Central United Methodist Church (Arlington, Virginia) Sermon Podcast

A Night Unlike Any Other Series: Christmas in July Scripture: Luke 2:1–20 (Common English Bible) What happens when God shows up in the places no one expects? As we begin our new sermon series, Christmas in July , we return to one of the most familiar passages in Scripture—but with fresh eyes and unhurried hearts. The story of Jesus' birth is often confined to a few busy days each December, ye...

Disciples Transform the World Series: Forward Through the Flame (Final Message) Scripture: Matthew 28:16–20 (Common English Bible) What does it look like when ordinary disciples are sent to change the world? In this final message of Forward Through the Flame , we stand with the disciples on a mountain in Galilee after the resurrection of Jesus. They have seen the risen Christ, yet even here, Matth...

Disciples Lead Courageously Series: Forward Through the Flame Scripture: Joshua 1:5–9 (Common English Bible) What gives ordinary people the courage to step into an uncertain future? In Joshua 1, the people of Israel stand at a turning point. Moses, their longtime leader, has died. The wilderness journey is ending, but the Promised Land—and all its challenges—lies ahead. Into this moment of uncerta...

Disciples Serve Joyfully Series: Forward Through the Flame Scripture: 1 Peter 4:8–11 (Common English Bible) What if joyful service could be sparked by something as simple as a $2 hot dog? In this message, Rev. Sarah Harrison-McQueen begins with a surprising story from the world of Michelin-star hospitality—where one chef discovered that the most memorable moment of a multi-course luxury dining exp...

Disciples Love Boldly Series: Forward Through the Flame Scripture: Mark 12:28–34 (Common English Bible) What is the most important commandment of all? When a religious scholar asked Jesus that question, he was really asking what truth holds everything else together. Out of 613 commandments in the Torah, which one mattered most? Jesus answered by joining two commands that can never be separated: lo...

Disciples Formed by Jesus Christ Series: Forward Through the Flame Scripture: Ephesians 4:11–16 (Common English Bible) The Trinity has been called Christianity's greatest mystery: one God in three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. For centuries, Christians have wrestled with how to describe this mystery, often discovering that every explanation eventually falls short. But what if the Tri...

Disciples Empowered by the Holy Spirit Series: Forward Through the Flame Scripture: Romans 5:1–5 (Common English Bible) Two hundred and eighty-eight years ago, John Wesley attended a small gathering on Aldersgate Street in London after years of striving to earn God’s favor through discipline, morality, and religious devotion. But on that evening, while listening to Martin Luther’s preface to Roman...

Turning the World Upside Down Series: Defying Limits Scripture: Acts 17:1–9 (Common English Bible) In Acts 17, Paul and Silas are accused of “turning the world upside down.” It was not meant as praise. It was a warning—a charge leveled against people whose faith was disrupting the assumptions, systems, and power structures of the world around them. This sermon explores how that same accusation bec...

Methodist Mavericks Series: Defying Limits Scripture: Joel 2:28–29 (Common English Bible) What happens when the Holy Spirit refuses to follow human permission structures? In Joel 2:28–29, God declares a radical vision: the Spirit will be poured out on all people —sons and daughters, young and old, servants and leaders alike. In this vision, spiritual authority is no longer reserved for the elite,...

Breaking Systems of Harm Series: Defying Limits Scripture: Galatians  3:26-29 (Common English Bible)  In Galatians, the Apostle Paul confronts a crisis in the early church: lines are being drawn about who belongs and who does not. Cultural expectations, religious traditions, and social pressures are reshaping the gospel into something smaller, more controlled, and less inclusive than what Christ p...

The World Is My Parish Series: Defying Limits   Scripture: Matthew 25:31–46 (Common English Bible) In Matthew 25:31–46, Jesus describes a vision of the final judgment that is startling in its clarity and unsettling in its implications. The nations are gathered, and the dividing line is not drawn by status, belief, or reputation, but by how each person has responded to the hungry, the thirsty, the...

No Limits at the Kitchen Table Series: Defying Limits Scripture: Acts 2:42–47 In Acts 2:42–47, the early believers do not gather in cathedrals or formal religious spaces, but in homes—around shared tables where Scripture is taught, prayers are offered, meals are shared, and life is lived in common. The church is born in ordinary spaces, where the presence of God is experienced through fellowship,...

Submitting to the Spirit Scripture: Luke 4:16–21 (CEB) Series: Defying Limits What does it look like to submit to the Spirit when it leads us beyond comfort, control, and respectability? In this week’s sermon, we travel back to 1739 Bristol and witness John Wesley’s uneasy but transformative moment of obedience. A man formed by discipline, order, and religious precision finds himself pulled beyond...

In Death, There Is Resurrection Scripture: Luke 24:1–12 (CEB) Part of the Defying Limits worship series What if the resurrection isn’t a tidy, comforting ending—but something far more disruptive? On this Easter Sunday, we hear the familiar story of the empty tomb from Luke’s Gospel—but through the eyes of those who first experienced it, the resurrection doesn’t feel like joy at first. It feels lik...

Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus Scripture: John 19:30–42 (CEB) Part of the Witness at the Cross Lenten series  What does it take to step out of the shadows and live your faith openly? In this week’s sermon, we encounter two men who come forward in the final moments after Jesus’ death—Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus. One has believed in secret, held back by fear. The other is still on a journey...

The Women Scripture: Luke 23:26–49 (CEB) Part of the Witness at the Cross Lenten series What gives someone the courage to stay present to suffering instead of looking away? In this week’s sermon, we stand at the cross alongside the women who followed Jesus all the way to Golgotha. While many disciples fled, these women remained—watching, mourning, and bearing witness to the suffering of Christ. Dr...

The Beloved Disciple Scripture: John 19:25–27 (CEB) Part of the Witness at the Cross Lenten series At the foot of the cross, a small group remains with Jesus in his final moments. Among them is an unnamed figure in the Gospel of John known simply as the beloved disciple . In this week’s sermon, we stand beside Mary, the mother of Jesus, and this anonymous disciple to reflect on what it means to re...

The Soldiers Scripture: Mark 15:16–25 (CEB) Part of the Witness at the Cross Lenten series What happens when people simply follow orders within a powerful system? In this week’s sermon, we stand at the cross alongside the Roman soldiers who carried out Jesus’ crucifixion and reflect on what their story reveals about obedience, responsibility, and witnessing to truth. Drawing on insights from Amy-J...

A Thief’s Prayer Scripture: Luke 23:39–43 (CEB) Part of the Witness at the Cross Lenten series In this week’s sermon, we remain at the cross and listen closely to a voice we might otherwise overlook—a condemned criminal hanging beside Jesus. In Luke’s Gospel, two men are crucified with him. One joins the chorus of mockery: “Aren’t you the Christ? Save yourself and us.” The other does something ast...

The Cross as a Witness: Ash Wednesday Matthew 6:1–6, 16–21 We begin Lent by marking ourselves with ashes and hearing the words, “Remember that you are dust.” Ash Wednesday confronts us with mortality — but it also points us to hope. In this opening message of our Witness at the Cross series, we reflect on how the cross stands as a witness to two realities at once: the certainty of death and the gr...

Bystanders and Scoffers Scripture: Matthew 27:27-44 (CEB) Part of the Witness at the Cross Lenten series  In this week’s sermon, we step into the final hours of Jesus’ life, witnessing the suffering, mockery, and crucifixion in Matthew 27. From Roman soldiers to passing crowds, from religious leaders to Simon of Cyrene, we encounter the many bystanders and scoffers surrounding the cross—and we are...

From the Mountain to the World  Scripture: Matthew 17:1-9 (CEB) The culmination of our series, A Journey of Justice: From the River to the Mountain In this concluding sermon of our worship series, we stand with Peter, James, and John on the mountaintop of the Transfiguration—awestruck by Christ’s radiant glory and tempted, like Peter, to stay where the moment feels holy and safe. But the mountain...

Corrie’s Reflections: A Journey of Justice — From the River to the Mountain This week’s service was something different—and deeply moving. Instead of a traditional sermon, we welcomed guest speaker Olive Horning , who shared Corrie’s Reflections , a first-person portrayal of the life and witness of Corrie ten Boom . Through story, memory, and testimony, Olive invites us to step into Corrie’s world...

Costly Discipleship: A Journey of Justice — From the River to the Mountain Scripture: Mark 1:14–20 (CEB) In Costly Discipleship , our journey of justice brings us back to the water—this time to the seashore—where Jesus calls ordinary people to leave their nets and follow him into an unknown future. With a simple, disruptive invitation—“Follow me”—Jesus reveals that discipleship is never abstract....

Sent to Heal: A Journey of Justice — From the River to the Mountain Scripture: Matthew 10:1–8 (CEB) In Sent to Heal , our journey of justice moves from the river into the world Jesus loves. Having been named beloved at baptism, Jesus now sends his disciples—entrusting them with authority, compassion, and power to bring healing in its fullest sense. This sermon reflects on Jesus’ commissioning in M...