Christ City Church, Washington DC

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...

We celebrate Christ City Church turning 7 years old (including our time as a parish of The District Church), with a message from Pastor Matthew about where we’ve been, and where we’re going. Watch the full service on our YouTube channel to see video messages from former and current members and friends of CCC:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTtWS_tTu78

The Ethiopian eunuch, Lydia, a demon-possessed girl, a jailer – Pastor Watson concludes our series on The Welcoming Kingdom by showing how the Kingdom of God expands to those who were traditionally viewed as outside of traditional boundaries. [ Acts 8:26-31, 34-39 ; Acts 16:13-16 ]  

We are to love our enemies because we see the imago dei – image of God – in all people. But who is our enemy, and how do we love them? Pastoral Associate Andrea Ackermann looks at Jesus’ examples of loving his enemies in the gospels, and challenges us to identify and pray for our enemies.

As humans, we are going to have differences and disagreements. Pastor Justin Fung addresses how we navigate being united in community with folks with whom we may not see eye-to-eye, even if we both call ourselves Christians, particularly in relation to LGBTQ+ individuals. How do we understand oneness in Christ with people who may express their faith differently, perhaps even in ways that hurts? Is...

Pastor Watson introduces our new sermon series, “The Welcoming Kingdom.” For the next few weeks, we will better understand the expansive nature of God’s Kingdom, and consider how this informs how we behave as a local church. Pastor Watson looks at how Jesus, and even Old Testament prophets, embraced those historically outside the community of faith. He challenges us to follow Jes...

This Pentecost Sunday, in the midst of protests for black lives and a pandemic, Pastor Justin Fung names the power and purpose of the Holy Spirit, and how vital the Spirit is for us today. [ Acts 2 ] Resources Urban Doxology, “God Not Guns”

Pastor Matthew unpacks the historically misunderstood Ephesians passages about submission to show how the gospel breaks down unjust power structures and brings freedom. [ Ephesians 5:21-6:9 ]

Pastoral Associate Andrea Ackermann explores the church as a community of holiness. Understanding holiness begins with identity. We are God’s people, God’s church, a visible manifestation of God’s spirit and movement, and we are called to live into this identity. [ Ephesians 4:17-5:20]

In the third week of our Being Church series, Lisa Watson explains how to be a community on mission by answering these questions: Who gets to be a part? What do we do? and How do we do it? [ Ephesians 3:1-13 ]

How do we, as a community, anchor ourselves in the work of Jesus in a manner that displays the reconciling, unifying, uniting love of God in the midst of our differences and diversity? We are called to live out our new humanity in Christ, in the context of the new Human Family that God has formed through Christ’s cross. Pastor Watson reflects on how we are to be the church, given the beautif...

This week we learned that a dear member of our church, Angel Scroggins, passed away. In response to this news, Pastor Watson decided to take a break from our Being Church series and pause in this moment to lament – to grieve this loss, and other losses that we are experiencing during this time. This sermon gives space for us to name the death and loss that we’ve experienced, and then t...

Just as the disciples had to figure out how to do life together after the Resurrection, so too we wanted to revisit the idea of who we are in light of the Resurrection. Pastor Justin kicks off our new series “Being Church: Becoming a Called Community” by exploring what it means to be the body of Christ. W e belong to Christ, and when functioning properly, we work together as a unit to...