Chris Campbell

...you will have affliction. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.

Beloved in the body of Christ,

I often meditate on the end of time during times of affliction. On the surface, I suppose the thought may be that the end of time will bring an end to suffering. But there is more to this, as our Advent readings continue to show us.

Today's reading from Revelations is a perfect example. So often we ignore the messages given to us to provide hope, because on the surface they are frightening:

Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Beware, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison so that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have affliction. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.

We live in a world filled with pain and suffering and death, and it can seem difficult to hold on to hope. But in Advent the end of time seems so close and the fire of Christ burns hot in the bleak cold of this winter world.

That the darkness encroaches around us, and the frigid pain of affliction shakes us to the bone, is not cause for fear, but rather hope. Hope for the promise of life, that the child of God provided for us in his torturous death and glorious resurrection.

As we continue to march through the cold toward Christmas, I constantly remember that it is not just the birth of Christ Jesus that I am looking toward, but the death of the old world and birth of the kingdom of God.

Repent then. If not, I will come to you soon and make war against them with the sword of my mouth.

Whoever conquers will not be harmed by the second death.

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