The Scripture text for next Sunday includes the references to the "mark of the beast" and the infamous number of the beast, 666. Despite centuries of speculation about the identity of this beast, is its real significance the specific identity of some future Antichrist? Or is it something more powerful and more relevant to our everyday lives as Christians who live in what many call the most powerful nation on earth?

Sunday, Dr. Michael Gorman, Professor of Sacred Scripture and Dean of the Ecumenical Institute of Theology at St. Mary's Seminary & University in Baltimore, will be our guest preacher. He is the author of 10 books, including Reading Revelation Responsibly: Uncivil Worship and Witness--Following the Lamb into the New Creation. He and Pastor Derby have been friends for almost four decades.