a re-mortgage; a battle with the school system over my sons Ed plan. Papers needed to be written; Holy Week; Confirmation; First Communion! I was stressed. I was really stressed. I was cranky. Rejoice? Maybe with a thousand mg of Zoloft!

I wondered, what’s wrong with me? Why can’t I rejoice when things aren’t going right? What’s wrong with my faith?

You know, I can’t picture Jesus rejoicing in the garden of Gethsemane. I can’t see Paul rejoicing as he was being led to the chopping block. I can’t imagine Peter rejoicing as the nails pierced his hands and feet. Where does rejoicing fit in?

A woman in labor suffers great agony as she struggles to bring new life into the world. I’ve witnessed it twice - 100%NATURAL. She was NOT whistling a happy tune. It wasn’t until the baby was born that our rejoicing began. Peter tells us that we may for a while have to undergo many trials. It might be that the rejoicing Peter speaks of is a kind of anticipation that “this too will pass”. It’s the solace of knowing that nothing can separate us from the love of God poured out in Jesus; that all things work out for the good to those who love Him. It’s the consolation of knowing that we are not in this alone. We have each other for encouragement, prayer, an embrace or a shoulder to cry on.

My mother’s health returned (though she has since passed). We got our mortgage. My son’s educational services were tripled! All my papers got finished. I’m still here. It all passed and no one got hurt. I can rejoice again.

Your trials and mine will come and go just as the Red Sox losing streak even came to an end “so rejoice you heavens and you that dwell therein.”