November 29, 2015

C01: The First Sunday of Advent, Year C (2015)

Will Willimon

Will Willimon has long been recognized as one of America’s most prolific preachers, speakers, and authors. On this first Sunday of Advent, Willimon preaches from Luke 21: 25-36. In this passage, we find Jesus in what Willimon describes as “an apocalyptic mood,” talking about the destruction of the magnificent temple in Jerusalem.  In Greek, the word apocalypse simply means an “unveiling,” or a “revealing,” and what Jesus reveals in this week’s text is the precariousness of the present.  “God is going to end everybody here and everything here,” Willimon says.  Is this good news (gospel) or bad news? Listen and decide for yourself.