I was listening to a local Christian radio station the other day as I was driving to work. The radio announcer was talking about how this was the saddest (day) time of the year for many.

I thought to myself, why would this be saddest time of the year? What makes it so sad? Instantly, reasons for this sadness came to mind, things like the minimal amount of daylight (Seasonal Affective Disorder, or S.A.D.), the foggy gray skies and the deep, cold snow pack.

The announcer went on to say that there are three reasons why we are so sad this time of the year. I was surprised by his reasons! The first reason, he said, is because for so many of us, the Christmas shopping bills have all arrived, and we just can’t pay them all! We overspent! Now, with the heaviness of a debt looming over us, we get depressed. Does that sound familiar? Following the exuberant high of Christmas spending, with all its parties and presents, the reality has set in that we spent outside our means, and now we are going to have to pay the price. Sad.

The second reason, he said, comes from the fact that by now you’ve realized that you failed at keeping your New Year’s resolutions! Perhaps you had high hopes of shedding a few pounds you gained from that Thanksgiving turkey or Christmas ham. After a few weeks of starving, watching intake and counting calories, you wearied and succumbed to the temptations: potato chips, creamy pastas, or all-you-can-eat buffets. Sad.

After hearing the first two reasons, I wasn’t sure if I really wanted to hear the third reason. But here it is: You don’t have a vacation coming for a long, long, time. That’s right; maybe you had some time around Christmas for vacation, and time away or together with loved ones. Maybe you took a fun trip to Disney with the kids, or even spent time on the sunny beaches of Mexico, but the suntan has worn off by now. Looking ahead, spring break and summer vacation seem so far out of reach. In the middle of blizzards and frigid January temperatures, a vacation sounds so good, but it just isn’t there. Sad.

So are you depressed yet? Could you use some good news in the middle of all this sad news? We all could, especially this time of year. While the reasons for sadness may vary and be many, we all need good news.

That is precisely why Jesus came into the world, to bring good news, which is the “Gospel.” It is a message of “good news.” We hear it in Luke 4:18-19 when Jesus gives us a kind of mission statement of who he is. Recalling Isaiah 61, Jesus spoke these words: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners, and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

Are you struggling under another kind of debt, that is, the burden of guilt, acquired by following our evil desires rather than God? Are you looking for a new life resolution you can keep — freedom sinful addictions — gluttony, greed or lust?  Are you looking for a different kind of vacation — from oppression or violence, disease or prison? Jesus came to bring us Good News, not bad news. Jesus came to give us hope, even in the darkest, saddest of days. Have you turned to Jesus — for help? Let Jesus turn your sad news to good news today. Let him be your Lord and Savior today, and follow him.