Christ City Church, Washington DC

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]

In a world full of injustice, how are we called to live? Guest preacher Leroy Barber talks about the spirituality of protest, one of the lost traditions of our faith. [ Exodus 1:8-22 ]

Dutch politician and philosopher Abraham Kuyper said, “There is not one square inch of the entire creation about which Jesus Christ does not cry out, ‘This is mine! This belongs to me!'” Justin Fung unpacks that statement as well as Jesus’ first sermon to explore our calling as individuals and as a church. [ Luke 4:16-21 ]

As we begin the new year, we take a look at our church’s vision — to see the Kingdom of God on display in DC, in every life and every sphere of life. This week, Matthew Watson invites us to see where and in whom God is already at work and to participate in what God is doing. [ Ephesians 2:12-13, 15b-16 ]

Jesus called the disciples to leave the familiar side of the sea and journey to the unfamiliar places of the world. As we look into the new year, we move ahead, knowing that despite the storms ahead, Jesus is with us, calling us to faith and courage in him. [ Matthew 8:23-27; Matthew 14:22-29, 34-36; John 21:1 ]

On Christmas Eve, Matthew Watson and Justin Fung talk about the birth of Jesus, the Prince of Peace, and what his coming to earth two thousand years ago has continuing effects in our lives today. [ Luke 2:13-14 ]

On the third Sunday of Advent, Matthew Watson explores what it looks like to keep vigil over love. [ Luke 2:11-12 ] Resources Christina Rossetti, “Love Came Down at Christmas” Love came down at Christmas, Love all lovely, Love Divine, Love was born at Christmas, Star and Angels gave the sign. Worship we the Godhead, Love Incarnate, Love Divine, Worship we our Jesus, But wherewith for s...

On the second Sunday of Advent, Justin Fung reflects on how we keep vigil over joy in the midst of all that’s going on in our lives and in the world. [ Luke 2:10 ] Resources Dallas Willard,  The Great Omission: “Joy is not pleasure, a mere sensation, but a pervasive and constant sense of well-being. Hope in the goodness of God is joy’s indispensable support.”   Jan Richardson, &#8...

As we enter the season of Advent, preparing to celebrate the birth of Jesus, we begin a four-week series on “Keeping Vigil.” Lisa Watson talks about what keeping vigil is and how to keep vigil over hope. [ Luke 2:8-9 ] Resources Poem: “Hope,” by Lisel Mueller It hovers in dark corners before the lights are turned on, it shakes sleep from its eyes and drops from mushroom gil...

As we close out our series on the Psalms, Justin Fung talks about the first and last psalms, and how, in order to truly know God, we have to step out of the safety of Psalm 1, into the mess and the questions and the suffering of all the rest of the psalms, and end up in the praise and delight of Psalm 150. [ Psalm 1 and Psalm 150 ] Resources Robert Plutchik’s eight basic emotions Fear Anger...

Matthew Watson talks about how the psalmist sets an example for us in how to live lives that are characterized by thanksgiving and gratitude. [ Psalm 116 ] Resources Communal confession (LEAD) God, you are our protector and comforter, (ALL) yet how often we avoid you. (LEAD) You say blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, (ALL) yet how often we crave praise and acknowledgment fr...

In a busy world, full of distractions and spin, how can we be true to who God has created us to be? Andrea Ackermann unpacks Psalm 139, reminding us of truths about our identity that are vital for living well. [ Psalm 139 ] Resources Prayer of Examen (from  Learning to Live , by Justin Fung) Centuries ago, a man named Ignatius of Loyola developed a prayer of daily examination—what people in recove...

Matthew Watson and Daniel Harris walk us through one of the most popular psalms of all, Psalm 23, and talk about God’s provision, presence, and perseverance. [ Psalm 23 ]