... An angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call His Name Jesus, for He will save his people from their sins." Matthew 1:20b-21

The other day I came across a list of jobs which used to be relatively common but, over the years, have been eliminated. Some of those positions were

* lamplighters - men who used long ladders or lighters to light gas street lamps;

* sandmen - people who sold super-fine sand door to door. This sand dried ink on letters;

* breaker boys - boys who sorted coal and broke up the big pieces into usable sizes;

* rag and bone men - they collected rags for paper-making and bones for glue.

Now I don't know what happened to all of the people who used to do those jobs. I assume they either retired or got trained to do something else like operating an elevator or becoming a telegraph operator or delivering ice for people's ice boxes. No, that won't work. Those jobs are gone, too.

After reading that article, I started to wonder are there any new jobs out there?

Thankfully, there is at least one. The British supermarket TESCO is looking for a part-time worker who has a specific set of skills. The job posting which, in case you're thinking of applying, is in Wrexham, England, is calling for someone to perform a new service for the store's customers. The job's official title is "Christmas light untangler."

The person who gets the job should be able to untangle 10 feet of Christmas lights in three minutes and check the bulbs for breakage. But there's more. The ideal candidate will be "passionate about Christmas" and have a "friendly, flexible approach."

When I told Pam, "Maybe I should apply for the job," she replied, "I think you should. You would do an excellent job untangling people's Christmas lights." Then, after the briefest of hesitations, she said, "You'd be good at it for about four minutes. Then you would go nuts."

She's right, of course, there are jobs I am not qualified or able to do.

Highest on that list of things I can't do is being the world's Savior. No matter how much times change, there will always be a need for the Savior. Every century, every continent, every community, every one of us needs a Savior, and there is only one Person who has the qualifications to do that job: Jesus of Nazareth.

Only Jesus fulfilled all the Old Testament prophecies; only Jesus did the works God's Son could do; only Jesus is identified in Scripture as being God's Son; and only Jesus has managed to conquer sin, death and devil.

THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, I give thanks I have been introduced to the Savior. By the Holy Spirit's power I have been redeemed by Him who lived a perfect life, resisted temptation, and carried my sins to the cross. May I always rejoice in His glorious resurrection from the dead, which assures me that I shall also rise again. For the Savior I give thanks and in His Name I pray. Amen.

In Christ I remain His servant and yours,

Today's Bible Readings: Ezekiel 3-4    1 Timothy 3

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