How often do we feel hopeful after checking the news? Natural and human-made disasters, disease and pandemics, wars and the threats of violence, climate change and ecological crises, crime in the streets, racial injustice, political and corporate corruption—the list is long and disheartening. It is hard to stay hopeful in such a world.

But this is nothing new. Jesus warned his followers that such reports and realities were natural, all signs of a broken world and a broken relationship with God. Jesus talked about the signs of the times, portents of doom, discouraging and destructive messages. His focus on the terrors of “normal” life simply highlighted the need for salvation and transformation. The world we have is not the world God intended, and it is probably going to get worse before it gets better.

So, where is the good news in all this? For Jesus, the answer is simple and straightforward: The world does not have the final word; God does. What we see with our eyes is not the ultimate reality. Our ultimate reality is the will of God, the vision of a new creation, and a future filled with hope, harmony, and grace.

Modern-day Christians who feel that their faith should be easy and their lives comfortable haven’t read—or haven’t understood—much of the Bible. Discipleship is hard work. Faithfulness is a full-time job. And messages of equity, justice, tolerance, and generosity are not often well received in a world of brokenness, corruption, greed, and violence. Proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ is risky business, but God is with us, now and forever.