Chris Campbell

When he opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature call out, ‘Come!’ I looked and there was a pale green horse! Its rider’s name was Death, and Hades followed with him; they were given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, famine, and pestilence, and by the wild animals of the earth.

Beloved in the body of Christ,

While meditating on today's readings I could not shake the juxtaposition of Psalm 103 and Revelations 5:11-6:11. What does it mean to praise God, not in spite of suffering and death, but because of them?

When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slaughtered for the word of God and for the testimony they had given; they cried out with a loud voice, ‘Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long will it be before you judge and avenge our blood on the inhabitants of the earth?’ They were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number would be complete both of their fellow-servants and of their brothers and sisters, who were soon to be killed as they themselves had been killed.

Since the apostles first started sharing the word of Christ, oppression, suffering, and death have been the lot which society has cast upon Christians. Or at least it was for a long while, but then Christian nations rose and enveloped the earth. Yet now, it seems Christians are returning to being the marginalized of the world. Does this notion weaken my faith or make it stronger?

It makes it stronger than it ever has been! In a conversation before his recent departure, Fr Mark Schultz shared a thought that stuck in my mind: Christianity was always meant to be queer.

This is to say that those who Christ reached out to were the queer in society, the ones who were seen as other, as different, as problematic to the established social order; the ones who, because of who they were, were oppressed.

But this is the hope of joy which lives in the Gospel. In my last Daily Bread I spoke of how affliction brings upon a state of becoming "fertile soil" and it is today's Gospel that shows the necessity of being in such a state.

They were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number would be complete both of their fellow-servants and of their brothers link and sisters, who were soon to be killed as they themselves had been killed.

A Christian life is one in which we attempt to live as Christ, a life rich in tight community, accepting those who are afflicted, afraid, and abandoned by society. But also one in which we must necessarily suffer as Christ did, by giving up our selves and souls to the service of others in Christ's name.

This is difficult, and God knows well I struggle with my Sin, but we must remember always:

He has not dealt with us according to our sins, 
nor rewarded us according to our wickedness.

For as the heavens are high above the earth, 
so is his mercy great upon those who fear him.

May you live in Truth, Peace, and Love,
—Chris Campbell