Central United Methodist Church (Arlington, Virginia) Sermon Podcast

A Journey of Justice: From the River to the Mountain Follow Me into the Desert Scripture: Matthew 3:13–17 (CEB) In Follow Me into the Desert , our journey of justice moves from the waters of the Jordan into the hard, honest landscape of the wilderness. Jesus steps into the river not out of need for repentance, but in faithful obedience—to “fulfill all righteousness.” He enters cold water, vulnerab...

Beloved and Bold: A Journey of Justice: From the River to the Mountain Scripture: Mark 1:1–11 (CEB) In Beloved and Bold , we begin our journey of justice at the river—standing with Jesus at the waters of baptism. As heaven is torn open and the Spirit descends, God speaks words that shape everything that follows: “You are my Son, whom I dearly love.” Before Jesus performs a single miracle or teache...

You Are Mine, and I Am Yours Scripture: Jeremiah 31:31–34 (CEB) Theme: Wesley Covenant Prayer · Covenant Renewal In this sermon, You Are Mine, and I Am Yours , Pastor Sarah Harrison-McQueen reflects on God’s promise of a new covenant—one written not on stone tablets, but on human hearts. Drawing from Jeremiah’s vision of covenant renewal and the Wesleyan Covenant Prayer, she invites us to rest in...

Sacred Doing: Reflecting the Sacred Scripture: Isaiah 52:7–10; Matthew 2:13–23 (CEB) In this Christmas sermon from our series Reflecting the Sacred , we turn to Sacred Doing —the call to embody God’s presence through acts of justice, mercy, and solidarity in a suffering world. Drawing from Isaiah’s vision of beautiful feet that carry good news and Matthew’s account of the Holy Family fleeing viole...

Sacred Knowing: Reflecting the Sacred Scripture: Matthew 1:18–25 (CEB) This week in our Advent series Reflecting the Sacred , we turn our attention to Sacred Knowing —the quiet, often overlooked awareness of God’s presence woven into the ordinary fabric of our lives. Drawing from Matthew’s account of Jesus’ birth, Pastor Christina Hart-Perkins invites us to see the story through the eyes of Joseph...

Sacred Space: Reflecting the Sacred Scripture: Isaiah 35 This week at Central, we continue our Advent series Reflecting the Sacred by exploring what it means to find — and create — sacred space in a world that often feels dry, fractured, and joyless. Drawing from the prophetic vision of Isaiah 35, Pastor Christina Hart-Perkins invites us into a promise of unexpected renewal: that even deserts will...

Sacred People: Reflecting the Sacred Scripture: Matthew 3:1–12 This week at Central, we continue our Advent series Reflecting the Sacred by turning our attention to what it means to see one another as sacred people . Pastor Christina Hart-Perkins invites us into a surprising and powerful Advent companion: John the Baptist. Far from the serene scenes on our Christmas cards, John comes to us wild, b...

Sacred Time: Reflecting the Sacred Scriptures: Romans 13:11–14; Matthew 24:36–44 This week at Central, we enter both the first week of Advent and the opening of our new worship series, Reflecting the Sacred . Pastor Christina Hart-Perkins invites us to consider what it means to step into “sacred time”—to live awake, attentive, and present to God’s movement in our everyday lives. In a season often...

From Complaining to Connecting: A Complaint Free World Scripture: Ephesians 4:29–32 This week at Central, we continue our series A Complaint Free World by exploring how God calls us to move from criticism toward deeper connection. Complaints—especially about one another—often spring up quickly and easily, but scripture invites us to pay attention to the heart behind our words. In Ephesians, Paul r...

From Complaining to Seeking Justice: A Complaint Free World Scripture: Isaiah 1:17 & Micah 6:8 This week at Central, we explore how to move beyond complaints and toward hope-filled action for justice. Complaining often leaves us stuck in frustration, while seeking justice invites us to channel our concerns into meaningful, positive change. Guided by scripture, we learn that God calls us not on...

From Complaining to Grieving: A Complaint Free World Scripture: John 11:1–44 This week at Central, we continue our journey toward a complaint-free life by moving from complaining to grieving . In John 11, Jesus meets Mary and Martha in the depth of their sorrow over the death of their brother, Lazarus—and He weeps with them. In this sacred moment, we see that God does not rush past our pain or dem...

From Complaining to Lamenting: A Complaint Free World Scripture: Numbers 11:1-6 & Lamentations 3:19-24 This week at Central, we explored the difference between complaining and lamenting, guided by the experiences of the Israelites in the wilderness and the raw honesty of Lamentations. Complaints often focus on what’s missing, keeping us at the surface of our emotions, while lament invites us t...

Ambassadors for Christ: A Story Worth Sharing Scripture: Ephesians 6:18–20 This week at Central, we celebrated Laity Sunday —a day when members of the congregation step forward to share their stories of faith and discipleship, reminding us that ministry belongs to all of God’s people. Through heartfelt witness, Fabian Rosado reflected on how a simple act of welcome drew him into community and reve...

Seeds That Bless the World: A Story Worth Sharing Scripture: 2 Corinthians 9:6–15 This week at Central, we continued our A Story Worth Sharing series by exploring Paul’s reminder that generosity is like sowing seeds—when we give freely and cheerfully, God multiplies our offering to bless others and nurture new growth. Guest preacher Rev. Christina Hart-Perkins shared how the seeds we plant through...

Partners in God’s Good Work: A Story Worth Sharing Scripture: Philippians 1:3–6 This week at Central, we explored Paul’s letter to the Philippians and the remarkable joy he expressed even while in prison. Paul reminds us that we are not alone in our faith journey — we are partners together in God’s ongoing work. From the support and encouragement of the Philippians to our own church community, spi...

What I Know Is Enough: A Story Worth Sharing Scripture: John 9:1–39 This week at Central, we continued our series A Story Worth Sharing with the story of the man born blind in John 9. Pressed with questions he couldn’t answer and pressured to explain what was beyond him, the man gave a simple but powerful testimony: “I was blind, and now I see.” He didn’t have all the theological details, but he h...

A Story Worth Sharing: Holy Rocks Scripture: Genesis 28:10–19 This week at Central, we continued our series A Story Worth Sharing with Jacob’s story in the wilderness. Fleeing from the consequences of his deceit, Jacob finds himself alone, exhausted, and afraid, with nothing but a rock for a pillow. Yet it is in this place — the middle of nowhere, in the middle of his mess — that Jacob dreams of h...

A Story Worth Sharing:  From Persecutor to Preacher   Scripture: 1 Timothy 1:12–17 This week at Central, we continued our series A Story Worth Sharing . Pastor Sarah reflected on Paul’s powerful testimony — a story that begins not with triumph, but with failure. Before he became the great missionary of the early church, Paul (then Saul) was a persecutor of Christians, complicit in violence against...

A Story Worth Sharing: The Unknown God Revealed Scripture: Acts 17:16–34 This week at Central, we began a new worship series, A Story Worth Sharing. Pastor Sarah reflected on Paul’s visit to Athens, where the city was filled with shrines, altars, and philosophies — including one altar marked “to an unknown god.” Rather than debate or condemn, Paul began with the Athenians’ spiritual hunger. He con...

Singing Our Faith: Go Down, CUMC   Scripture: Exodus 5:1–6:8 (CEB) This week in our Singing Our Faith worship series, Central UMC welcomed guest preacher Rev. Lemuel Pearsall, Jr. to reflect on the story of Moses, Pharaoh, and God’s unshakable promises. Standing before Pharaoh, Moses demanded freedom for God’s people, only to see their burdens grow heavier — bricks without straw, beatings without...

Singing Our Faith: Tambourine Theology Scripture: Exodus 15:1–21 (CEB) This week at Central UMC, Rev. Sarah Harrison-McQueen invited us to stand on the shores of the Red Sea with the Israelites, who had just witnessed the impossible. Behind them, the waters closed over Pharaoh’s army. Ahead of them stretched wilderness, uncertainty, and freedom. In that liminal moment, the first sound was not a co...

Singing Our Faith: The Best Is Yet to Come Scripture: Isaiah 43:15–21 (CEB) This week at Central UMC, we welcomed guest preacher Rev. Michelle Holmes Chaney, Director for Leadership and Church Vitality for the Northern Virginia District. Rev. Holmes Chaney reminded us that even in the midst of uncertainty and reflection, God is constantly doing something new—sprouting, emerging, and unfolding in o...

Singing Our Faith: Directions for Singing This week at Central UMC, we welcomed guest preacher Brian Lamb from Wrights Chapel UMC in Ladysmith, VA. A seminary-educated public high school business teacher pursuing ordination, Brian brings a unique vision for ministry in the public schools — serving God and students where faith and daily life meet. Drawing from John Wesley’s timeless “Directions for...

Singing Our Faith: Ubi Caritas Deus Ibi Est Scripture: Psalm 107:1–7, 33–43 (UMH 830) This week at Central UMC, we welcomed guest preacher Rev. Joanna Dietz, a deacon who ministers in the community—often at farmer's markets and public gatherings—where she makes visible the steadfast love of God. Rev. Joanna invited us to reflect on Psalm 107, a rich song of thanksgiving and reversal: deserts...

Singing Our Faith: The Still Center   Scripture: 1 Kings 19:8–16 This week at Central UMC, we turned to the story of the prophet Elijah—a man who stood against injustice, called down fire from heaven, and then found himself hiding in a cave, burnt out and afraid. In 1 Kings 19, Elijah flees to Mount Horeb, the same sacred ground where Moses once met God, and there, in the quiet, he encounters the...