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Smiling Christmas Cards

Tribe of Taylor--June 2018 recycled pic
There's a growing stack of Christmas photo cards that have been arriving daily in the mail. These have replaced the trend of the 90s: the "Christmas letter" (although I did get one of those). Not one picture has a grumpy face in it. That's how I know they're not real.

Someone in at least one of those photos was not having a good time, but they put on the happy face to hide it. You can hide a lot of stuff behind a smile.

Pictures are images of a moment in time when we posed for a camera. The moments immediately before are often chaotic, and the moments after are usually filled with relief. "I can't wait to have another family photo shoot," said one family out of 10,000.

Have you ever wished you could see Jesus in His family photo?

"Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost." (Matthew 1:18)

This family photo begins with Jesus Christ, His mother Mary, and His earthly father Joseph. We know from Scripture that Joseph was not the birth father, as Mary was "found with child of the Holy Ghost." The virgin birth has confounded people with and without faith for generations. Child-like faith simply believes God.

Jesus was born of a virgin and then became part of a family that likely had many ups and downs. His parents even lost Jesus in a crowd (Luke 2:42-48). How scary was that? Can you imagine the fear as the parents searched for their Son? Sounds like a totally regular family.

We don't have Christ's family photo, but we do have the historical record of His life in Scripture. The Word of God is the family photo for Jesus, and it is God's Christmas Card to humankind.

"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God..." (Ephesians 2:8)

Those who have received Christ's free gift of salvation are in the family photo. This is one of the most inclusive families of all time. Seekers are still finding Him, receiving His free gift and being added to the "family photo" every single day. 

And they share the same name: Whosoever.

Maybe you've smiled for a camera, but your soul isn't smiling. If you are facing major uncertainties such as fear of death or not knowing what would happen to your soul if you stopped breathing, God has a remedy for that.

The Bible calls it salvation, and there has never been a greater Christmas gift. 

"For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." (Romans 10:13)


Francie Taylor
Editor's note: Everyone will spend eternity somewhere. If you're not sure where you would go after your final heartbeat, read more about it here, courtesy of First Baptist Church of Rosemount, Minnesota:
https://fbcrosemount.org/salvation/

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