Prophets Get Killed: The Dangerous Truth of Advent

John the Baptist and even Jesus himself were met with violence by worldly powers who feared their message. Prophecy has a price — yet its truth outlives its persecutors.

Dear friends —

Several people reached out to me yesterday to share how much that day’s reflection meant to them.

I wrote about how I’ve personally experienced the isolating pain of the holidays, and how Advent meets us in that loneliness—not to erase it, but to reveal that even there, God is already present.

In response, I’m unlocking yesterday’s piece from behind the paywall so more folks can sit with it.

Each morning through Christmas, Letters from Leo offers daily Advent reflections for paid subscribers, exploring what it means to follow Jesus in American civic and political life.

These aren’t cozy devotionals — they’re confrontational, honest, and rooted in the belief that Christ’s coming changes everything, including us.

I hope you’ll journey with me as we welcome the light of Christ into every corner of our lives this season.

It’s not too late to join — become a paid subscriber to receive the rest of the reflections in your inbox. Today’s edition is below.

Thank you for walking with us. I’ll see you on the road.

“Whoever has ears ought to hear.” (Matthew 11:15)

Today’s Readings

Advent immerses us in the voices of the prophets.

Today Isaiah paints a vision of deserts blooming and thirst quenched — God’s mercy transforming barren land. Centuries later, John the Baptist cries out in the wilderness that God’s Kingdom is at hand. Both prophets brought hope to the lowly even as they unsettled the powerful.

Yet those who spoke God’s truth were rarely welcomed in their own time; speaking truth to the status quo is dangerous.

Here’s what history has unleashed on those who dare to speak God’s truth to tyrants.