Christ City Church, Washington DC

Pastor Matthew Watson’s Palm Sunday message explores how Jesus entered Jerusalem in protest, reacted in anger to exploitation in the Temple, and then rested. [ Matthew 21:1-17 ]

Guest preacher Aaron Dorsey looks at the story of Moses and the Israelites wandering in the desert in Exodus, reminding us that it is not selfish to pray for our own needs. “Part of God’s nature is to notice, to attend to people and their suffering. It is not something we need to coerce God into. God already attends to us.” [ Exodus 15:22-16:8 ]   Aaron Dorsey is studying as a PhD...

Pastor Matthew Watson preaches about the “already and not yet” of God’s Kingdom, and how we can continue to pray for God’s Kingdom to come and God’s will to be done in the midst of this reality. [ Matthew 6:9-13 , 13:31-35 ]

Pastor Andrea Ackermann unpacks the second phrase of the Lord’s prayer. [ Exodus 3:13-15 , Ezekiel 36:22-23 ]

Before anything else, the Lord’s Prayer establishes a relationship. It begins with being about God, before it’s about us; it starts with recognizing who God is: our Father in heaven. Pastor Justin Fung examines the opening phrase in the Lord’s prayer. [ Matthew 6:9 ; Genesis 3:1-9 ]

Pastor Matthew Watson introduces our new sermon series on the Lords’ Prayer. [ Matthew 6:5-15 ]

This Ash Wednesday, we gathered virtually to worship and confess together. Elder Ife Johnson shared a spoken word poem, and Pastor Justin Fung brought a homily from Joel 2.

God is a sending God and we are a sent people. Pastor Matthew Watson preaches on the value of missional presence and our role in bearing the good news that God is at work today. [ John 20:19-23 ]

Our bodies matter, and what we do with them matters. Pastor Justin Fung preaches on sex and sexuality in our fifth week of The Deeply Formed Life series. [ 1 Corinthians 6:13-20 ] Update — an apology from Pastor Justin: On Sunday, in talking about the theme of sexual wholeness, I shared some of my own history, including how I became addicted to pornography. In the course of telling the story...

“Lord, show me, me.” Pastor Matthew Watson encourages us to engage in interior examination so we can live the life God intends for us. [ Psalm 139 ]

Guest preacher Bryan Franklin challenges us to seek answers to the questions, “Who am I?” and “Who is God?” as a foundation for our pursuit of racial justice and reconciliation.   Bryan Franklin is a Christian, husband, and, as of 10 weeks ago, a father. Bryan originally grew up just outside of Denver, Co. He is Biracial and identifies as both black and white. Bryan ha...

Pastor Andrea Ackermann examines how Jesus sought solitude and stillness with God, and she challenges us to set up contemplative rhythms in our own lives. The work is God’s and God’s work is not defined by our limitations; God is at work in our work and in our rest. [ Mark 1:29-35 ]

Pastor Matthew Watson brings a pastoral word after the past week’s events in DC, inviting us to recognize idolatry, repent, and remember the character of God in Psalm 147, reminding us that there is a rhythm to trusting Jesus. [ Psalm 147:1-7 ]

Pastor Justin Fung begins the new year by preaching from Joshua 1:1-9. You may have heard that “Fear not” or “Do not be afraid” is the most repeated refrain throughout Scripture, because we are most often tempted to do just that—to be afraid, to fear, to forget that our lives and our faith and our world are in the hands of God, who made the heavens and the earth, who is greater than anything we mi...

Pastor Matthew Watson concludes our Advent “Light in the Darkness” series with this Christmas Eve homily. [ Isaiah 9:1-7 ]

On our last Sunday service of 2020, Pastor Andrea Ackermann takes her cue from the angels in the Christmas story. At the end of such a difficult year, it feels right to proclaim the truth that we are loved. God came to us in the person of Jesus. And by recognizing God’s love in Jesus, we recognize God’s love for us. No matter what this year has been like, no matter what has happened, no matter the...

It’s been an especially difficult year, and fear has played a huge role in that. On the third Sunday of Advent, Pastor Lisa Rodriguez-Watson reminds us that God matches our fears with his presence and power, and this brings us joy. [ Luke 2:8-20 ]

Jesus not only brings peace—as the angel chorus sang to the shepherds, “Peace on earth, goodwill to all!” Jesus is our peace. Pastor Justin Fung takes a look at how Christ is our peace in three areas of life: peace with God, peace with others, and peace with ourselves. [ Ephesians 2:14-17 ]

Pastor Matthew Watson begins our Advent 2020 series with a reminder that  Advent Hope centered on Jesus is what actually allows us and frees us to see the light in the darkness.  [ Isaiah 9:1-7 ] 

In the final sermon of our series on the beatitudes, Pastor Lisa Rodriguez Watson preaches on the tough and timely last beatitude. She answers these questions: What is persecution? What are Jesus’ teachings about how we should treat people who persecute us? Why would Jesus ask us to do such hard things? [ Matthew 5:1-12 ]

Guest preacher Pastora Inés Valasquez-McBryde challenges us to real peacemaking in the Spirit, becoming peacemakers and not peacekeepers, as part of both our spiritual practices and our spiritual identity as children of God. [ Matthew 5:1-12 ]   Inés Velasquez-McBryde is a pastor, preacher, reconciler and speaker. She is currently a chaplain at Fuller Theological Seminary. She is co-lead past...

Pastor Matthew Watson preaches on the sixth Beatitude – “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” He reminds us that Jesus is continually focusing on matters of the heart. What one does is incredibly important. And yet, time and again, Jesus exposes that the motives behind the actions are equally important to explore. Purity of heart, in the Biblical, Beatitudes-sen...

Guest preacher Reverend Tonetta Landis-Aina explores what it means to be merciful even while we pursue justice, and challenges us to follow the difficult path of mercy with hope. [ Matthew 5:7 ]   Rev. Tonetta Landis-Aina is the pastor of Resurrection City, a new interdenominational, affirming church in DC. A native of North Carolina, Tonetta moved to Washington, DC in 2004. She holds a Maste...

Reverend Brandon Wrencher brings us a word on what it means to hunger and thirst for righteousness on both a personal level and for the world. God does not offer us a “half-full justice.” Rather, God abundantly provides enough justice for it all. [ Matthew 5:6 ]   Brandon Wrencher is a minister, organizer, writer, and trainer, working across the US within faith, education, and non...

Pastor Andrea Ackermann takes a look at the third Beatitude – “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.” In our current order of things, especially in the U.S., we do not revere the meek. We tend to understand meekness as weakness, or lack of will, or a doormat. For us, the meek do not inherit anything because they don’t deserve it. Yet in the reality of God’s...