Washington Street UMC Sermon Podcast

Kimberly Young moderates a conversation between Rev. James Daniely of Roberts Memorial UMC and Rev. Thomas James of Washington Street UMC as both churches wrap up a study on Ephesians. How does the teaching of the apostle on being "imitators" of God instruct us to live in this present moment?

Worship isn’t simply a time to praise God, it’s a time of preparation that we may go forth to live every moment of every day firmly planted in the promise of whom God has created us to be. Worship is a time of preparation, a time in which we are geared up to stand on the promises of Christ our Savior.

Worship is about having our mind converted to the ways of God. It’s about learning to discern what is of God and what is not. Worship is a time of conversion from the ways of the world to the mind of God.

The apostle makes it abundantly clear that truth-telling, honest-living, up-lifting speech is necessary in the work of maintaining the unity of the community. To get to this level of honesty with one another and with God, we must engage in the holy work of confession. While not always easy, confession allows for the healing that is necessary for authentic and healthy community.

The church was created in unity with its many gifts to function as the body of Christ in the world. Our purpose is to mimic for the world the love of God in Christ, and that means, working with every effort to maintain the unity in which the body was first created.

Prayer is not a one-way conversation, even when you're by yourself. Prayer is about being in communion with the Lord. In this way, prayer is not just a part of worship, prayer is worship and worship is prayer.

Our society continues to try to find ways to put us at odds against each other, as if binaries are the way of God. The apostle reminds us in Ephesians, that such division is not of God - on the contrary, in Christ, we have a peace that breaks down the divisions and reconciles us as one body in a new creation. This is the peace of Christ.

The change in how we do worship over the past year brings up some necessary questions. How and why do we worship? Can we really worship at home on TV? Can we worship on a big screen at church? This week we begin a look at what constitutes worship, beginning with praise.

Yes, it's July 4, but that doesn't keep the prophet from speaking truth. The honest truth is, America isn't #1. Even as great as we might think ourselves to be, even the prophet couldn’t stand on his own feet without the breath of God in his lungs.

I believe we have to ask questions, not just of others, but of ourselves. To ask ourselves if the people, ideological positions, or personalities we align ourselves with reflect the love, grace, and acceptance of Christ.

If it is the sin of seeking the knowledge of God that brings death in the Garden, it will be the knowledge of God that gives life through Christ. It is this knowledge of the divine that Paul believes we receive in the gifting of the Spirit.

Life in the Spirit isn't just about our corporate identity, it also defines our personal identity. Being in the Spirit means being transformed, being shown, being called, being identified, being gifted, and being included as those who radiate the image of God in the world.

Following the gifting of the Spirit on Pentecost, we enter into an extended season in the Church, which we call “Ordinary Time.” It is a time to reflect on the life of Christ as a model for the life of the Church. This is the life of one living in the Spirit.

As we celebrate Pentecost, it's helpful to consider the difference between the power of God in Christ and the power of God in the Holy Spirit. Understanding how the Spirit empowers the us is essential to claim our identity as the Church. The power of God in Christ is what makes new life possible. The power of God in the Holy Spirit is what equips us to proclaim the power of God in Christ.

The Church has this historical problem of thinking that our knowledge of Christ gives us power over the rest of humanity. But the ascension makes clear: Jesus doesn’t embed himself in us. Jesus doesn’t even stick around so that we might chain him up in our limited ways of understanding. No, Jesus ascends.

Perhaps this biblical story of the Jerusalem Council - this argument over the basic claims of the gospel - is more relevant to our time than we might think at first. The debate over accepting the Gentiles into the early Christian church gives us some helpful tools for engaging in dialogue over change in the church today.

Hear this Church, we need to stop trying to limit who can receive the Good News – who can be welcomed into the body of Christ. It is our calling to preach and teach the good news, and then to rejoice in celebration and welcome all who proclaim that Christ is Lord.

The power of Christ and the work of the Church is a threat to societal powers – whether political or institutional. The power of Christ is a threat to any individual who seeks wealth and power for themselves, especially at the expense of others. The Church today needs to reclaim the early church's prayer for boldness in proclaiming this power-threatening truth.

We – the Christian Church – have strayed so far from whom God created us to be. In the coming few weeks we’re going to consider how we might reclaim for the Church our call and our witness. Today's text in Acts 3 invites us to consider that when we begin to witness to the power of Christ as Peter did, the invitation for others to embrace this power will carry the weight of the glory it proclaims.

Easter is worth the celebration, but do we really know why we're celebrating? Do we fully understand the invitational power of God in the resurrection? Not only do we remember the Easter story, but we also consider how the story invites us to be Easter people: an expansive, forgiving, community of power that proclaims God's love to everyone.

Police cars and chariots have a lot in common. Their mere presence is a statement of power. Jesus was riding in to town using a borrowed bicycle. Across town, Pilate entered the city with sirens blazing. One coming in humility, the other in a prideful show of force. Are we really surprised that those who shouted “Hosanna!” ("Save us!") quieted so quickly?

The movement Dr. King teaches is one of non-violence. Like Jesus' invitation to be a grain of wheat, it's a call to understand that our death does not lead to an absence of change, but that our willingness to die leads to a multiplying of God's love on earth. We are called to forsake our live for the love of God in the world, for when we die, we multiply.

John 3:16 is one of the most well-known, often quoted scriptures in the whole of the Christian Bible. Yet, it is often used to chastise those of no faith for lacking faith. In its context, spoken by Jesus to Nicodemus, it seems to have a different intent.

Jesus' rage in the temple isn't just a statement against the corrupt economic practices that preyed on traveling pilgrims, it's also a statement about the witness of the presence of God. Jesus defines his body as the dwelling place of God, and in the physical absence of Jesus, the church becomes the Body of Christ. How well do we portray the presence of God in the world?

Mark 8:31 includes Jesus saying that he "must undergo" great suffering, and would die at the hands of the temple leaders. Still today, it is regularly debated in the church whether or not Jesus "had" to die. Perhaps this question is best answered in by asking the question in reverse: “Was it possible for Jesus to be 100% committed to God’s will for humanity without facing the burden of the Roman c...