hope

There’s a new genre of literature that most people have never heard of: “hopepunk.” Coined in 2017 by fantasy author Alexandra Rowland, “hopepunk” was a reaction to a different kind of writing dominating the market that year, a genre that Rowland and others refer to as “grimdark.” Grimdark emphasizes the cruelty that so often defines human interaction. Think, for example, of HBO’s hit series Game of Thrones, a show which hit its highwater mark in 2017 and which capitalized on a trifecta of gore, nudity, and nihilism. AMC’s The Walking Dead and the more recent Netflix global hit Squid Game are also examples of shows that attempt to portray the very worst of human nature as graphically as possible.

Because God is love, he loves you where you are, as you are. And because Jesus became one of us, we can be one with him. Philip Yancey observed, “Grace, like water, flows to the lowest part.” Where do you need the grace of Christmas today?

I was privileged to talk with Chris Brooks on his national radio show yesterday. We discussed the tornado outbreak and the recent high school shooting in Michigan that occurred not far from the church where he serves as pastor. Chris made the profound point that God uses suffering to point us beyond this world to the next and to call us from our finitude to his omnipotence. 

You and I were created to need what hope offers. Psychologists associate hope with many positive outcomes, including greater happiness, better academic achievement, and even lowered risk of death. It provides resilience against anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation. It even offers chemical benefits in the form of endorphins and lowered stress levels. How, then, can we have more hope?

My purpose today is not to relitigate LGBTQ morality or the postmodern relativism of our day, issues I have addressed often in the past. Rather, it is to ask the question: How can Christians live and raise our families in a culture that is forcing its norms on us in unprecedented ways?

In a recent interview, Theodore Melfi, the director of the new Netflix film The Starling, shared that the movie is meant to remind those grieving that there is hope at the end of the proverbial tunnel.

Deaths of despair have been on the rise for years and are disproportionately concentrated among white, rural Americans without college degrees.

While millions have died of this horrible disease, many millions more are grieving their deaths. In addition, a third of COVID-19 survivors have “long-haul” symptoms. To all who suffer, God promises his presence and empathy (cf. John 11:35). Jesus feels all we feel and suffers as we suffer. Theologian Jürgen Moltmann famously described our Savior as the “crucified God.”

In an ever more secularized society, it is urgent that Christians redouble our commitment to the personal integrity that enables our public witness. As I noted yesterday, sin always affects more than the sinner. To stand publicly for Jesus, we must first spend time privately with Jesus.

This week, we’ve been exploring practical ways to experience Jesus more intimately during this Christmas season. Today, let’s focus on the wrong way to respond to his unconditional love, then we’ll choose the path that leads to his best for us.