This is Charles Dickens Day.

Charles Dickens was a famous English author who lived from 1812 to 1870. Dickens’ writings include A Christmas Carol, Great Expectations, Oliver Twist, and David Copperfield. One of Dickens’ most well-known books, A Tale of Two Cities, tells of the French Revolution and has this famous opening line: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.”

Whenever you hear reports on the evening news you may think that these days are both the best and the worst. All the stories of terrorism, crime, and other terrible problems and conditions make it seem as though things couldn’t be worse. But when you hear of breakthroughs in medicine, technology, and nutrition, and you think, “Life is good!”

The people in Jesus’ day lived in similar times. When Jesus looked around him at all the disobedience and disbelief he pronounced the times evil. But then he hinted at what would be the most significant event in history and the best news ever proclaimed. Earlier Jesus had said, “For as Jonah was in the belly of the great fish for three days and three nights, so I, the Son of Man, will be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights” (Matthew 12:40). Jesus was predicting his death and resurrection. Through his sacrifice he would break the power of sin and death and give salvation to the evil world.

And you know what? He did it!

So whenever you hear all the bad news, remember the Good News. Jesus came; Jesus lived; Jesus died for our sins; Jesus rose from the dead; Jesus loves you. That’s the best news in the worst of times.

[Jesus] said, “These are evil times, and this evil generation keeps asking me to show them a miraculous sign. But the only sign I will give them is the sign of the prophet Jonah. . . . What happens to me will be a sign that God has sent me, the Son of Man, to these people (Luke 11:29–30).

To Do

Ask one person to give you the good news for the day. Then say, “And the best news is that Jesus lives . . . and he rocks!”

Also on this day . . .

1817—Frederick Douglass, a leader in the anti-slavery movement and an advisor to President Lincoln, was born.

1943—The U.S. government announced that shoe rationing would go into effect in two days.

1984—Space shuttle astronauts Bruce McCandless II and Robert L. Stewart made the first untethered space walk.

From Betsy Schmitt and Dave Veerman, 365 Trivia Twist Devotions: An Almanac of Fun Facts and Spiritual Truth for Every Day of the Year (Cincinnati: Standard, 2005). Scripture quotations are from the New Living Translation unless otherwise noted.