Christmas on the Front Lines of Battle
By Dr. Robert Crick, director, Church of God Chaplains Commission
Christmas is a very special time for Soldiers in harm’s way. Even though on Christmas Day it will be “duty as usual,” chaplains and soldiers will take time to gather for Christmas carols, candlelight services and other special holiday worship events. For those Soldiers in remote areas, chaplains will make sure they are given the privilege of worship services, communion, and in some cases, water baptism. For our eight chaplains in Iraq and Afghanistan, they will have the extra pleasure of handing out thousands of boxes of Little Debbie brownies to troops who make their way to worship services. This, along with many other goods sent from the Chaplains Commission and our local churches, is the Church’s way of saying to those chaplains and Soldiers, “We have not forgotten you!
Most of our Church of God chaplains in these combat zones are experiencing their second deployment. They know well the emotions stirred up, not only in the Soldiers, but the chaplains as well. They, like any of us, will have burned in their hearts the pictures of their family members they left behind celebrating Christmas without them. Therefore, the chaplain will do everything within his/her power to create a home environment for their Soldiers. Improvised Christmas trees will spring up; sometimes a rather strange bush or tree, but serving the same purpose. Soldiers will share with each other the “goodies” received from loved ones back home. For those who have recently given their heart to the Lord, what better time to be baptized than on Christmas Day. That event, along with other Christmas events shared with their chaplain, will never be forgotten. Even years later, when these Soldiers are fathers and grandfathers, they will recount to their family what it meant to gather in a small worship service in a far away, hostile country, to be assured that “the Lord is among us.” That is why chaplains will also hand out hundreds of Psalm 91 bandanas during this special holiday season, sent from the Commission and local churches, as a reminder of God’s protection and love as they celebrate the coming of the Messiah, “Emanuel-God with us.”
We would ask that all our Churches “remember” in prayer our chaplains, troops and their family members during this holiday.
If you would like additional information concerning chaplaincy programs and military ministries, contact the Chaplains Commission at: chapcm@bellsouth.net , or by calling 423-478-7706.
