Christ City Church, Washington DC

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...

The Beatitudes is where Jesus describes the lives of those in His Kingdom, and extends an invitation to join this Kingdom. If you have felt the sting of the world – if you’ve been last, been left out, been denied, been grieved, been the victim of violence of any kind or all kinds – this Kingdom is for you! It is especially for you. Jesus in his body, in his life, in his death and in his resurrecti...

In the midst of everything going on in the world today, we are still called to be citizens of God’s kingdom, marked by the character of Christ as revealed in the Beatitudes. Pastor Justin kicks off our fall series exploring Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount by calling us to consider both the comfort and challenge of the Beatitudes, and examining the way God shows a particular care for the poor and...

As we close out our Telos series, Pastor Matthew Watson talks about what it means for us to love our neighbors, for that is the invitation—and command—of Jesus. [ Mark 12:28-34 ]

Assistant Pastor Andrea Ackermann takes a look at our calling to be church and what it means to love one another. We can see in Jesus’ words and example that loving one another is not just the charge to care for one another, but loving one another is the foundation of our discipleship and our witness to the world. [ John 13 ]

When Jesus is asked about the greatest commandment, he responds, “Love God with all of your heart, soul, mind and strength.” Pastor Watson explains that loving God “with all” is the challenging part. It’s not about working harder, it’s about surrendering and saying “yes” to God. [ Mark 12:28-31 ]

On any journey, it is helpful to regularly check your bearings, to make sure you’re still heading in the right direction, and to course correct where needed. Our mission and vision since the beginning has been to join Christ “in his work of redemption in Washington, DC, and the world … to see the Kingdom of God on display in DC, in every life and every sphere of life.” As we approach six months of...

In the midst of all that has happened and is happening—a global pandemic, another police shooting of a Black man, civil unrest, white supremacy, as well as financial hardships and health issues—it can be hard to read the exhortation of Psalm 150 to praise the Lord. Pastor Lisa Watson talks about what Psalm 150 has to teach us about worship. ( Psalm 150 )

As we continue our Strength for the Journey series, considering how we can persevere on the road of faith and justice, Pastor Matthew Watson reminds us that it is through remembering and being reminded of what God has already done that we may see what God is doing now. [ Psalm 136 ]

How do we understand the ways the Bible talks about contentment in God, in the midst of a world that isn’t how it should be? Pastor Andrea Ackermann preaches on Psalm 131, a pilgrim song that reminds us who we are and where we’re going. We are challenged to find rest and satisfaction in God’s presence, as a child with its mother. [ Psalm 131 ]

How do we not grow weary in well-doing when God’s vision for our world can seem so far off? How do we not become discouraged when what we wait for, what we yearn for, what we hope for is so long in coming? Pastor Justin Fung turns to Psalm 130 to find sustenance and the source of both rest and resilience for life and faith in these challenging times—and particularly for the work of justice and com...

As a city,  a nation, and a church we find ourselves in a unique moment in history. With a raging pandemic, the ongoing uprising for racial justice, political and financial uncertainty all around, it can be hard to remember that God is still sovereign, is with us in the struggles for justice, and His Kingdom is unshakable. In this series, we will explore five Psalms that serve as needed reminders...

Too often churches ask us to check our doubts at the door, to leave our most important questions behind. At Christ City Church, we believe that when we wrestle with our biggest questions, it actually deepens our faith. During this series, people in our own church community share how they have wrestled through their most important question. In week 2, we heard from Sarah (“Can listening trans...

Too often churches ask us to check our doubts at the door, to leave our most important questions behind. But the reality is that we all have deep questions we have wrestled with throughout life. At Christ City Church, we believe that when we wrestle with our biggest questions, it actually deepens our faith. One of the most beautiful lines in the Bible is in Mark 9, when the man says to Jesus, “I d...