“And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” — Luke 2:10-11
Merry Christmas, Rock Church! As your pastors, we sure love and appreciate you all so much! You know, this time of year is special for many reasons…family, decorations and gifts just to name a few. However, the most important reason of all is that our Savior came to the earth. In Luke 2 (when the angel appeared to the shepherds) he said (paraphrasing), “Don’t be afraid! I have good news; the Savior has arrived!”
This past year has been hard for many of us. It was full of bad news and reasons to fear. But, the angel’s word to the shepherds and us is “Fear not! I have good news!”
Gallup Poll
I believe the majority of Christians have been living this out and it was reflected in a recent Gallup Poll. Overall, American’s assessment of their mental health is at the worst point it has been in the last two decades. The pollsters presented their findings by a variety of demographics: gender, political, race, marital status, age and income groups. Every group was down — anywhere from 1 to 15%.
The only group that was up was those who attend religious services weekly! Let that sink in. Those who went to church services weekly were up +4% on mental health while everyone else was down 9% (on average). There are probably a variety of factors, but for those who regularly attend Christian churches (in-person or online) there are both vertical and horizontal benefits.
This particular poll result was very encouraging. Christians who are regularly attending church services are living out the angel’s admonition to fear not! Believers who are regularly encouraged by the Lord and other Christians are doing well even when the rest of the country isn’t.
Remembering the Good News!
Posted in A Word from the Pastor