We believe in a Savior who is risen, ascended, glorified; but first He had to be crucified. There can be no resurrection without the crucifixion, no Easter without Lent; and likewise no Christmas without Advent. Jesus teaches us that we cannot journey with Him to the joys of heaven unless we first take up our cross and follow Him to Calvary.
Those of us who have not lived through the cruelty of war in person have suffered disasters on the more ordinary level of our everyday lives. We suffer sickness and pain, bereavement and grief, guilt and shame. Many of us have felt that our own world was coming to an end.
Christ predicted disasters, but His message is still one of the hope. “Stand erect, hold your heads high, because your liberation is near at hand,” He tells His listeners, and the message is for us too. The crucifixion must come, but it is followed by resurrection and glory, for us as for Christ. By this hope we may well stay awake, and stand with confidence before the Son of Man.