Westminster Presbyterian Church, Alexandria VA

Rev. Frank Wade, former interim dean of the Washington National Cathedral and rector of St. Alban’s Episcopal Church, will lead this four-Sunday series. The ancient Jewish practice of ‘midrash’ (to enquire, to seek) is a unique way to explore the common threads of the humanity we share with our biblical ancestors. Christianity has not fully claimed the harvest midrash provides. Frank Wade’s latest...

When we say, “We do,” we don’t just bind ourselves together, we affirm one another’s identity in Christ. When we say, “We do” we are honoring, dignifying, embracing one another as unique, beloved, children of God. When we say, “We do” we commit ourselves to the Beloved community, called, and promising, to live, rejoice, learn, engage, grieve and create together. Rev. Jacob Bolton preaches on the T...

Ruth Everhart, author, speaker, pastor for more than twenty PC(USA) churches talks about her recent book, The #MeToo Reckoning: Facing the Church’s Complicity in Sexual Abuse & Misconduct. Publisher’s Weekly recently said of Ruth’s book, “Each chapter focuses on a particular issue (patriarchy, purity, culture, and clericalism) that leads to complicity with institutional sexual abuse, and features...

In some ways I’m not the right one to talk much about a change of name, for I was born into this faith and it has remained with me “Rock-like” for as long as I can remember. I haven’t wrestled directly with an angel, nor heard the voice of God directly call my name. Yet I have seen people changed in ways beautiful and powerful that I cannot help but attribute to God. Rev. Larry Hayward preaches on...

Miri Bernovsky Tibon returns to present how the Bible is taught in secular schools in Israel, and how many secular Jews in Israel view the Old Testament – not only as a religious book, but also as a unique historical and cultural document. We will focus on an event from the “recent” past of the Jewish people: the biblical story of King David and his son Absalom, who tested his father’s hold on pow...

"No, something is not right. This isn't how it is supposed to be. I need to be baptized by you, but you come to me." To this Jesus says, "let it be so now." And so, as Matthew tells us, John consented. Rev. Patrick Hunnicutt preaches on the Baptism of the Lord. The Scripture lesson is Matthew 3:11-17, and is read by Rev. Larry Hayward.

What is it like to live your life inside an active war zone? How do people raise families under the constant threat of rockets? And is there any hope for a better future for the millions of people living in Gaza, one of the most troubled areas in the world? Miri and Amir Tibon, our guest speakers from Israel, will return to Westminster for a very personal presentation and discussion about the plac...

In December of 1984, I had been preaching five or six times a year as an Associate Pastor in a large church in West Texas. Along the way, I had encountered T. S. Eliot’s poem, “The Journey of the Magi,” and decided to use it for an Advent Sermon in early December that year. Incorporating that poem into the sermon was the first time I recall being aware of how powerful a poem can be about a text or...

In one Gospel, Joseph works with governing authorities; in another, he works against them. It is a choice that transcends Joseph’s time: in every culture, in every decision, in nearly every moment, Christians and churches have to decide whether they support the particular actions of the state (while still honoring civil authority as ordained by God) or oppose state action through some appropriate...

Whatever it is to which the birth of Christ leads, his birth arises from and in the sadness and decay of the world. What God does at Christmas is bring something new, something re-born, something recreated from the destructiveness and decay into which God’s creation has fallen. In light of this recreation of all that has gone wrong, we who inhabit the earth – even as we mourn its fractures and pra...

Matthew describes Joseph as a “just” man – a person who is righteous within his religious tradition and faithful to its laws and norms. But Matthew also depicts Joseph as a person whose intentions and character lie on the merciful side of righteousness rather than on its punitive side. Thus, Joseph resolves to divorce Mary as the law requires, but to divorce her quietly, to spare her at least some...

When it became clear that I was going to be preaching on the third Sunday of Advent, the Sunday on which we light the pink candle of joy, I was thrilled to be presented with this section of New Testament gold, Elizabeth and Mary, two women, both great with child, bonding and caring for one another, and the emotionally stunning Magnificat. It is not that often in our sacred text that we explore enc...

Rev. Whitney Fauntleroy preaches on the First Sunday of Advent. The scripture lesson is Matthew 24:36-44, and is read by Rev. Larry Hayward.

Did you know that annually over 300,000 people from around the world complete the journey to Santiago de Compostela in Western Spain? WPC members Dave & Amy Donselar will share their stories about these ancient pathways. Hear about the remarkable people they’ve crossed paths with; the people with whom they’ve shared meals and common experiences that slowly broke down their differences and helped f...

I recently learned that the liturgical holiday we are celebrating today – called Christ the King or Reign of Christ Sunday – is a relatively recent addition to the ancient church calendar known as the lectionary. Christ the King Sunday was instituted by Pope Pius XI in 1925 – less than a hundred years ago. He instituted the day in response to the growing sentiments toward nationalism and secularis...

A common criticism of today’s society is that we live in our own particular bubbles and often fail to understand those who have very different beliefs and aspirations than our own. This 3 week interactive course with WPC member Dr. Jim Muyskens is designed to provide us a better understanding of other major religious traditions as we compare & contrast the basic tenets of Judaism, Islam, Hinduism,...

A common criticism of today’s society is that we live in our own particular bubbles and often fail to understand those who have very different beliefs and aspirations than our own. This 3 week interactive course with WPC member Dr. Jim Muyskens is designed to provide us a better understanding of other major religious traditions as we compare & contrast the basic tenets of Judaism, Islam, Hinduism,...

Elder Gordon H. Smith has served as member of Sixth Quorum of the Seventy of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In addition to his two terms in the U.S. Senate from Oregon, he’s practiced law at Covington & Burling, and has served as a stake high councilor, bishop, public affairs director and full time missionary in New Zealand. An hour you won’t likely forget, learn from a life-long...

Giving to the church can be more than a pragmatic decision to support the church’s work. It can be part of a challenged, inspired, aspirational heart. Our giving reflects the center of our being…our hearts. Rev. Dr. Larry Hayward preaches on the Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time. The Scripture lesson is Proverbs 3:1-12, and is read by Rev. Patrick Hunnicutt.

"One of the great gifts of being on the staff at Westminster is that several Sundays - twice on a Sunday - I get to hear about the importance of using Pulitzer Prize-winning authors in your sermon. So I will follow suit when I make an allusion to Kendrick Lamar." Rev. Whitney Fauntleroy preaches on the Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time. The Scripture lesson is Luke 18:9-14, and is read by Rev. Lar...

A common criticism of today’s society is that we live in our own particular bubbles and often fail to understand those who have very different beliefs and aspirations than our own. This 3 week interactive course with WPC member Dr. Jim Muyskens is designed to provide us a better understanding of other major religious traditions as we compare & contrast the basic tenets of Judaism, Islam, Hinduism,...

What can we learn from the Old and New Testaments about some of the issues and structures that vex us today? Pastor Larry Hayward will lead us to take a look at government/politics, class differences, legal traditions, the military and the family and challenge us to think about these structures through the lens of the Old and New Testaments. Week Four: Family.

Because our faith exists within the world, we join with others and become a community, an organization, an institution within the world. We are more than a collection of individuals who seek interaction with God on a personal level; we are a people, a community, organized to worship, serve, learn and grow together. We are an organization. We are an institution – what Peter calls “a royal priesthoo...

Rev. Patrick Hunnicutt preaches on the twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time. The Scripture lesson is Luke 17:5-10, and is read by Rev. Jacob Bolton.

What can we learn from the Old and New Testaments about some of the issues and structures that vex us today? Pastor Larry Hayward will lead us to take a look at government/politics, class differences, legal traditions, the military and the family and challenge us to think about these structures through the lens of the Old and New Testaments. Week Three: Legal Traditions.