Third Church Sermons

Today we begin the season of Christmastide which lasts a full 12 days. Over these next days, we celebrate the miracle of Christ’s incarnation through gathering, feasting, rejoicing and worship. The truth that God has come to dwell with us deserves all our praise, so we hope you can find times to express your thanksgiving and adoration of the newborn King this week.

What Happened After Christmas by Third Church, RVA

Mothers of Jesus: Mary by Third Church, RVA

We are nearing the end of our Advent sermon series on the mothers of Jesus with this look at Bathsheba. Typically, people look at this story from the perspective of David, but we’ll be looking at it from the perspective of Bathsheba, and what her role in Jesus’s lineage tells us about the hope of his coming. WARNING: This week’s text tells a story of rape, deception, manipulation and murder. These...

This week, we continue our study of the Mothers of Jesus - a look at the five women mentioned in Matthew's genealogy of Jesus. In the Book of Ruth, we find the ultimate outsider and we find ancient echoes of what would become Jesus’ most famous words - the Sermon on the Mount.

This Sunday we’ll continue with our Mothers of Advent series by looking at the next mother in Matthew’s genealogy, Rahab.

This Sunday is the first Sunday of Advent! We begin again a new cycle of the Christian year, retelling the most important story of our lives. Advent means “arrival.” We look back on those who waited for the coming of the Messiah, and we look ahead as those who continue to wait for his return. This Sunday we are excited to begin a new Advent series called “The Mothers of Jesus.” We’ll be looking ea...

This Sunday is the last Sunday of the Christian calendar year, which has historically been called "Christ the King" Sunday. On this day we celebrate that Jesus is King over all nations and all creation, and that he will one day come to reclaim his Kingdom forever. It feels especially fitting this Sunday as we have been working through our series on 1 and 2 Samuel called “Longing for the True King....

This Sunday we’ll look at the climax that we have moving toward since 1 Samuel 16, when the young shepherd boy David was pulled from the fields and anointed as the future king. David takes a fragmented collection of warring tribes and pulls them together as a united Kingdom. We’ll look at what this tells us about the unique kind of unity that God creates for his people.

This Sunday we’ll continue the story of David the King. Pastor Fakhri Yacoub will be preaching on “A Merciful King,” looking at the remarkable way that David chose to show mercy in his role as King rather than behave like the kings of the nations.

This Sunday we continue with the story of the kings of Israel. The story takes a surprising turn when just after David defeats Goliath and experiences great success in Israel, he is driven into the wilderness by Saul’s jealousy. We also look at what this says to us about our own Christian experience. * This sermon was co-written with Rev. Kevin Germer of Christ Presbyterian Church, Richmond VA Sou...

This Sunday we’ll continue in the story of the monarchy as the spotlight now swings to the king-elect David. In 1 Samuel 17, he is confronted with his first challenge, and it’s a big one: a giant of a man named Goliath. We’ll see this week how this same theme of God’s upside-down Kingdom gets played out in this story- that God’s deliverance is not based on sword or spear or any other human convent...

This Sunday we’ll traverse into the next great chapter of the history of the monarchy in Israel: we will meet the young man named David. This is a new chapter in what has been a sad and disappointing beginning in Israel’s monarchy, and it speaks of the hope that God always brings out of hopeless situations. God always sees beyond what we see- and this chapter invites us to see with the eyes of God...

This week we’ll see how a well-meaning and gifted person like Saul can go from being a promising young King to becoming a king “like that of the nations.” We see his rebellion against God’s command and his self-deceit as he justifies his behavior. We are given a warning that we share the same kind of heart, and to be watchful over our own propensity to self-deceit. And we are given a pointer to th...

This Sunday we’ll continue our study of 1 Samuel by seeing the first major mistake Saul makes as king.

This week, we’ll continue the story as God concedes to Israel’s demand for a King and selects a young man named Saul to be the first official monarch of Israel. It’s a story of heartache as we watch God’s people dive headlong into their rebellious desires, but God’s fingerprints are also all over the story as he directs the events according to his purposes. * This sermon was co-written with Rev. K...

Clamor for a King by Third Church, RVA

Return to Community by Third Church, RVA

This Sunday we’ll walk through a biblical understanding of work, both the goodness of work in God’s created order, the futility of work under the curse of sin, and how God calls us to use our work to advance his Kingdom and display his goodness.

This week we look at one of the miracles of Jesus and the powerful transformation he is offering to us to truly be able to see.

This week we look at one of the miracles of Jesus and the powerful transformation he is offering to us to truly be able to see.

This Sunday we’ll look at Psalm 139 and God’s invitation to the good life of knowing him and be known by him. Sermon Sources for 8/15 sermon: - Rich Villodas, The Deeply Formed Life - Ruth Haley Barton, Sacred Rhythms - David Benner, The Gift of Being Yourself

This Sunday we’ll look at hospitality and its importance as a spiritual practice.

An Invitation to Hear God’s Voice by Third Church, RVA

This Sunday we’ll be looking at God’s invitation to work and rest. - John Eldridge, Get Your Life Back - John Mark Comer, The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry - Rich Villodas, The Deeply Formed Life - Ruth Haley Barton, Sacred Rhythms - Ruth Haley Barton, “Sane Rhythms of Work and Rest in Your Life as a Leader,” https://transformingcenter.org/2021/07/spiritual-rythms-in-the-life-of-the-leader/ - Timo...