I know I said that I wouldn't be posting again till after New Year's but I've received a large amount of Christmas-related guest post submissions.  So I figured I'd go ahead and post them while Christmas is still on everyone's radar.  So below is a guest post from Shereen Marcus, an attorney for the Board of Veterans’ Appeals and a proud member of St. Timothy & St. Athanasius Orthodox Church. Find her on facebook here.  And if you too are interested in guest posting on my blog, please visit my Guest Post guidelines for more info.

In the midst of the Christmas festivities, a time where we are preparing to celebrate the birth of Christ, I find myself surrounded by tragedy, grief, and loss.  Lost jobs, terminally ill loved ones, war, and, as anyone with a television set knows, slaughtered children for no apparent reason.  It’s supposed to be Christmas; my favorite time of year!

The irony and sacrilege seem almost unbearable.  What perfect timing, isn’t it? 

In the midst of this moment of sarcasm, I recalled a quiet time I had many months ago.  It came from Esther 3:1-13 from a Bible Study excerpt I was following by Beth Moore.  Esther was a young, Jewish woman who miraculously became the chosen Queen of Persia.  Persia was home to many Jews, but they were technically the foreigners.  Esther had been cautioned not to reveal her true heritage because there was an evil man with power in the kingdom who hated God’s people.

At this point in the story, this evil man, Haman, was drawing lots to randomly decide what day the Jews would be annihilated.  Haman was planning the slaughter of an entire race for no apparent reason.

The lots were cast “in the presence of Haman” during the month of Nisan.  See Esther 3:7.  The royal secretaries were summoned to draft the edict and dispatch the news on the 13th day of Nisan.  See Esther 3:12.  The edict was written on the 13th day, so it began to be distributed on the 14th of Nisan.

Just a bunch of random dates, right?

"The lot is cast into the lap but its every decision is from the Lord."   Proverbs 16:33.  

According to other passages in the Bible, the 14th day of Nisan marks the beginning of an important holiday in the Jewish tradition: PASSOVER.  See Leviticus 23:4-5.

The news swept across the cities and villages of Persia that the Jews were to be annihilated for no reason at all on the same exact day the Jewish households were preparing their table for Passover.  I grew up in a Jewish-prominent suburb of Chicago and I can tell you from personal experience that Passover is one of those holidays that few people who count themselves Jewish do not celebrate.

The irony and sacrilege seem almost unbearable.  What perfect timing, isn’t it? 

Indeed, the timing was perfect.  I never thought about it before, but Beth Moore’s cross-reference to the “timing” of the edict painted a completely different picture in my mind.  Passover is a holiday where households recount the story of God’s deliverance of His people from Egyptian bondage.  So, in the midst of an evil plot, in the most hopeless of situations, the Jews were reminded of what God had done for them.  God’s timing seemed so intentional, so effortless, as if to tell His people, “I delivered you before, I will deliver you again.  I got this.”

“Sometimes God uses the winds of a new threat to blow the dust off a past miracle that has moved from our active file into the archives.”  Beth Moore, “It’s Tough Being a Woman.”  It is of utmost importance to always remember what God has done for us, and what He will do for us once again.

Perhaps in the midst of our Christmas preparation, it is easy to lose sight of the fact that we are not merely celebrating a festive holiday.  Nor are we merely commemorating a monumental birthday.  Rather, Christmas is a reminder of God’s LOVE for us and the HOPE He brought us through Christ’s birth.

Many bad things may have happened this season, but God’s timing is perfect.  This season is God’s effortless reminder that He who humbled Himself to live, suffer, and die for us, can and will deliver us again.  He’s got this.

For discussion:  what do you think? How can we remember the HOPE this season brings in the midst of trials?