Shows
Washington Street UMC Sermon PodcastA Prayer for UsIn today’s passage, the Apostle Paul is praying for a young church that their love for one another and that their faith might continue to grow by the power of God. The Church of South Washington Street as a new “church” is in need of the same prayer.2022-10-3012 minWashington Street UMC Sermon PodcastBeing RemoldedI recently learned that the lynching of Benjamin Thomas in 1899 was, at least in part, supported by the then mayor, George L. Simpson. Mayor Simpson was at the time attending Washington Street MEC, South, and was, just a couple years later, received into membership at the church. Not only did his presence in the congregation, but his later acceptance by the congregation, should invite us to question, how is God remolding us into a greater force for good - something our predecessors of the faith sometimes neglected?2022-09-0416 min
Washington Street UMC Sermon PodcastWe'll Understand It Better By and By | Hymns of Charles A. TindleyGuest Preacher: Rev. Dr. James Daniely (Roberts Memorial UMC) As a child in S.C., I remember Hurricane Gracie . The sky was very dark, the wind howled, trees could be heard breaking, and the rain was torrential. Those things combined to make me very frightened. I was alone at the house, or so I think, but a neighbor knew this and came across the street to check on me. Her words to me were " Be not afraid, it's in God's hands". Now why she thought that would be calming to an eight-year-old, I don't know but after uttering those words...2022-02-1320 minWashington Street UMC Sermon PodcastWe Shall Overcome | Hymns of Charles A. TindleyPastors James Daniely (Roberts Memorial UMC) and Thomas James (WSUMC) join together in the pulpit to look at the invitation of the song "We Shall Overcome." What are we being asked to overcome? By looking at the history of our churches, and the invitation of God's Word in 1 John 5, we see the call to overcome our unbelief. For true faith not only invites a greater witness of God's love in relationship with our neighbor, it demands it. Anything less than offering true love to God and neighbor makes a liar out of God, and challenges our claim to faithfulness.2022-01-3029 minWashington Street UMC Sermon PodcastWe Need More Good WineJesus’ first miracle in Cana of Galilee is one of his most well known. But the changing of water into wine is not just some cool parlor trick. Like many of God’s life giving moments, the wedding guests don’t even acknowledge the glory of God in their midst. Perhaps we some more good wine so that we might appreciate the beauty of God’s glory revealed in Christ.2022-01-1618 minWashington Street UMC Sermon PodcastA New Beginning | Wesley Covenant Renewal Service2022-01-0925 min
Washington Street UMC Sermon PodcastMary | Women of AdventSometimes it feels like we still find it hard to make space for this child’s birth. We are so caught up in the political undertakings of our day that we just don’t have room for the proclamation of one who declares worth among the most vulnerable and unwanted of society. But as Mary proclaims, and the shepherds testify, the good news of Jesus Christ is not for any particular fraction of the community, but for all of it. It is only the good news of Christ if it is good news for all people.2021-12-2412 minWashington Street UMC Sermon PodcastBathsheba | Women of AdventOn this fourth Sunday of Advent, we will hear the story of Bathsheba. It can a triggering story, especially for those who have shared Bathsheba's pain. But Bathsheba's inclusion in the genealogy of Jesus is a reminder of the promise of Christ, who comes to shed light on the brokenness of humanity's grasp at power. And it's a reminder that sin does not have the final say for who we are in God's love.2021-12-1917 minWashington Street UMC Sermon PodcastRuth | Women of AdventOn this Third Sunday of Advent, we are learning from and about Ruth, who is the third woman named in Jesus' family tree (Matthew 1:1-17). Ruth the Moabite is a powerful reminder that God's love is expansive, inviting and including in the story of Christ any and all who seek the well-being and shalom of the community. One need not even change their cultural or ethnic identity to be part of God's family.2021-12-1219 minWashington Street UMC Sermon PodcastRahab | Women of AdventThis Advent season, we are learning about the five women named in Jesus' family tree in Matthew 1:1-17. The second woman is Rahab, mother of Boaz. A Canaanite living in the city of Jericho, Rahab is often remembered for her illicit business. However, her trust and belief in the power of God, along with her dedication to her community, are a witness to her presence in Jesus' genealogy. Her story is a proclamation that God can use any one of us, even using the worst of us, in the holy work of redemption.2021-12-0518 minWashington Street UMC Sermon PodcastTamar | Women of AdventThere are just five women named in the family tree of Jesus, found in Matthew 1:1-17. The first woman named is Tamar, whose story is told in Genesis 38. Though she is a Canaanite, a Gentile, and twice a widow, Tamar's pursuit of justice and righteousness welcomes us into the Advent season, as we consider the need for the birth of Christ and God's redeeming work in the world.2021-11-2820 minWashington Street UMC Sermon PodcastAll Hail, King JesusAs we celebrate the Feast of Christ the King, we should take pause to ask, what are we celebrating? Are we celebrating the king we want Jesus to be, or the king Jesus declares himself to be? Are we looking for a Christ with imperial aspirations, or the Christ who refuses the powers of the world? It is right to celebrate, but we should celebrate Christ for the truth he declares in himself.2021-11-2119 minWashington Street UMC Sermon PodcastThe God Who Changes FortunesOur guest preacher this morning is the Rev. Dr. Veronice Miles, who serves Wesley Theological Seminary as the Mary Elizabeth McGehee Joyce Associate Professor of Preaching. She brings a faithful message on the song of the people in 1 Samuel 2:1-10, offering a challenging and invitational word on how we might best understand the song in our own call to faith.2021-11-1429 minWashington Street UMC Sermon PodcastRemembering What We've Been GivenAll Saints Day is not just about remember the names of our loved ones lost, it is also about remembering what they've given us. The witness of those who have come before us lives on in our faithful witness, which in turn leads the next generation.2021-11-0720 minWashington Street UMC Sermon PodcastYour People Shall Be My PeopleRev. Dr. James G. Daniely is the guest preacher this Sunday, as WSUMC joins in worship with Roberts Memorial UMC. Pulling from the book of Ruth, Rev. Daniely asks us to consider what faithfulness looks like today with Ruth's statement to Naomi at the forefront of our relationships. "Your people shall be my people" offers a proclamation of God's expansive love and calls us to greater relationship with one another. *Due to audio problems, the first few minutes of the sermon are difficult to hear. We apologize for the inconvenience.2021-10-3109 min
Washington Street UMC Sermon PodcastThe "And" of Identity | Yes, And ...It is not your identity that determines your faith. It is not your qualifiers that determine whether or not you are capable of receiving the promise of new life. God's love in its full divinity is greater than the shallowness and brokenness of our humanity.2021-10-2419 minWashington Street UMC Sermon PodcastThe "And" of Reconciliation | Yes, And ...In the parable of the prodigal son, the younger son had squandered all he had and was welcomed back by the father. It's a great promise of God's love for all who have sinned and lost. But the story isn't just about a younger son, it's about a father who had two sons. The older son's interaction invites us to see the greater love of God in the work of reconciliation.2021-10-1718 minWashington Street UMC Sermon PodcastThe "And" of the Darkness | Yes, And ...Have you ever been in the same place as Job? Have you ever felt like the world was against you? Have you ever been tired, weary of the world, and felt exhausted in a cloud of darkness? It's not always easy, but the story of Job invites us to find the "yes, and ..." of darkness.2021-10-1019 min
Whenever Worship with Washington Farm UMCUnraveled: IntroductionReflecting on Psalm 139, Pastor Alyssa urges us to take stock of what it means to be unraveled and challenges us to look at our unraveling as Good News. 2021-10-0913 minWashington Street UMC Sermon PodcastThe "And" of the Law | Yes, And ...What are we do to with the law? Entrap Jesus into heresy? That's what the Pharisees tried to do, and they used divorce as the area of law to attempt such a task. Perhaps we should consider more deeply the intent of Mark 10:2-12, and rethink our own use of church law today.2021-10-0318 minWashington Street UMC Sermon PodcastThe "And" of Faithfulness | Yes, And ...Yes, we will not always understand the almighty work of God’s love in the world – we may not even always agree with it … and … God still invites you and me to pursue this call of discipleship, to learn and to grow, to expand and to embrace, to be redeemed and reconciled, that God’s created humanity might share in the eternal joy of God’s love for all of creation.2021-09-2616 minWashington Street UMC Sermon PodcastThe "And" of New Life | Yes, And ...Guest Preacher: Shani Mcilwain. Sometimes death is a reminder that we can't stay comfortable. We must die daily to flesh, and wake up new each and every morning, receiving the daily grace and mercy of God. You don't have to rely on yesterday's grace - you can afford to step out and do something new, something radical, something different because you belong to a Savior who has made that possible.2021-09-1920 minWashington Street UMC Sermon PodcastYes, And ...The first step to living into the "yes, and..." invitation is to say yes. We can't add on the "and" until we've acknowledge what is. And yet, saying "yes" is insufficient for God, and it shouldn't be sufficient for us as God's people.2021-09-1218 minWashington Street UMC Sermon PodcastHabitual FaithOver the past year, we've all formed some new habits. Whether that's working from home, or joining in worship from your pajamas, habits define a lot of behaviors. Sometimes, we don't even know that our habits exist, and it's not always easy for someone else to point out habits that we don't like to claim.2021-09-0518 min
Washington Street UMC Sermon PodcastEphesians: Wrap-UpKimberly Young moderates a conversation between Rev. James Daniely of Roberts Memorial UMC and Rev. Thomas James of Washington Street UMC as both churches wrap up a study on Ephesians. How does the teaching of the apostle on being "imitators" of God instruct us to live in this present moment?2021-08-2945 minWashington Street UMC Sermon PodcastWorship: PreparationWorship isn’t simply a time to praise God, it’s a time of preparation that we may go forth to live every moment of every day firmly planted in the promise of whom God has created us to be. Worship is a time of preparation, a time in which we are geared up to stand on the promises of Christ our Savior.2021-08-2222 minWashington Street UMC Sermon PodcastWorship: ConversionWorship is about having our mind converted to the ways of God. It’s about learning to discern what is of God and what is not. Worship is a time of conversion from the ways of the world to the mind of God.2021-08-1518 minWashington Street UMC Sermon PodcastWorship: ConfessionThe apostle makes it abundantly clear that truth-telling, honest-living, up-lifting speech is necessary in the work of maintaining the unity of the community. To get to this level of honesty with one another and with God, we must engage in the holy work of confession. While not always easy, confession allows for the healing that is necessary for authentic and healthy community.2021-08-0819 minWashington Street UMC Sermon PodcastWorship: UnityThe church was created in unity with its many gifts to function as the body of Christ in the world. Our purpose is to mimic for the world the love of God in Christ, and that means, working with every effort to maintain the unity in which the body was first created.2021-08-0120 minWashington Street UMC Sermon PodcastWorship: PrayerPrayer is not a one-way conversation, even when you're by yourself. Prayer is about being in communion with the Lord. In this way, prayer is not just a part of worship, prayer is worship and worship is prayer.2021-07-2516 minWashington Street UMC Sermon PodcastWorship: PeaceOur society continues to try to find ways to put us at odds against each other, as if binaries are the way of God. The apostle reminds us in Ephesians, that such division is not of God - on the contrary, in Christ, we have a peace that breaks down the divisions and reconciles us as one body in a new creation. This is the peace of Christ.2021-07-1820 minWashington Street UMC Sermon PodcastWorship: PraiseThe change in how we do worship over the past year brings up some necessary questions. How and why do we worship? Can we really worship at home on TV? Can we worship on a big screen at church? This week we begin a look at what constitutes worship, beginning with praise.2021-07-1119 minWashington Street UMC Sermon PodcastWhy America Isn't #1Yes, it's July 4, but that doesn't keep the prophet from speaking truth. The honest truth is, America isn't #1. Even as great as we might think ourselves to be, even the prophet couldn’t stand on his own feet without the breath of God in his lungs.2021-07-0416 min
Washington Street UMC Sermon PodcastHumility and Peace | Life in the SpiritI believe we have to ask questions, not just of others, but of ourselves. To ask ourselves if the people, ideological positions, or personalities we align ourselves with reflect the love, grace, and acceptance of Christ.2021-06-2716 minWashington Street UMC Sermon PodcastThe Mind of Christ | Life in the SpiritIf it is the sin of seeking the knowledge of God that brings death in the Garden, it will be the knowledge of God that gives life through Christ. It is this knowledge of the divine that Paul believes we receive in the gifting of the Spirit.2021-06-1318 minWashington Street UMC Sermon PodcastThe Image of God | Life in the SpiritLife in the Spirit isn't just about our corporate identity, it also defines our personal identity. Being in the Spirit means being transformed, being shown, being called, being identified, being gifted, and being included as those who radiate the image of God in the world.2021-06-0618 minWashington Street UMC Sermon PodcastLife in the SpiritFollowing the gifting of the Spirit on Pentecost, we enter into an extended season in the Church, which we call “Ordinary Time.” It is a time to reflect on the life of Christ as a model for the life of the Church. This is the life of one living in the Spirit.2021-05-3016 min
Washington Street UMC Sermon PodcastEmpowered by the SpiritAs we celebrate Pentecost, it's helpful to consider the difference between the power of God in Christ and the power of God in the Holy Spirit. Understanding how the Spirit empowers the us is essential to claim our identity as the Church. The power of God in Christ is what makes new life possible. The power of God in the Holy Spirit is what equips us to proclaim the power of God in Christ.2021-05-2417 minWashington Street UMC Sermon PodcastThe Ascension and Human FragilityThe Church has this historical problem of thinking that our knowledge of Christ gives us power over the rest of humanity. But the ascension makes clear: Jesus doesn’t embed himself in us. Jesus doesn’t even stick around so that we might chain him up in our limited ways of understanding. No, Jesus ascends.2021-05-1621 minWashington Street UMC Sermon PodcastSigns, Wonders, and Deep DebatesPerhaps this biblical story of the Jerusalem Council - this argument over the basic claims of the gospel - is more relevant to our time than we might think at first. The debate over accepting the Gentiles into the early Christian church gives us some helpful tools for engaging in dialogue over change in the church today.2021-05-0919 minWashington Street UMC Sermon PodcastA Freeing and Invitational Gospel | Church, Get Your Acts TogetherHear this Church, we need to stop trying to limit who can receive the Good News – who can be welcomed into the body of Christ. It is our calling to preach and teach the good news, and then to rejoice in celebration and welcome all who proclaim that Christ is Lord.2021-05-0217 minWashington Street UMC Sermon PodcastA Threat to Institutional Powers | Church, Get Your Acts TogetherThe power of Christ and the work of the Church is a threat to societal powers – whether political or institutional. The power of Christ is a threat to any individual who seeks wealth and power for themselves, especially at the expense of others. The Church today needs to reclaim the early church's prayer for boldness in proclaiming this power-threatening truth.2021-04-2518 minWashington Street UMC Sermon PodcastThe Good News is Life Giving | Church, Get Your Acts TogetherWe – the Christian Church – have strayed so far from whom God created us to be. In the coming few weeks we’re going to consider how we might reclaim for the Church our call and our witness. Today's text in Acts 3 invites us to consider that when we begin to witness to the power of Christ as Peter did, the invitation for others to embrace this power will carry the weight of the glory it proclaims.2021-04-1820 min
Washington Street UMC Sermon PodcastWhere Do We Go From Here? | Stride Toward FreedomEaster is worth the celebration, but do we really know why we're celebrating? Do we fully understand the invitational power of God in the resurrection? Not only do we remember the Easter story, but we also consider how the story invites us to be Easter people: an expansive, forgiving, community of power that proclaims God's love to everyone.2021-04-0420 minWashington Street UMC Sermon PodcastMethod of the Opposition | Stride Toward FreedomPolice cars and chariots have a lot in common. Their mere presence is a statement of power. Jesus was riding in to town using a borrowed bicycle. Across town, Pilate entered the city with sirens blazing. One coming in humility, the other in a prideful show of force. Are we really surprised that those who shouted “Hosanna!” ("Save us!") quieted so quickly?2021-03-2822 minWashington Street UMC Sermon PodcastMultiply | Stride Toward FreedomThe movement Dr. King teaches is one of non-violence. Like Jesus' invitation to be a grain of wheat, it's a call to understand that our death does not lead to an absence of change, but that our willingness to die leads to a multiplying of God's love on earth. We are called to forsake our live for the love of God in the world, for when we die, we multiply.2021-03-2124 minWashington Street UMC Sermon PodcastThe Movement Gathers Momentum | Stride Toward FreedomJohn 3:16 is one of the most well-known, often quoted scriptures in the whole of the Christian Bible. Yet, it is often used to chastise those of no faith for lacking faith. In its context, spoken by Jesus to Nicodemus, it seems to have a different intent.2021-03-1427 minWashington Street UMC Sermon PodcastThe Day of Days | Stride Toward FreedomJesus' rage in the temple isn't just a statement against the corrupt economic practices that preyed on traveling pilgrims, it's also a statement about the witness of the presence of God. Jesus defines his body as the dwelling place of God, and in the physical absence of Jesus, the church becomes the Body of Christ. How well do we portray the presence of God in the world?2021-03-0720 minWashington Street UMC Sermon PodcastThe Decisive Arrest | Stride Toward FreedomMark 8:31 includes Jesus saying that he "must undergo" great suffering, and would die at the hands of the temple leaders. Still today, it is regularly debated in the church whether or not Jesus "had" to die. Perhaps this question is best answered in by asking the question in reverse: “Was it possible for Jesus to be 100% committed to God’s will for humanity without facing the burden of the Roman cross?”2021-02-2818 minWashington Street UMC Sermon PodcastHave You Ever Been Tempted | Stride Toward FreedomBishop Sharma Lewis, resident bishop of the Virginia Conference of the United Methodist Church, opens the season of lent with a message about facing temptation. What can we learn about facing temptations in our lives today from the temptations Jesus faced in the wilderness?2021-02-2117 min
Washington Street UMC Sermon PodcastThe Transfigured One | Emmaus RoadOn the Mount of Transfiguration, Moses and Elijah appeared with Jesus. Their presence harkened back to the final text of the Old Testament, in which Malachi invites the faithful to remember the covenant made with Moses, and the to look forward to the return of Elijah. The Transfiguration solidifies what the disciples were longing for, the promise of the prophets made flesh in the person of Jesus Christ, come to liberate them from the fear of death and the hatred of oppression.2021-02-1418 minWashington Street UMC Sermon PodcastThe Suffering Servant | Emmaus RoadIsaiah promises that the Messiah to come will come as a suffering servant. This would have been an unexpected and unwelcome announcement by those who desired a warrior-like king to redeem them from their enemies. Yet, as Jesus walked the Emmaus Road with the disciples, he likely not only identified himself as the suffering servant, he probably invited the disciples to consider how they might heed God’s call for the faithful to see themselves as freed from the powers of empires that we all might be servants of the Almighty.2021-02-0720 minWashington Street UMC Sermon PodcastThe Unlikely King | Emmaus RoadZechariah promises a humble king to come, making his entrance on the back of a the colt of a donkey. This is an unlikely king who comes to rule with the full strength of God's peace. Make no doubt, it's overpowering, but in God's way, not the way of human empires.2021-01-3117 minWashington Street UMC Sermon PodcastThe Son of God | Emmaus RoadJesus uses the Hebrew Scriptures to point to himself as the Messiah. Looking at 2 Samuel 7, it seems that not only does Jesus hail from the line of David, not only is Jesus the one who is called the Son of God, not only is Jesus the one who calls God “Abba,” “Father,” but it is Jesus that proclaims the divine “but,” which refuses to give sin and death the final say.2021-01-2417 minWashington Street UMC Sermon PodcastThe City of David | Emmaus RoadIn his use of the Hebrew Scriptures to point to his role as God’s Messiah, Jesus probably would have used Micah’s prophecy. Micah, like the other prophets, promises one who is to come who will not rule through militaristic adventures and war mongering. He promises one to come who will be Savior, who will reign with peace and offer a new way to salvation.2021-01-1720 minWashington Street UMC Sermon PodcastThe Foretelling | Emmaus RoadWhat did Christ say to the disciples while walking the Emmaus Road? I wonder if the disciples walking down the path were bemoaning Christ’s absence and failure to fulfill their hoped-for vision of a Messiah, much like many of us as the faithful do today, lamenting that God hasn’t granted us what we expected or wanted in the Messiah. And yet, this is God-in-flesh.2021-01-1018 minWashington Street UMC Sermon PodcastThe Message of ChristmasWashington Street UMC and Roberts Memorial UMC join together on the Third Day of Christmas to proclaim the Hope, Joy, Peace, Love, and Light of Christ.2020-12-2718 min
Washington Street UMC Sermon PodcastChristmas Eve | Light in the DarknessThe birth of Christ is disruptive to the devastating pain of human frailty. The gift of God in Christ flips all of the societal expectations upside down, and whether shepherds who come in lowliness, or Magi who come bringing valuable gifts, the incarnation invites us as one humanity to join in the noise making. For in Christ, God has won out. The promise of new life is declared, not just possible, but a realized truth.2020-12-2417 minWashington Street UMC Sermon PodcastBorrowing Hope | Light in the DarknessPastor Kathy Escobar says that when hope is running low, sometimes the best thing we can do is borrow hope from one another. In the Magnificat, Mary provides more than enough hope for us all to borrow, offered in the assured promise of who Christ is and will be.2020-12-2019 minWashington Street UMC Sermon PodcastHoping for a New Year | Light in the DarknessThe paradox of Advent is that even in the darkness, there is a light. Even in our brokenness, there is healing. Even in our weariness, there is rest. The Advent promise is that the gift of God comes to offer light in the midst of our weary world.2020-12-1321 minWashington Street UMC Sermon PodcastLost in the Wilderness | Light in the DarknessThere’s power in memory. Mark uses the power of memory in the opening of his Gospel to frame the coming of Christ through the remembrance of God’s saving acts in the history of Israel. Though not all memories are uplifting, the beauty of Advent is the promise that God sends Christ to offer healing and peace into the brokenness and strife.2020-12-0619 minWashington Street UMC Sermon PodcastA Year End Lament | Light in the DarknessAfter a year that presented a plethora of challenges, it may be our desire to skip Advent and dive straight into Christmas. But not so fast! The good news of Emmanuel, God with us, is that we don’t have to skip the weariness and brokenness, or act as if everything is ok. The good news is that God meets us in the darkness. This is Advent.2020-11-2920 minWashington Street UMC Sermon PodcastChrist the King SundayRev. David McWilliams of Del Ray UMC shares the message on this Christ the King Sunday as Del Ray and Washington Street UMC join in worship together.2020-11-2216 minWashington Street UMC Sermon PodcastWhat Unites Us?Rev. Dr. James Daniely of Roberts Memorial UMC and Pastor Thomas from Washington Street UMC share together a message proclaiming God's unifying love in the midst of a season of great division among the nation.2020-11-1521 minWashington Street UMC Sermon PodcastThe In and the OutIn the parable of the bridesmaids, we always want to identify with the bridesmaids who made it in to the wedding banquet. But is that really the best option? Was that group really the best witness of faithfulness? It’s time we rethink this parable, and admit, that while we may identify with the prudent bridesmaids, having sufficient oil for ourselves, in reality, we’re just as foolish as the morons who forgot their oil.2020-11-0821 minWashington Street UMC Sermon PodcastThe Great MultitudeThis All Saints Day, we are reminded of the work God is already doing in the world, and the end to which God is already working. As we remember the saints, we don’t celebrate their selfishness, or their tribalism – we remember their call to see our lives as part of something much greater, as part of God’s created. May we remember the saints, and be reminded of God’s eternal glory, that we may serve as the next generation of saints, sharing in the work of God’s grander vision for all of creation.2020-11-0118 min
Washington Street UMC Sermon PodcastWalk Humbly | Fix Your FocusThe Bible is full of examples of what it means to ‘walk humbly with your God,’ and they help us understand what Micah is instructing to God’s faithful community. But walking humbly isn’t an isolated instruction. Micah’s instructions are offered as one word of guidance, and to be faithful, we must follow all three of them in tandem.2020-10-2519 minWashington Street UMC Sermon PodcastBiblical Humility | Fix Your FocusMicah calls the people of Israel to humbly walk with God. But what does a humble walk look like? Why don’t we start with humility … what is humility? Not an easy question to answer, but the Biblical witness gives us some guiding words.2020-10-1817 minWashington Street UMC Sermon PodcastLove Mercy | Fix Your FocusMercy is the willingness of the one who has power to withhold such power, or to shift such power, for the purpose of God’s greater justice: so that all of humanity, all of God’s created, might share equally in community with one another. But what does it mean to LOVE mercy?2020-10-1121 minWashington Street UMC Sermon PodcastBiblical Mercy | Fix Your FocusTo a nation that was broken with transgression, Micah offers three simple instructions. The second of which is to ‘love mercy.” As we hear the prophet speaking to us today, to a nation torn apart by transgression, what does it mean for us to ‘love mercy’ today? First, we have to know what is ‘mercy.’2020-10-0417 minWashington Street UMC Sermon PodcastDo Justice | Fix Your FocusJustice is the desire of God, maintained throughout the Biblical text. Both the Old and New Testament stories proclaim this as the will of God. But the text also makes clear, this is Godly work we are to participate in – as the prophets declare, we are to be ‘doing’ justice2020-09-2718 minWashington Street UMC Sermon PodcastBiblical Justice | Fix Your FocusWe hear the word ‘justice’ thrown around a lot these days. “Social justice,” “Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg,” “justice for Breonna Taylor,” and so on. Micah, among other prophets, also used the word as a primary instruction to the people of God, saying, “Do justice.” Before we can understand what it means to ‘do’ this thing called justice, we have to understand what the Bible means by ‘justice’ itself. With over 400 uses in the Biblical text, the Word of God makes clear what is ‘justice.’2020-09-2019 minWashington Street UMC Sermon PodcastInstructions to a Hurting Nation | Fix Your FocusIn this midst of a continuing pandemic, and amidst the varying hardships overwhelming our nation, you make ask of God, what do you want of us? How can we see your divine healing in this land? Micah offers guidance in just such a situation – so listen to the Lord. The answer is living with God, and living for others. Do justice. Love Kindness. Walk humbly with your God.2020-09-1318 minWashington Street UMC Sermon PodcastThe Power of the TongueIn a political season, when words tend to fly freely from our mouths, it’s important to remember the text of James 3. It’s not the tongue that curses and blesses, it’s the words we convey and express with the tongue. How can we use our words to bless, and not to curse? Guest Preacher: Rev. Dr. Michelle Chaney2020-09-0612 minWashington Street UMC Sermon PodcastPick Up Your CrossChrist says, if you want to follow me, deny yourself and take up your cross. This is not a simple invitation. It is, as Peter found, a radical deviation from the powers and desires of empires. It invites a humility and willing vulnerability for the sake of the gospel.2020-08-3018 min
Washington Street UMC Sermon PodcastPeace | Life TogetherLet us not say “Peace, peace,” when there is no peace. We must commit to the unequal and preferential option for Black lives, for, God knows, our Black brothers and sisters, in their bodies and in their souls, have long suffered and suffer now an unequal share of the pain in the unholy name of anti-black racism upon which the supremacy of whites have been built. Guest Preacher: Dr. Paul K.-K. Cho2020-08-2320 minWashington Street UMC Sermon PodcastEncouraging | Life TogetherEncouragement, which comes in many forms, is necessary for healthy and faithful relationships. We have the ability to encourage another by offering affirmation. And yet, sometimes we should not be affirmed. At times, our encouragement needs not to show up as affirmation, but to show up in the form of exhortation, where we are encouraging others to live more faithfully.2020-08-1618 minWashington Street UMC Sermon PodcastBe Yourself | Life TogetherThrough acknowledgment of what is, by naming sin that exists, by naming our participation and benefit from sin, freedom becomes possible. Because of God’s love in Jesus Christ, we can claim our sin, we can be made new, and we can have a new life that exemplifies God’s love.2020-08-0217 minWashington Street UMC Sermon PodcastSlow Down | Life TogetherWhy do we value multi-tasking so much? Why is American individualism defined by busyness? Perhaps we should slow down and acknowledge God’s call, not for our own exceptionalism, but for a unified global well-being.2020-07-2619 minWashington Street UMC Sermon PodcastPay Attention | Life TogetherListening is redemptive; it has the power to change lives and communities. If we’re going to see positive change in the world – if we’re going to see positive change in our own community – we have to start listening.2020-07-1919 minWashington Street UMC Sermon PodcastGratitude | Life TogetherIn recent weeks, if it wasn’t already known, it has become quite clear, we are an ungrateful people. We need a reset to rethink our relationships, our expectations, and our place in the community. We need, like the healed Samaritan Leper, to be a bit more grateful for the life – the new life – we are offered in Jesus Christ.2020-07-1222 minWashington Street UMC Sermon PodcastA Charge for the Church of South WashingtonOur work as the Church of South Washington is to lay claim to the promise of God in Jesus Christ, that we are not fully capable of being the Body of Christ, so long as any member of our God’s created is incapable of being who God has made them to be. May the Holy Spirit provoke us to action, that we may be agents of God’s love in this world.2020-07-0519 minWashington Street UMC Sermon PodcastThe Community Rejoices | Having Nothing Possessing EverythingWhatever your worry – whatever binds you from being everything God has created you to be – through the power of God in Jesus Christ, you are loosed. The love of God in Jesus Christ frees you from all that keeps you from living into God’s will for your life. And there is but one proper response: the community rejoices. Your freedom is my freedom; Jesus’ freedom is our freedom. Guest Preacher: Kimberly Young, WSUMC's Director of Church and Community Engagement2020-06-2825 minWashington Street UMC Sermon PodcastInvesting in the Community | Having Nothing Possessing EverythingGod has blessed this world with more than we would ever need. And yet, so many still go without. As Christ was our example, our call is not to offer temporary relief that retains one’s oppression, but to offering freeing love that gives new life.2020-06-2124 minWashington Street UMC Sermon PodcastCommunity Catalyst | Having Nothing Possessing EverythingAs we consider what it means to be a Community Catalyst, what does that look like in the world today where the church is not the withholder of power, but still proclaims God’s power? How does the church not be the gatekeeper of grace, but still proclaims our freedom from sin and death, made possible by grace? How does the church not require acclimation, but still proclaims Christ as the truth and the way? How does the church actively work as Christ did, to free the oppressed, to heal the sick, to give life to the dying, while not cl...2020-06-1422 minWashington Street UMC Sermon PodcastThe Gifts of the Community | Having Nothing Possessing EverythingThe reason the American Dream is such a farce, is that America started with a vision that not all people were created equal – regardless what the Constitution says. But as the church, as God’s people, we are called to proclaim God’s love for all people, and that means speaking up for and sharing God’s love with those who are treated as outcasts.2020-06-0717 minWashington Street UMC Sermon PodcastPractice Neighbor Love | Having Nothing Possessing EverythingThe Spirit isn’t sent to make us comfortable. The Spirit isn’t sent to pat us on the back for the work that we’ve already done. The Spirit is sent that we might break down any barrier, any power, any divide that separates any person from true life and mutual love. This work starts with you. This work starts with me. It starts with our own heavy lifting to understand why the world is the way it is today. It starts with our naming our own complacency with the unequal society that we live in.2020-05-3122 minWashington Street UMC Sermon PodcastGods People | Having Nothing Possessing EverythingGod’s desire for the world is not that a few succeed, while the many suffer. God’s desire is for us all to thrive as one body, as one people, as one creation who live and love in a peaceable union. This was not the world before COVID-19, and it is not the world today. So yes, we have work to do, essential work to do, and it does not take our gathering in this building to do that work.2020-05-2418 min
Washington Street UMC Sermon PodcastThe Immeasurable Greatness | Easter in ExileThe role of the Church is to bear witness to Jesus and His love and power, at work to save the world. The immeasurable power of Christ, filling up the church, and overflowing through the Church, to fill all in all. That is the hope, that is the glorious inheritance. That is the immeasurable power. Guest Preacher: Rev. Jeff Mickle, District Superintendent of the Alexandria District2020-05-1724 minWashington Street UMC Sermon PodcastExile Redeemed | Easter in ExileIt may be Easter in exile, but we are not left on our own to fend for ourselves. We are empowered by the risen Christ to claim that new life, eternal love, and God’s glory are designed for all people. This means not only feeding the hungry, housing the homeless, and offering our thoughts and prayers to those who are harmed by the sin of racism; it also means doing the hard work of leading systemic change that keeps people hungry, keeps people homeless, and inequitably causes harm to communities of color.2020-05-1019 minWashington Street UMC Sermon PodcastAn Easter Covenant | Easter in ExileIt is Easter in Exile, and God has a promise, that in Christ, in the resurrection, a new covenant is born. May this season of exile in our lives lead us to claim God’s promise not just for ourselves, but for everyone born, that everyone may know God’s almighty love.2020-04-2619 minWashington Street UMC Sermon PodcastEaster in ExileBuild your homes. Live in them. Plant gardens. Go for an isolated walk. Enjoy the sunshine. Seek the well-being of the community in which you live. Learn to live as Easter people in a time of exile.2020-04-1919 min
Washington Street UMC Sermon Podcastpisteos-Jesou-Christou | My How the Bible Has ChangedWhen Paul says that we are saved by "the faith of/in Jesus Christ," what does he mean? Paul believed this faith was a faith that tore down walls, not a faith that built walls up. Paul believed this faith removed the demarcations that had divided the community, instead of being a faith that further splintered communities. This was not any faith, this was the faith of Jesus Christ - it is the Lord's faithfulness that offers righteousness and claims us as God's children.2020-02-2322 minWashington Street UMC Sermon Podcastyada • ginokso | My How the Bible Has ChangedThe English language often fails to speak to the breadth and depth of the original Biblical languages. A deeper look at the Greek and Hebrew makes very clear: the Biblical Word is not Lord; the Bishop is not the Lord; the Church is not the Lord; Jesus Christ is Lord.2020-02-1619 minWashington Street UMC Sermon Podcastanthropos • man-person | My How the Bible Has ChangedIt's time we stop using the Biblical Word to exclude people who have been called - gifted, inspirited, and empowered - to serve God. Though the English translation has been used to silence women in the church, a quick study of the Biblical text shows that God has always called women to lead the faithful. We cannot hide behind faulty translations; we must proclaim the good news of great joy in Jesus Christ, that all people are called, empowered with wisdom, and instructed to be found mature in the Lord.2020-02-0921 minWashington Street UMC Sermon Podcastarsenokoites • man bed | My How the Bible Has ChangedIn 1 Corinthians 6, Paul had a specific focus in his teaching, and it wasn’t covenantal, faithful, sacred, and permanent relationships between two people of any gender … it was acts that abused, broke covenant, and forced unfaithful, non-sacred, adulterous sexual acts on others. To claim the Biblical truth, we must look to the historic text, and claim a more faithful, long-standing, and traditional understanding of Paul's teaching.2020-02-0222 minWashington Street UMC Sermon PodcastShalom • Peace | My How the Bible Has ChangedThe Biblical text never promises wealth and prosperity to the faithful. What it does promise, is peace, well-being, and unity among the gathered faithful. The English translation fails us when it replaces God's vision of shalom, with our worldly visions of extravagant wealth.2020-01-2619 minWashington Street UMC Sermon PodcastDoulos • Slave | My How the Bible Has ChangedThe Biblical witness can not be summed up by any one passage of the scriptural text. When passages are cherry picked, it most often leads to a watered down gospel or failed truth that does not stand the test of the Gospel on the whole. How we treat the word "slave" is a key example.2020-01-1919 minWashington Street UMC Sermon PodcastChamad • Covet | My How the Bible Has ChangedWe should not cheapen the Biblical word due to our insufficient English translations, but claim the fullness of God’s desire for humanity as laid out in the ancient texts. God longs for us to delight in the goodness of creation, but not in a way that threatens the peace of the community.2020-01-1220 minWashington Street UMC Sermon PodcastSeeing the Word of God | My How the Bible Has ChangedAlmost every major division within the greater Christian body stems from a disagreement in the way we read and understand the Biblical text. The translating of the ancient Greek and Hebrew texts is a challenging task, and often has lasting implications on how Christians think, act, and believe.2020-01-0520 min