Have Yourself a Merry Zombie Apocalypse

The season of Advent, in contrast to the overly sweet commercial expression of Christmas, starts with the reality that life on planet Earth can be hard and full of trials and tribulations. Advent acknowledges that things can be better, that they need to be better, and it offers the hope that they will be better. In the truest meaning of the word "apocalypse," the season of Advent can "reveal" a vision of a new world that looks very different from the one in which we live. It can reveal a hopeful future in which we do not merely survive, but we thrive as we become agents of the hope, peace, joy, and love of God. In this sense, teens who are enamored of the zombie apocalypse are the ultimate optimists. They see the world as it is and they know that it could be better. The story we tell in Advent invites us not to just imagine that world, but to help make it happen.