Pentecost 26 B: Beyond Spectacle

Mark 13:1-8 Dear Partner in Preacher, Most often, when I read Gospel passages that fall in or at least near the apocalyptic genre, I feel a significant burden to explain. To explain a bit about what the apocalyptic genre is like and why authors, including the Evangelists, found it useful. To explain the complex layering of the passages – pointing to both the narrative “face value” story as well as the likely historical context that the author was trying to address. To explain how we can hear passages that described “the end” nearly two thousand years ago when we simultaneously still have preachers proclaiming the end today and yet...