Woodland Christian Church

In this week’s sermon, Rev. David Shirley shares a message from Galatiants 5:1, 13-14.  This sermon was preached on July 5th, 2026. Woodland Christian Church’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/woodlandchristianlex Woodland Christian Church’s Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/woodlandchristianlex/ Woodland Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) is a progressive, open and affirming co...

In this week’s sermon, Rev. Christy Jo shares a message from 1 Corinthians 12:12-20. When one part of the body hurts, the whole body responds. We’re invited to imagine the church not as a collection of individuals, but as the living Body of Christ– learning to carry one another’s burdens, celebrate one another’s joys, and adjust together for the sake of healing. As we look toward our new fiscal ye...

In this week’s sermon, Rev. Christy Jo shares a message from Matthew 25:31-40. When Jesus speaks of the hungry, the stranger, the sick, the imprisoned, he reveals a surprising truth: we encounter God not in isolation, but in one another. This week we reflect on Matthew 25 and the sacred work of responding to human need through compassion, generosity, and community discovering that God’s kin-dom ta...

In this week’s sermon, Rev. David Shirey shares a message from Matthew 28:16-20 based on the final words of Matthew’s Gospel. David Shirey explores Jesus’ last words to his disciples. How odd that he sends eleven not so great disciples to carry out what is called The Great Commission. But maybe that’s good news after all.     This sermon was preached on June 14th, 2026. Woodland Christian Church’s...

In this week’s sermon, Rev. Christy Jo shares a message from Psalm 118:1-9. As Woodland celebrates six years of shared ministry and a new season in our sanctuary, Psalm 118 invites us to remember the enduring love that has carried us through every year and decade. We give thanks for a legacy rooted in liberation, justice, and love while we look ahead to the brave and beautiful story God is still w...

In this week’s sermon, Rev. Christy Jo shares a message from Romans 12:9-16. This Pride Sunday we explore what it means to practice genuine love in a world that too often teaches fear, exclusion, and scarcity. Through glitter blessings, radical welcome, and the beloved community God is creating, we are invited to embody a bold, joyful faith where every person is celebrated as a reflection of God’s...

In this week’s sermon, Rev. Christy Jo shares a message from Acts 2:1-21. On this Pentecost Sunday, Woodland Christian Church celebrates 117 years of faithful ministry, and a long-awaited homecoming! Together we explore how the Holy Spirit gathers diverse people into courageous communities, opens new doors for transformation, and empowers the church to embody healing, liberation, and joy in our fr...

In this week’s sermon, Rev. David shares a message from Ezra 3:10-13. It’s Homecoming for the people of Israel.  Exiled for decades in Babylon, they are now back home - with a mix of nostalgia for what was and anticipation for what is to be. Woodland, too, has come home to our historic sanctuary. How can we honor our past and step boldly into the future during this Stewardship Season as we conside...

In this week’s sermon, Rev. Christy Jo shares a message from John 14:8-14. On the sixth Sunday of Easter, Philip asks Jesus to show him God. When words are not enough, Jesus points to the works themselves– signs of healing, partnership, and new life! As Woodland continues its season of homecoming, we reflect on the ways our faith is not just something we believe in– it’s something we participate i...

In the spring of 1908, Lexington couldn’t contain what was happening. Crowds packed into churches, then spilled into the Woodland Auditorium as a fiery revival swept the city. Night after night, voices rose, convictions deepened, and something larger began to take hold. Out of that energy—out of a city growing faster than its churches could follow—a new congregation was born. This is the story of...

In this week’s sermon, Rev. Christy Jo shares a message from Luke 4:14-21. On this fifth Sunday of Easter, we begin our stewardship season in a spirit of homecoming– celebrating our return to our deep roots and open doors. In Luke’s gospel we hear Jesus’ first sermon declaring healing, liberation, and good news for all. As God’s story is still unfolding we remember we are part of it!  This sermon...

In this episode, we return to April 1924—the night Woodland’s sanctuary first opened. By candlelight, hundreds entered a darkened space, each person bringing their own light and voice into a shared act of worship. That moment defined more than a building; it revealed a belief—that a church is not its walls, but its people. Now, a century later, we revisit that scene in a restored sanctuary, reflec...

In this episode, we step into the heat and dust of the 1801 Cane Ridge “Communion”—a frontier gathering that drew thousands and helped ignite the American Restoration Movement. Against a backdrop of isolation and moral uncertainty, a new message took hold: unity over division, grace over exclusion, and a return to the simplicity of the New Testament church. What happened in that Kentucky clearing...

In this episode, we meet “Raccoon” John Smith—the frontier preacher who helped bring the early Disciples movement to life. Unpolished but unforgettable, Smith had a rare gift for making faith plain and compelling. Through vivid sermons, bold appeals for unity, and moments no one could forget, he helped turn a fragile reform effort into a growing movement of people. It is a story of conviction, cre...

In this episode, we trace the origins of the Christian Church in Lexington—from a small gathering of just twenty-four members in 1816 to a growing movement that helped shape the city itself. Set against the backdrop of a frontier town becoming the “Athens of the West,” this story follows the rise of a faith rooted in unity, simplicity, and adaptation. It is a story of growth, vision, and the momen...

In this week’s sermon, Rev. Christy Jo shares a message from John 20:19-31. On the fourth Sunday of Easter we encounter Thomas who invites us to move through doubt and into the daily and lifelong work of resurrecting peace in our hearts, relationships, and world. What if faith isn’t about certainty, but about staying present long enough for new life to find us? This sermon was preached on April 26...

In this sermon based on the majestic opening verses of 1 Peter (1:3-9), Rev. David Shirey introduces us to one of the most wondrous gifts of Easter – "a living hope."  Anyone interested in The Easter Makeover? Good news! It's free for the taking. Listen. This sermon was preached on April 19th, 2026. Woodland Christian Church’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/woodlandchristia...