Christ City Church, Washington DC

Andrea Ackermann examines Jesus’ interaction with the Syrophoenician Woman in Mark 7 and discovers the way she, and Jesus, teach us to be aware of the inbreaking Kingdom of God in unexpected, and sometimes undesired, places. [ Mark 7:24-30 ]

Justin Fung shares the lived and spoken demonstration of Ezer that Mary of Nazareth, mother of Jesus, provides to us today. Through her song, the Magnificat, Justin explores The Great Reversal and its implications for us. [ Luke 1:46-55 ]

In our Ezer series, we have been looking at different women of the Bible and noticing ways that they lead us to deeper faith and deeper action of faith. This week, Matthew Watson points out the ways we get a glimpse into the heart of God through the brief story of the aged widow and prophet Anna. [ Luke 2:36-38 ]

This week, Lisa Watson taught us leadership lessons from Deborah, one of the prophets and judges from the Old Testament, and showed us how Jesus embodied those lessons most fully. [ Judges 4:4-10 ]  

Rizpah was ‘only’ one of King Saul’s concubines, but her response to King David’s actions changed the fortunes of the nation. Justin Fung unpacks the story of one of the Old Testament’s lesser-known heroes. [ 2 Samuel 3:6-7, 21:1-14 ] Resources Radical Reconciliation: Beyond Political Pietism and Christian Quietism , Allan Aubrey Boesak & Curtiss Paul DeYoung &#82...

In week two of our Ezer  series, Marisa Stubbs takes a look at Hagar, often just seen as a footnote in Abraham and Sarah’s story, but so much more in the story of God. [ Genesis 16:1-15 ] Resources Micah Bournes, “Freakshow”

We begin our new series looking at some of the women in the Bible. Matthew Watson introduces us to the word  ezer, to our spiritual foremother Eve, and what she has to teach us. [ Genesis 1:27-28, 2:18-3:1 ]

On Pentecost Sunday, Matthew Watson retells the story of the birth of the Church — through the giving of God’s Spirit — and talks about how and why God both gathers and scatters us. [ Acts 2:1-13 ] Resources Call to Worship (inspired by Joel 2 and Acts 2; written by Amy Sawyer) Gather the people, bless your foolish church. Bring together the elders, noisy kids, nursing babies, newlyweds. Let...

Matthew Watson concludes our series on Everyday Battles by reminding us that Christ is with us in the midst of them. We look at what it means to be hard-pressed and struck down but not destroyed or abandoned. Lastly, we identify strategies for looking to Christ for strength in the everyday battles of life. [ 2 Corinthians 4:5-12, 16-18 ]

What’s keeping you busy? And what is your busyness doing to you? Justin Fung talks about the everyday battle of busyness, and Jesus’ invitation to us in the midst of it. [ Matthew 11:25-30 ] Resources Ted Loder, “Calm Me into a Quietness” Now, O Lord, Calm me into a quietness that heals and listens, and molds my longings and passions, my wounds and wonderings into a more holy and human...

If you’re human, you experience worry. And yet Jesus tells us not to worry. How do we understand Jesus’ words and put them into practice? Andrea Ackermann helps us explore this question. [ Matthew 6:25-34 ] Profession of Faith / Benediction Leader: Today’s Profession of Faith draws on the poem, “First Lesson” by Phillip Booth and Philippians 4:5-7. “First Lesson” Lie back daughter, let...

This week we stare down the everyday battle we have with money. We spend our days working to earn money, every day we spend money, and in our off-time we think about ways to get more money. Matthew Watson helps us consider the question, “What story do we want our money to tell?” and we’ll explore whether our money is actually telling that story. [ Proverbs 30:7-9 ] Resources Discipline Budget:  ww...

In the second message in our  Everyday Battles series, Justin Henry takes a look at the role of doubt in our lives and in our faith through the lens of three doubters. [ John 20:24-31 ]

The week after Resurrection Sunday, we kick off a new series looking at how we live into the reality of Easter in the midst of our Everyday Battles. This week, Lisa Watson talks to us about disappointment. [ Hebrews 12:1-3 ]

On Easter Sunday, Matthew Watson tells us about the message that was given to the first preachers of the gospel and how the words remain true for us. [ Matthew 28:1-10 ]

Two thousand years ago, a man died. And the world was changed. On Good Friday, Justin Fung talks about the significance of Jesus’ death on the cross. [ John 19:1-37 ]

We celebrate Palm Sunday (and also close out the first part of our look at John’s Gospel) by hearing how Jesus describes who he is. Justin Henry asks what misconceptions we might hold about Jesus. [ Matthew 21:1-11; John 5:19-40 ]

Today we see Jesus, for the first time in John’s Gospel, heal people, and as we experience Jesus’ actions and words through three different perspectives, we realize that things may not be as simple as they seem. Justin Fung brings us the message, in three acts. [ John 4:46-5:16 ]

What would you do if you met someone who knew everything about you? What would you do if they knew it all and love it all? This week in John 4, a woman meets Jesus and discovers that he knows all about her life and her past, and yet displays a love towards her that is pure and caring in a way she’s never experienced. As we continue our journey through John, we will see what happens when Jesu...

As we meet John the Baptist again in John’s Gospel, Marisa Stubbs points out a better name for him, one based not on what he does but on his relationship to Jesus: John the Forerunner. [ John 3:22-36 ]

Andrea Ackermann takes us to Jesus’ meeting with Nicodemus, one of the religious leaders of the day, and explores what it means to be born from above — to be born of God. [ John 3:1-21 ]

In John 2, Jesus attends a wedding and a worship service. In both places, his aim is to replace shame and isolation with honor and embrace. Matthew Watson explores the meaning behind Jesus’ miracle of turning water to wine and helps us understand what was at stake when Jesus drove the moneychangers from the temple. [ John 2:1-11, 13-22 ]

As we mark Ash Wednesday and begin the season of Lent, Justin Fung talks about the difficulty of the deserts we find ourselves in — the places of “This is not what I thought life would look like” — and the opportunities that lie there too. [ 2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10 ] Resources Abraham Heschel, “Dust and Image”, from I Asked for Wonder : Man … is a duality of mysterious gra...

This week, we get to meet Jesus for the first time in person in John’s Gospel and we hear his first words: “What do you want?”, “Come and see,” “Follow me,” and “You will see more.” Lisa Watson talks to us about how these words still have resonance for us today. [ John 1:35-51 ]

Knowing who you aren’t is just as important as knowing who you are. Matthew Watson introduces us to the character of John the Baptist and talks about his relationship with Jesus — and himself. [ John 1:19-27 ] Resources “A Good Boy” from  Blood Diamond [click to watch]