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DECEMBER 29 24 "Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be any curse." —Revelation 22:1–3 Reversing the Curse T he apostle John understood the significance of God's work in and through time. He recognized Jesus' Incarnation as the apex of time, the triumph over the curse of Genesis 3. In the book of Revelation, he describes the culmination of time, when all have access to the tree of life in the new creation and the curse is eradicated. The Incarnation is the turning point that moves the trajectory of history away from death and toward life. It is the reason for our hope, for we know that, ultimately, all things will be made right. But clearly, that reality is not fully manifest; one glance at the news is enough to recognize this. In the face of the ongoing effects of the curse, we often gravitate toward one of two attitudes: either we focus so much on the fact that everything is not as it should be that we despair, or we concentrate so single-mindedly on the fact that everything will be made right that we neglect the present suffering of others around us. Both sides hold an element of truth, but if we focus on one without the other we become cynical or inactive. The season of Advent requires the balance of these two certainties. In the darkest days of the year, we acknowledge the agony of waiting for Christmas joy, yet our waiting is not idle. We light candles, sing hymns, and reflect together on Christ's birth. Advent parallels the tension we experience as believers living between Christ's Incarnation and His Second Coming. We anticipate the moment when Christ will, as one famous Advent hymn says, "Disperse the gloomy clouds of night, and death's dark shadows put to flight." Advent is the season when we say both, "Not all is as it should be," and "One day, all will be made right." We acknowledge the darkness while hoping for the dawn. Perhaps, in observing the darkness of our world, you identify with the temptation toward cynicism or inactivity. I encourage you to reflect on Revelation 22:1–3 this Advent and consider how Christ's Incarnation serves as the turning point in history when the curse began unraveling. Remember that His coming freed us from the curse so we might truly love God and neighbor. And when the darkness of the world seems overwhelming, remember that the Light is coming. When He does, the curse will finally be no more. Hallelujah! Julie Dykes Current Student, Master of Arts with Concentrations in New Testament and Old Testament