Dear Friends,
‘Hi. How r u? I’m here 4 u always. Lol J xxx’
We live in busy, frenetic times when everything seems to be reduced to a minimum – including the ways in which we communicate with each other. This in turn can lead to misunderstandings or different ways of understanding. Take the text message above: what does ‘lol’ mean to you? Apparently it is the most commonly used acronym in the English language. Even so, people cannot agree on its meaning. Some say it means ‘laugh out loud’ while others insist it means ‘lots of love’.
When it comes to the good news that is the Gospel of Christ we can be reassured that either definition would fit. Even in the worst of times when things seem at their darkest for whatever reason, we can know that the Lord is with us in the midst of the suffering and pain. How can we know this? Because he lived among us some 2,000 years ago, knowing our laughter and our tears; because he suffered greatly for us taking upon himself our burdens and undergoing scourging and crucifixion on our behalf and because he rose again, triumphantly defeating death and opening the doors to eternal life to all who would follow him, trust in him and laugh with him.
As the stealthy burglar found out one evening; he had waited patiently for the family to pack their car, lock up the house and leave for a few days. When all was quiet he found a way in to the house which was in darkness. Making his way to the living room he pushed open the door and went in. As his eyes adjusted to the limited light he saw some items which would be easy to remove and started to put them in his sack. Suddenly a voice spoke “I see you and Jesus sees you”. He whirled around; no-one was there. He shivered, laughed to himself and turned back to what he was doing.
“I see you and Jesus sees you” the voice announced again. He turned on his torch and flashed it around the room, and noticed a parrot’s cage in the corner from which, for a third time, came the words: “I see you and Jesus sees you”. He laughed and lowered the beam of his torch to the floor below the cage. Just as he recognised the outline of a huge Doberman Pinscher, the parrot screeched “Attack, Jesus, attack!”
It’s good to laugh as we remember that Jesus is always with us.
‘Hi. How r u? I’m here 4 u always. Lol J xxx’
With my love and prayers
Sue Waterston
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