William H. Willimon - "Mid-Life Crisis" (August 4, 1985)

Sermon start time: (Part 1) 29:42. Sermon end time: (Part 2) 6:50.

Reflecting from David’s story of Bathsheba, the preacher sees that the most dangerous part of life’s journey is the middle, when people are reminded of the many losses they used to have when they are younger. To cope with mid-life crisis, human beings tend to let sexual appetite work out other appetites and use the excuse of “only being human” to justify sin. While what God does with David informs us that our sin is forgiven by God, there are consequences of sin that we have to bear. The good news is that as a criminal who is forgiven by God on the Cross, though we cannot undo our actions, our future is not determined by our sinful past. This sermon brings the gravity of sin while drawing our attention to the gospel again. (Abstract created by Duke Divinity School staff.)