A Reason To Be Cheerful

[WebersHome]

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● Luke 2:8-12 . .And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.

. . . But the angel said to them; "Don't be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today, in the town of David, a savior has been born to you; he is Messiah, the Lord."

The angel announced the birth of a savior; defined by Webster's as one who rescues. We've all seen examples-- lifeguards, firemen, cops, emergency medical teams, Coast Guard units, snow patrols, and mountain rescue teams. Rescue workers typically save people in distress who are facing imminent death and/or grave danger and utterly helpless to do anything about it.

In other words: Jesus Christ is a lifeline, so to speak, that God is all set to throw to anyone and everyone for whom destiny in Hell is a foregone conclusion.

NOTE: Just about everybody who's ever heard anything about Christianity is aware that Jesus Christ died for the sins of the world, but what is often unknown is that it was personal; as Isaiah 53:6 says: "The Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on him."

In other words the iniquity of each of us fell on him, i.e. any name we might pull out of a hat, and as many names as we might pull out: that one name, and each name, is an individual for whom Christ gave his life; there are no exceptions. It's no wonder then why the angel announced not just some joy, rather, "great joy" that will be for all the people.
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[OldWiseGuy]

Jesus Christ is both a spiritual and physical lifeline. Sadly we have chosen to save ourselves physically leaving Jesus to save our souls. Like Adam and Eve we have spoiled physical Eden for ourselves. While focusing on the hereafter we have neglected the here-and-now.

 

[WebersHome]

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In times like these, it helps to have something to feel good about, i.e. a morale booster.

My wife and I are in our seventies and have quite a few iPod-generation nephews and nieces who've never been thru a calamity before. Well, us old timers survived the Cuban missile crisis, the AIDS outbreak, the swine flu, the 2008 Wall Street crash, the Unabomber, Son of Sam, the Zodiac killer, the Ayatollah's gasoline shortage, Anthrax, power blackouts, and medical emergencies, etc. So we are doing our best to remain upbeat and making every effort to reassure our touch-screen kin that as regards the corona bug and the toilet paper hoarders: this too shall pass.

Plus, we've turned our outside Xmas lights back on to brighten up the neighborhood a bit and encourage folk to believe that this corona thing isn't the end of their way of life. It's a bump in the road but it's far, far from the end of the road.
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