WAS 2016 the Worst? (Friday Devotional)

‘Now after they had left, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother by night, and went to Egypt, and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet, “Out of Egypt I have called my son.”’

- Matthew 2:13-15

There’s a meme that’s been going around social media the last few days after the deaths of actress Carrie Fisher and, one day later, her mother Debbie Reynolds: 2016 cannot end soon enough. Listing famous names like Alan Rickman, Merle Haggard, David Bowie, and Prince, the meme facetiously lays the blame for their deaths at the feet of an unlikely culprit, the year itself. If we can just flip the calendar to 2017, people seem to say, things will get better. The implication is clear from lovers of pop culture—we’ve never had a year this bad.

It’s a pessimistic attitude, but one that can quickly manage to seep into other aspects of your life, from your health to your politics to your favorite sports team. If 2016 didn’t go your way, the temptation is to go to the extreme and say that not only are things bad now, they’re worse than they’ve ever been. Even in the church, where hope is fundamental to our identity, many fall prey to this sort of fatalism, looking to persecution abroad and divisions at home and ultimately reaching the same conclusion much of the world has: it’s never been this bad.

When such thoughts threaten your hope in Christ, it helps to remember events that stretch back long before 2016. While on Christmas morning we all celebrate the joy of Christ’s birth 2,000 years ago, we often skip past what happened next—while still a small child, Jesus was already under threat from earthly powers. Warned by an angel about King Herod’s jealous, murderous pursuit of the infant Messiah, Jesus’s family became refugees in Egypt, forced to hide there until Herod’s death. Jesus could not even walk yet and he was already in danger.

When we assume the church is in worse shape than it’s ever known before, we fail to remember where our faith—and indeed, our Lord himself—has been. From cradle to cross, Jesus was constantly under siege by those who did not value, understand, or appreciate his gospel. From the earliest days of the church, persecution and even martyrdom were constant reminders that this world is our mission field, but it is not our home. Threats and suffering have trailed the name of Jesus since his birth.

Nevertheless, Jesus Christ and his church are still here. Far from eliminating Christianity, even the harshest persecutions have only helped it grow. When the world and the church have stood in stark contrast to one another, God has been faithful to ensure that the gospel continues to be shared, heard, and received. So if you look at 2016 with distress, sure it can never get any worse for God’s people, may you find hope both in God’s past steadfastness and His promised victory. If God could call His infant Son out of Egypt, He is more than able to call His church today.