The Table Church, D.C. - Sermons: Reading Revelation for the Resistance

The Oppressed Will Win: Rereading Revelation

Tonetta Landis-Aina — Sun, 23 Nov 2025 10:30:00 +0000

The Oppressed Will Win: Rereading Revelation

Series: Reading Revelation for the Resistance

Preacher: Tonetta Landis-Aina

DC Bilingual

Date: 23rd November 2025

-------------------

What if the book of Revelation isn't about escaping the world, but about resisting it? Drawing from visits to the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing site and a memorial to lynching victims, this sermon reframes Revelation's final vision as a manual for living under empire—any empire that crushes human flourishing.

The ancient text offers more than comfort for the afterlife. It presents a choice: whose reality will you live inside? The sermon traces how even kings who warred against God appear at the gates of the New Jerusalem, suggesting something provocative about reconciliation, boundaries, and the possibility of transformation. You'll encounter the phrase "making all things new, not making all new things" and consider what it means to practice hope when hopelessness feels easier.

Discover why Revelation might be less about predicting the future and more about performing resistance in the present.

When Death Itself Dies

Anthony Parrott — Sun, 16 Nov 2025 17:00:00 +0000

When Death Itself Dies

Series: Reading Revelation for the Resistance

Preacher: Anthony Parrott

Downtown

Date: 16th November 2025

-------------------

For centuries, Western Christianity has taught that hell means eternal conscious torment—but what if that's based on a mistranslation? This sermon digs into the Greek text of Revelation 20, the "millennium debate," and why early church theologians read the "lake of fire" as refining transformation rather than endless punishment.

Drawing on scholarship about the word aion (age, not eternity) and the character of a God whose "mercy endures forever," this message offers a different framework: one where death itself dies, where the fire is surgical rather than sadistic, and where justice work—though painful—becomes participation in resurrection.

Especially relevant for anyone processing church hurt, questioning traditional theology, or wondering what it means to work for justice when systems feel immovable. Also includes honest reflection on loss, community endings, and what happens when good things die.

The Book That Won't Let You Stay Comfortable

Tonetta Landis-Aina — Sun, 09 Nov 2025 10:30:00 +0000

The Book That Won't Let You Stay Comfortable

Series: Reading Revelation for the Resistance

Preacher: Tonetta Landis-Aina

DC Bilingual

Date: 9th November 2025

-------------------

We've been told Revelation is about predicting the future or achieving the right political outcomes. But what if it's actually about something we can't control or engineer ourselves? This sermon explores how the Bible's most misunderstood book challenges both religious conservatives and progressive activists to reconsider what liberation actually means.

Drawing on imagery of empire's collapse and unexpected visions of hope, this talk argues that treating faith as either a political platform or an intellectual puzzle drains our capacity to act. Instead, Revelation calls us to something bigger: receiving what we cannot explain, resisting what we cannot ignore, and enduring when logic fails.

If you've ever felt exhausted by trying to figure everything out or felt your doubts piling up despite all the books you've read, this perspective on salvation as "spaciousness" rather than certainty might reframe everything.

Justice, Mercy, and the Collapse of Empire

Anthony Parrott — Tue, 04 Nov 2025 10:30:00 +0000

Justice, Mercy, and the Collapse of Empire

Series: Reading Revelation for the Resistance

Preacher: Anthony Parrott

DC Bilingual

Date: 4th November 2025

-------------------

What do you do with biblical texts that depict God pouring out bowls of cosmic destruction? For those of us who believe in a nonviolent, loving God, passages like Revelation 15-16 create serious problems. They've been used to terrorize people and justify violence for centuries. This sermon offers a different way forward.

By understanding apocalyptic literature as symbolic resistance writing from the powerless, and by reading through three theological frameworks—universalism, pacifism, and open theology—we discover something surprising: even here, the text itself points toward universal reconciliation rather than eternal punishment. The sermon explores how God's wrath might be less about cosmic revenge and more about love fiercely opposing what harms creation.

If you've ever struggled with violent biblical imagery, wondered how justice and mercy fit together, or wanted to resist oppressive systems while still holding onto hope, this conversation is for you. Includes a bonus Andor reference about resisting empire.

You're Fighting Systems, Not Just People

Heidi Mills — Sun, 26 Oct 2025 10:30:00 +0000

You're Fighting Systems, Not Just People

Series: Reading Revelation for the Resistance

Preacher: Heidi Mills

DC Bilingual

Date: 26th October 2025

-------------------

Why does doing the right thing seem to cost everything while everyone else appears to be thriving? And when resistance feels futile, is conformity really that bad?

Using Revelation 13's symbolism of beasts and marks, this sermon cuts through religious jargon to expose how state power and propaganda work together to make injustice feel inevitable. It's raw, vulnerable, and honest about the real costs of standing firm—including a church losing its home and a queer preacher wrestling with the temptation of closeted safety.

You'll walk away understanding that you're not fighting individuals but systems, and that endurance means actively resisting with others, not suffering alone.

The Price Tag on Standing Up

Trevor Wentt — Sat, 25 Oct 2025 10:30:00 +0100

The Price Tag on Standing Up

Series: Reading Revelation for the Resistance

Preacher: Trevor Wentt

DC Bilingual

Date: 25th October 2025

-------------------

We all participate in systems that harm people—it's nearly impossible not to. Your credit card, your phone, your morning coffee: all connected to exploitation somewhere down the line. So what do we do when opting out isn't really an option, but going along feels like giving up everything we stand for?

This talk digs into why resistance always comes with a price tag—lost security, financial strain, real consequences—while compliance costs something harder to measure: your sense of who you are. Drawing on MLK's final speech and current struggles for justice from Gaza to the U.S., it asks the question: what will happen to your neighbor if you don't stand up?

If you've ever felt stuck between doing what's right and doing what's safe, or wondered how to keep going when the systems seem too big to fight, this one's for you.

When the Bible Gets Weird and Wonderful

Tonetta Landis-Aina — Sun, 19 Oct 2025 10:30:00 +0100

When the Bible Gets Weird and Wonderful

Series: Reading Revelation for the Resistance

Preacher: Tonetta Landis-Aina

DC Bilingual

Date: 19th October 2025

-------------------

Ever wonder why the Bible ends with dragons, cosmic battles, and a woman giving birth in space? Turns out, Revelation 12 isn't trying to predict the future or scare you—it's doing something far more interesting. This passage takes everything the Bible has been saying about good, evil, death, and resurrection and cranks it up to high definition.

Drawing on Eugene Peterson's insight that Revelation is meant to "revive our imagination" rather than give us new information, this sermon explores how ancient apocalyptic imagery speaks directly to our current moment of chaos and uncertainty. Whether you're familiar with the book of Revelation or have always found it confusing, you'll walk away with a fresh perspective on why these strange, vivid stories might be exactly what we need right now.

The Four Horsemen and Finding Hope in Apocalyptic Times

Daniel Dixon — Sun, 12 Oct 2025 10:30:00 +0100

The Four Horsemen and Finding Hope in Apocalyptic Times

Series: Reading Revelation for the Resistance

Preacher: Daniel Dixon

DC Bilingual

Date: 12th October 2025

-------------------

What does it mean to witness suffering without becoming bitter or indifferent? Can you stare directly at systemic injustice and still believe in life?

Using Assata Shakur's poem "Affirmation" and readings from Revelation 6-8, this sermon reframes ancient apocalyptic literature as a survival guide for communities under oppression.

The Four Horsemen aren't about end-times predictions—they're about naming the root causes of violence, inequality, and death that plague us today. Through Indigenous interpretations of judgment as restorative rather than punitive, and examples from movements for justice, it offers a framework for maintaining hope while doing the hard work of resistance. Because hopeful witnesses don't ignore the riders of death—they call them out while planting seeds anyway.

When the Lion Turns Out to Be a Lamb

Anthony Parrott — Sun, 05 Oct 2025 10:30:00 +0100

When the Lion Turns Out to Be a Lamb

Series: Reading Revelation for the Resistance

Preacher: Anthony Parrott

DC Bilingual

Date: 5th October 2025

-------------------

Ever wonder why the Bible is so hard to understand? It's not just because it's old—it's because we're missing the cultural references. Just like future generations won't get "boots with the fur" or calling 411 for information, we're 2,000 years removed from the world that wrote Revelation.

This talk explores the throne room vision in Revelation 4-5 and its central image: a lion that's actually a lamb. It's the key to understanding the whole book—and it completely redefines what power and victory look like. Instead of a warrior God coming back for revenge, we see sacrificial love as the ultimate form of strength. This matters because what we worship shapes how we see justice, community, and ourselves.

For anyone deconstructing harmful theology or wondering if worship can be meaningful without manipulation, this offers a different way forward—one where you can question everything and still choose to pay attention to what matters.

Revelation Wasn't Written for Conspiracy Theorists

Anthony Parrott — Sun, 28 Sep 2025 10:30:00 +0100

Revelation Wasn't Written for Conspiracy Theorists

Series: Reading Revelation for the Resistance

Preacher: Anthony Parrott

DC Bilingual

Date: 28th September 2025

-------------------

The U.S. government recently issued a directive targeting groups that show "anti-American" or "anti-capitalist" tendencies. Early Christians faced eerily similar accusations: they were called atheists, conspirators, and haters of humanity. This sermon explores how the book of Revelation wasn't written as a prophecy decoder ring—it was a survival manual for communities resisting empire.

But there's a twist. After unpacking how to read Revelation as a guide for dissident discipleship, Pastor Anthony turns the mirror on progressive faith communities themselves. What happens when deconstruction—necessary as it was—becomes a wall that keeps out not just toxic religion, but genuine encounter with the sacred? Can you be both critically thinking and spiritually surrendered?

Includes a powerful testimony about kidney transplants, monuments to God's faithfulness, and why hope isn't magic—it's work. For anyone who's left the church but still wonders if there's something worth rebuilding.

When Death Feels Like Victory

Tonetta Landis-Aina — Sun, 21 Sep 2025 10:30:00 +0100

When Death Feels Like Victory

Series: Reading Revelation for the Resistance

Preacher: Tonetta Landis-Aina

DC Bilingual

Date: 21st September 2025

-------------------

How do you resist injustice without becoming what you despise? In times when hope feels scarce and violence seems to win, many of us struggle with what we're supposed to feel—and how we're supposed to respond. This sermon tackles those uncomfortable tensions head-on.

Rather than treating Revelation as a roadmap to the end times, this message reframes the ancient text as a guide for "dissident discipleship"—living with integrity when the world around you demands compromise. You'll discover why the center of Revelation isn't the four horsemen or 666, but something far more relevant to our current moment.

Whether you're wrestling with recent events, questioning how to maintain hope, or wondering how faith intersects with resistance, this conversation offers a fresh perspective on an often-misunderstood text. No religious background required—just bring your questions about how to live well in turbulent times.