“Maybe John becomes a symbol of those of us who stand slightly at the margins every Advent and Christmastide, knowing that something big is about to happen but not quite knowing how to be part of the party…”

“John proclaimed the coming of a new reality which was already breaking in—the ‘Realm of Heaven.’ In John’s gospel, Jesus referred to it as “eternal life.” Paul called it ‘the New Creation,’ while John the Revelator saw it as the ‘New Earth.’”