Yesterday was filled with hopeful Christmas news. For example, Kanye West released his latest album, Jesus Is Born. Whether you like his music or not, it is encouraging to note the popularity of his gospel recordings.
Here’s another hopeful Christmas story: anyone who visited O’ Brien’s Southern Diner in Ashland City, Tennessee, yesterday received a free meal. Owner Candice O’Brien Beasley has now given away free meals on Christmas for seven straight years. She is especially concerned about those who would otherwise be alone on Christmas.
And for those who ate too much at O’Brien’s Southern Diner or anywhere else: a new study reports that drinking four cups of coffee daily could reduce weight gain from a diet high in fat and sugar.
This Christmas week, we’ve been asking what Christmas can teach our post-Christian culture about Christ. On Monday, we focused on the power of Christmas. On Tuesday, we considered the humility of Christmas. Yesterday, we explored the grace of Christmas for our past. Today we’ll celebrate the hope of Christmas for our future.
What about tomorrow worries you today? Where do you most need the hope of Christmas?
The timing of hope
Why was Jesus born when he was born? Why not when the Jews were fighting to escape Egyptian slavery or the Babylonians were destroying the temple in Jerusalem? Why did he come when he did?
Jesus was born during one of the darkest periods in human history. The Roman Empire brought moral depravity on an unprecedented scale. All manner of sexual perversion was rampant; pagan gods were venerated and emperors were worshiped. Those perceived to be a threat to the Empire were eliminated. In fact, more than a million Christians were martyred by Rome in the first centuries of the faith.
Here’s the point: if Jesus would come where he did, when he did, he will come any time to anyone.
Frederick Buechner: “Those who believe in God can never in a…
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