Mtr Kelli Joyce

"Listen! Your sentinels lift up their voices, together they sing for joy; for in plain sight they see the return of the Lord to Zion."

Dear friends in Christ,

When I was a child, I was absolutely fascinated with the idea of the end times. I grew up in the heyday of the Left Behind books, and I eagerly consumed the "Left Behind for Kids" books that were published as companions to the adult series. I read the Revelation to John over and over, thinking that I might perhaps uncover the hidden secrets of a text that had baffled Christians for centuries.

My theology of the end of time (known in theological circles as "eschatology") has changed rather significantly since those days, but the core of what initially drew me to apocalyptic theology remains the same - I want to see God. Since the earliest days of the Church, we've been waiting - Christ left, but promised to return. The promises of the Kingdom are as yet unfulfilled. This world is clearly still under the power of forces that oppose the will of God. Sin and death and suffering abound.

I may not believe in a sudden rapture that will leave the clothing and dental fillings of Christians scatted on the ground as non-Christians stare in wonder, but I still believe that Christ will return. Hebrews 9:28 tells us that "Christ was offered once to take on himself the sins of many people. He will appear a second time, not to take away sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him." The end of the world as we know it doesn't have to be a cause for fear. Christ, who is good and kind and gentle at heart, and who loves us more than we can know, will return to earth to make right all that is wrong, and to mend all that has been broken, and to heal all that is sick. And amid it all we will lift up our voices and sing for joy, because in plain sight we will see the return of the Lord.

In peace,
Mtr. Kelli