Chowan alumnus Rev. Jason Villegas ‘10 was the guest proclaimer at the Chowan University Chapel service on Wednesday, November 16. Rev. Villegas is the pastor of Murfreesboro United Methodist Church and the Youth Director for the North Carolina Conference of the United Methodist Conference. Rev. Villegas earned his Master of Divinity degree from Duke University in 2013, where he is also pursuing his Doctor of Ministry degree.

The focal text for the chapel sermon was Luke 23:33-43, where Jesus was crucified between two criminals. Rev. Villegas chose his theme based on “Christ the King,” which concludes the Christian calendar year, before the start of Advent. Villegas shared the origin of Christ the King and invited listeners to reflect on the scripture and what it means for “Jesus Christ to be king.”

Villegas shared that Jesus’ “followers thought he was going to be a ruler that would displace the powerful empire.” He continued sharing that Jesus “is not the type of king that destroys one empire to set up another.” Throughout his message, Villegas preached about Jesus standing with the weak, the powerless, the poor, and the suffering. He thoughtfully shared that through Jesus’s example, one can see God not only as “all-powerful,” but also as an“all-suffering” king.

Thank you Rev. Villegas, for sharing your preaching gifts with the Chowan University community. For more information about Chowan University Chapel, contact Minister to the University, Rev. Mari Wiles at wilesm@chowan.edu.