Mount Olivet UMC: Recent Episodes
Mount Olivet
Inspiring sermons from Mount Olivet UMC and The Way worship services. Hear from Pastor Ed Walker, Pastor Teer Hardy, Pastor Jeff Goodman, and more.
Happy Birthday Church! Today is Pentecost, the birthday of the church. Pentecost marks the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the early church, empowering them to boldly proclaim the Gospel. We celebrate with our confirmands as they profess their faith and commitment to being part of our church family. We are reminded that we are all called to be a witness to the love and hope found in Christ.
Welcome to worship at Mount Olivet. This Sunday we are contemplating our emotional wellness in light of the life, ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus.
Welcome to worship at Mount Olivet. This Sunday we are honored to welcome our District Superintendent the Rev. Dr. Sarah Calvert as our guest preacher. This Sunday we are contemplating our emotional wellness in light of the life, ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus.
As we continue to celebrate the resurrection of Christ, we are thinking about our sense of wellness this season of Eastertide. This week, we will contemplate the physical wellness of our bodies, our physical selves, which God has deemed good. As we prepare our hearts and minds for worship, know that you are fearfully and wonderfully made!
Welcome to worship at Mount Olivet. Our scriptures remind us that, though we are many, we are one body in Christ. May we be a source of compassion, encouragement and love for one another and for our community, lifting each other up and "holding fast to what is good" (Romans 12:9).
Welcome to worship at Mount Olivet. In this season of Eastertide, we will explore the holistic nature of humanity reflected in the fullness of Christ’s resurrection. Understanding that wellness encompasses the spiritual, physical, mental, and emotional aspects of our being, we will think about what the resurrection tells us about our wholeness as bearers of God’s image.
Welcome to worship at Mount Olivet, we are so glad you are here. This season we have been exploring the language and teaching of Jesus throughout the Gospel of Matthew. This morning we encounter the stern and challenging rebuke towards Peter and the call from Jesus to take up our cross and follow him. Whether you are a new visitor or a long-term member we pray that through worship, fellowship, and the hearing of God’s Word, you come to know the peace that comes from finding your life in Christ.
This morning we will be exploring the story of Jesus walking on the sea and calming the storms. What storms are currently raging in your life? Do you have the courage to trust that Jesus can calm them?
Whether you are visiting from out of town, resting amidst the heat, or about to set off on another summer vacation we are glad you are here. This morning we will be exploring the story of the feeding of the 5,000. Asking what we are to bring when we have nothing to provide, and experiencing what God provides in Christ in response.
Today we are continuing the readings from the gospel of Matthew. Jesus is using parables, his unique storytelling tool. We will consider how yeast, pearls, seeds, fish and treasure are all part of the illustrations about what God's Kingdom is like.
Welcome to worship at Mount Olivet! This Sunday we are continuing our Summer Sojourn with Jesus through the Gospel of Matthew. Today we are continuing to think about the nature of the Kingdom of God and our role in terms of agriculture. We are thinking about a field with a good crop that is infiltrated by evil and injustice. We are mindful of the ways that health and harm are intertwined as we seek to name the forces of wickedness in our midst.
This Sunday we are continuing our Summer Sojourn with Jesus through the Gospel of Matthew. Today we are thinking about dirt and seeds, sunshine and roots as Jesus tells us the parable of the sower. As you enter this space, let us think of the seeds that we are planting and the ones being planted in our midst. Let us contemplate that which roots and grounds us and gives us our being.
Doesn’t it seem like we are never satisfied? We exhaust ourselves in pursuit of our goals, and when they are realized we find we are still unfulfilled. We expect much from our world, from our leaders, from our God. We expect much from ourselves. All this expectation is tiring. In Matthew we learn that the solution is aligning with Christ, the true source of fulfillment and rest.
Almost every church and business has the word "Welcome" on it's building or website. But do we mean it?
This morning we are thrilled to welcome guest preacher Rev. James C. Turner, Jr. to our pulpit. Rev. Turner pastors LaPlata AME Church in Maryland and is a member of the Howard Thurman D.Min cohort with Pastor Sara.
We gather today to celebrate transitions and vocation honoring both seniors and students who have graduated and asking a deeper question of what God in Christ Jesus is beckoning us towards in our life. As the story for this morning says, the harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few. Through prayer, proclamation, and worship we seek to labor for whom our labor is never in vain.
If we add anything, any should or must, any label, then Paul is absolutely correct, as Jesus would have died for nothing.
Today is Trinity Sunday or the first Sunday in the season of Pentecost. As we ponder the nature of the community within the triune God, we will also welcome our Confirmation class into the membership and community of Mount Olivet. We hope that you find inspiration and peace this morning as well as the reminder that we are never on our own.
If Jesus is Lord of all Creation, then Dr. Stanley Hauerwas is correct in his assertion that everything else is...
There is no urgency in the church other than to proclaim God's amazing grace. The only urgency is the urgency of grace.
As we celebrate the Easter season, we are living into hope together. We have pondered joy, love, and strength during hard times. Today we are considering our identity as followers of Jesus. We are like living rocks and our value comes from the God who loves us and claims us!
Last Sunday we explored the concept of loving each other “deeply from the heart,” not to be better at doing good, but because we are first loved by God. Today we celebrate our freedom from sin through the healing power of Christ. Jesus is our good shepherd who welcomes us home, into the safety of the fold, where he will guard our souls.
Last Sunday we explored the joy of Easter and today we turn our attention to verse 22 in our epistle reading. "Love one another deeply from the heart." 1 Peter is imploring us to love one another not because it is a good idea to be a loving person, rather we are to "Love one another deeply from the heart" because we are first loved by God. There's been no greater display of God's love for humanity than on the cross, and there's been no greater display of the power of God's love than in the empty tomb.
While the brass, guest conductor, Easter lilies, and pomp and circumstance of Easter Sunday are gone, we continue our celebration of Christ’s victory over death. Peter’s letter opens with a blessing to God for our living hope through Christ’s resurrection, even amid difficult circumstances and surroundings. While life’s difficulties never seem to cease, the same is true of the Church’s Easter proclamation. We are full of hope and joy because of the power of God’s mighty triumph over the grave.
We have journeyed through the wilderness of the Season of Lent for 40 days. Together we have explored themes of racial justice, healing, reconciling, hope, and liberation. Like the redemptive work of the cross, our journey is not complete but just beginning. We enter into this new Easter season full of hope in the power of transformation and wholeness.
We celebrate the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. With the crowd, we shout our hosannas and wave our palms. We transition to the passion of Christ, foreshadowing the somber Holy Work that is before us as we anticipate the glory of the resurrection.
As we move towards the events of Palm Sunday and Easter we take the time to ask about Hope. Walking through a classic but difficult story, we as the people of God, are invited to speak challenging truths in our own lives and in the life of our communities. At times it can be hard to see any hope in the on-going struggle for racial justice in our nation. But we believe that the story of Job speaks a truth necessary to begin dreaming and hoping for a richer and vibrant future.
We cannot carry the message of God's reconciling work apart from God. All of us, every single person on this planet, whether they or we like it or not, are in Christ Jesus. It has been that way since we were formed in the image of God, and it remains that way when we finish the race and rest in Christ.
The Oxford Dictionary says to be reconciled to another is to have "friendly relations" restored. As we know it, reconciliation can feel to be a human act, between feuding individuals or communities. But the Apostle Paul has another take on reconciliation. In our scripture reading he writes that "God was in Christ reconciling the world to Godself," meaning, that if we truly want to be reconciled to one another, we first recognize that we have been reconciled to God, by God, and not by our own hand. And this flips how we approach reconciliation as individuals and communities.
We focus on repentance today, of turning away from sin and in the words of Isaiah “learning to do good and seek justice.” We repent of our collective and individual complicity and perpetuation of racial injustice in our spheres of influence. May God challenge and comfort us in our wilderness sojourn.
Today is the first Sunday in our forty-day journey toward Easter. We trade the Alleluia's of worship for purple linens throughout the sanctuary. We trade the bright light of Epiphany for fasting and repentance. Today is also the first Sunday in our congregational study, examining racism in our lives, in the life of our congregation, and beyond. In the words of Jemar Tisby, today we begin to open a door to "explore the possibilities of a world in which racism does not define so much of our reality." Rather, over the coming weeks we will explore how we can celebrate differences while not using "them to dismiss or dehumanize." We pray this time of worship will be a blessing to you
As Jesus was transfigured before his disciples, the church (yesterday, today, and tomorrow) is transformed, transfigured by God’s grace, being made new in Christ Jesus.
We live in an exhausting world, but Jesus has –and is –the antidote. From The Message, Matthew 11:28-30, “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me –watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” Are you tired? Worn out? Jesus’ grace comes with a peace that restores...
As we continue to explore Epiphany together, we find Jesus today preaching to those who have begun to follow him. The sermon includes the beatitudes, the reminders that the peacemakers, the justice seekers, the meek are the ones who are blessed. Jesus gives us an idea of his priorities, revealing that his is a teacher as well as an active agent of God’s justice and kin-dom building in the world.
What does it look like to follow the call of God in 2023? Will we say yes to new opportunities? Will we take on new challenges? And will we do it with a sense of adventure?
The funny thing about our scriptures is the lessons do not stand in isolation, as the Holy Scriptures tell us a larger story than what often appears in a few verses.
Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. This is indeed Good News for all creation, but time and time again, we question whether our individual sin or the sin of another person has been taken away.
Today’s scripture lesson speaks a word of Grace and Hope to each of us when doubt or anxiousness creeps in, causing us to question the Grace of God made known through Jesus.
Go into the world, enjoying your “belovedness” so much that it causes people to stop, stare, and wonder what is happening.
Merry Christmas! Jesus has been born to us this day. We find that in Jesus the Word of God is made flesh to live and dwell among us. The light has come to shine in the deep, velvety darkness of mystery and creation. We come to celebrate this birth and this new hope in our world!
Angels have been the deliverers of God's news for generations; delivering instructions, guidance, or warning. This morning we will explore the multitude of angels announcing the news of Jesus’ birth to the shepherds. In what surprising ways is God up to new things among us? How would we respond to angels announcing something so amazing to us?
What did Mary say when an angel told her she would change the world? That her life would be turned upside down with the birth of a Savior? Let it be.
Today, we welcome the season of Advent. We are telling our stories of anticipation and preparation through the scriptural encounters with angels. These messengers of God, reveal stories of the anticipation of Jesus’ birth. Today’s angelic story, is that of Zechariah finding his voice to speak to the good news of God’s work in his life through the birth of his son John.
When we talk about Christ the King, we affirm that Jesus IS the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He is Lord... and nothing else matters.
Christian Nationalism attempts to use Jesus as cover its political agenda, using the message of Jesus for political propaganda and the church as the handmaiden and cheerleader of the state. This is not a red or blue political issue. Christian Nationalism is a theological heresy that the church must address.
Today is a day to remember that it is Jesus who makes us saints, and thus is a day to remember all the saints in our lives – those we study scripture alongside, those sharing a pew, and those we fail to greet as we move through our daily routines. “Saintliness” is not something we earn or achieve – in this life or the next.
Jesus heals ten men, but only one returns to say thank you. The man was a Samaritan (this is the gospel’s way of telling us he was outside of God’s covenant with Israel). But Jesus tells the man his faith has made him well. The man was moved by the gracious act of Jesus to a posture of generosity and sent on his way to live a life of faith. Practicing gratitude changes individuals and communities. When Christians practice gratitude coming to worship is not about what we can get out of the morning and stewardship, is no longer about fundraising but instead about returning a portion of God’s blessing upon us to God.
Jesus instructs us on generous forgiveness. In response, they ask for more faith. This is valid. It is trite to say that we live in a consumeristic, always wanting more, bigger is better culture. This isn’t a new thing. This is the American way. Even in asking for more of a good thing like faith or love or courage, Jesus reminds us that we have and, in fact, are more than enough.
Jesus is not telling a parable about Hell, the final judgment, or heavenly rewards. Our lesson is not a story about the afterlife and how to get to where we all want to go. Jesus is extending an invitation to the Pharisees then and today, to his followers then and today, to live as though the Kingdom of God (his kingdom) is already among us. The Kingdom of God broke into the world through Mary’s womb, which the cross or grave could not snuff out.
Don’t worry, this isn’t a sermon about how to manage your financial affairs. In this story, Jesus tells of a manager who cheats his boss but then is commended for acting so “shrewdly”. Jesus wants to know why those who have been called to follow him are not as creative or diligent in their care of the story entrusted to them as they are managing something of greater value.
God’s grace is extravagant and sometimes unfair. Jesus tells two stories, one of a lost sheep and the other of a lost coin.
In both instances, these lost things are searched for with great care and found with great celebration. Even though we wander away or get lost in the couch cushion, we are never truly separated in Christ.
By the relentless grace of God, we are found.
Sometimes we are that lost sheep, oh so grateful to be remembered, noticed, rescued. And sometimes we are part of the 99 left behind, wondering why we don’t receive special treatment.
Sometimes, in our resistance and poor choices, we become something we don't recognize. But God is the Great Potter - molding us and shaping us into something beautiful.
Each scripture reading from the prophets over the past few weeks has begun with, “Thus the Lord said,” or, “The Lord said.” The Lord had something to say, found a mouthpiece to communicate to the people through, and then let the people hear what was on the Lord’s mind. Most of the time, the word coming from the Lord sounded like bad news. Being the bearer of bad news is part of the prophetic task.
The call of God on our lives can be bold and terrifying, but it can also be found in the mundane tasks of our day to day life. No matter what it is or what it looks like — the call of God upon our lives is exactly what we need because God knows exactly who we are.
What happens when God plants a metaphorical vineyard where we are the vines, but then all the vines become rotten? Yikes. Pastor Sara unpacks the next passage from Isaiah as we continue our journey through the prophets.
There is something going on that stops us from translating the weekly rhythms of praise and worship to the daily pattern of service and justice. What do we need to overcome this error?
We often turn towards God's love or God's justice. How can one God be loving and also just? This tension reveals more to us about God than we can imagine.
God’s love is always with us. No matter what we have done or how long we have turned away. We are always beloved children of the living God. Like a good parent, God gives us the bread of life, so that we have what we need to feed the world with love.
God continues to call and equip the prophets today in the same way God calls and equips disciples – calling upon imperfect, untrained, unprepared people like Amos to go to new places and lead the people of God to God’s will. It sounds like an impossible task, and it would be if not for the grace of the One doing the calling and equipping.
God is always up to something — surprising us in the margins, working within the "gaps" in our life. It's this sneaky, transformational power that creates something new within us every day.
This week we journey with Paul to discover how our freedom in Christ and the fruit of the Holy Spirit work together to create new things — new things in us, new things in the world.
We all need a walk-up song — something to encourage us through life. Pastor Jeff's chosen walk-up song is one that we could all benefit from humming time to time.
Dismantling racism is hard work. Emancipation is hard work. We often prefer the Jesus that does not disrupt our lives or the Jesus that does not require too much of us. The good news is we don’t have to do it alone. Jesus has promised that he will give us the Holy Spirit to teach us the lessons we are unable to learn on our own and remind us of the truth we are inclined to forget.
"Let anyone who is thirsty come to Me." When we reach out in the name of Jesus, we are not only inviting but we are actively seeking the thirsty, regardless of their status in life, so they may find the Living Water.
Be. Go. Do. This is the heart of what it means to be a disciple. Be disciples. Go into the world. Be the hands and feet of Christ.
The state of our world often leaves us asking, "Lord, is this the time? Can it be time for all things to be made right?"
When have you given something your all, only for it to fall through? When have you felt like you weren't good enough? Today's scripture show's us that even when our path isn't straight forward, we're usually right where we're supposed to be.
We find all kinds of ways to create division among ourselves — but there is a voice, the Holy Spirit, asking us to evaluate these dividing lines.
The extraordinarily ordinary stories in our lives are often overlooked, even forgotten, when sandwiched alongside extraordinarily extraordinary stories. This is the case for Tabitha.
We fail, fail, and fail again. Yet God is always standing by ready to offer us a second chance.
The One who was rejected by the world responded not with rejection in return, but with welcoming and sacrificial love. On Palm Sunday, we welcome the One who was rejected.
When we're given a choice between doing the right thing or...not...we tend to do the latter. But Jesus didn't gather a "perfect" entourage. He's gathering people like me and you.
We are sinful and deserve what...sinners deserve. But Jesus is in the business of gathering us into His grace and mercy, cultivating us into people who bear fruit.
What does our scripture passage have to do with mother hens and her chicks? Rev. Paige Ann Miller helps us see the lengths God goes to in order to gather his children for our protection and hope.
The resurrection is not a moment when we die, but a movement while we live. It is transformative, changing us now, here.
Voids? Matter? Gaps? In this message, Pastor Jeff explains "Gapology" and what it means for those loved by God (hint: You).
The weight of sin can be overwhelming, and so is the urge to "fix" ourselves. But God provides an environment for us to struggle with our faith — to ebb and flow and to ponder. But it's this struggle that brings us to a saving Grace.
Many of us are familiar with 1 Corinthians 13 - a famous passage about love. It can seem impossible to live up to this standard of love (especially when sitting in 5 o'clock traffic). But there is a more excellent way, and we don't have to navigate alone.
In pandemic times the question has been asked a lot - who is essential? In the Body of Christ we often ask the same question.
Regardless of what gifts the Spirit has given you, regardless of whether you think you are worthy of such a gift, and regardless of the priority others might place on those gifts God is going to use you to further God’s kingdom.
Epiphany is about the revealing of the light to the world. Not all see it, of course; this is why Jesus frequently said, “let those who have ears to hear, hear.” Even we have moments where we aren’t so sure that we have seen that light. Yet, we who gather for worship have caught a glimpse of something, and we come to celebrate and to lean into that hope.
Jesus understands what it is like to be human and his life shows us what hospitality and acceptance of others looks like. Let us ensure that the church remains a place where young adults and children feel at home to be themselves, ask questions, and grow in love.
If Jesus were coming over for Christmas dinner would you clean things up? Shine the silver? Traditionally, Advent was a time of peaceful reflection where our shortcomings become obvious in the light of pure love. In this message, Rev. Dr. Sarah Calvert encourages us to create space this Advent season, to see God in all that we do.
Corporate sins? Prophets? In this message, Pastor Ed unpacks the scripture passage from Zephaniah, showing how we can be witnesses, ordinary saints, living our lives as examples of Jesus.
Jesus was born into a world where the sword achieved the peace of an empire. Peace by the pointy end of a sword, gun, or any instrument of violence exemplifies how well we do not understand the very thing we all want for ourselves generations to come. Humanity was and continues to be unable to save itself or secure its own peace, so much so that God broke into human history in a manger in Bethlehem, "among the poor, lonely, old and impotent" and saved us from ourselves.
As we live into another Advent under the weight of a pandemic, we're reminded that God is asking us to wait, anticipate, and trust. The redemption that began in a manger is coming.
Knowing God will get the last word, our acts of mercy and justice, along with our communal acts of faithfulness, become signs of the God Kingdom – Queendom, Kin-dom – that is yet to come.
Dying to an old identity and being born into a new one takes time - even a lifetime. But Jesus invites us to this journey of finding true joy.
So, what does the truth of God revealed in Jesus Christ have to do with freedom? I am glad you asked.
Julie Chung, member of Mount Olivet, tells about her experiences with generosity growing up as a Korean immigrant, working for the State Department, and serving within her community.
Life as a disciple of Jesus Christ is about having your attitude about money, along with everything else, shaped by the good news that Christ has already accomplished all that was required for you to inherit eternal life. Nothing competes for your love of God and neighbor more than money.
Every good thing we have is because of God's generosity, and because we are created in God's image, that same generosity is in our DNA.
How do we get into heaven? What do we have to do? Well, oddly enough, we don't know. But maybe there's a better question to be asking.
If the disciples are a mirror to us, if their mistakes and missteps mirror our own, we can take heart, we do not have to live in fear, because through the life, death, and resurrection of Christ we, just like the first 12, have been claimed and redeemed. Like them, called away from their families and occupations, we have been set to a new task. We have been set to follow.
What does it mean for us as Christians to proclaim that Jesus is Lord? What does "lordship" look like in 2021?
In the Kingdom of God peace is not the result of the sword or a world at war with itself, or human accomplishment. The peace of Christ, extended far and wide, extended indiscriminately, is the result of Christ’s faithfulness.
This week we are joined by Rev. Drew Ensz - a methodist pastor and ministry director at Arise Campus Ministry, an organization that serves George Mason University and Northern Virginia community colleges.
Have you ever wondered where God might be leading you? This week we walk through Psalm 84 and what it might say to us in our day to day lives. Asking first and foremost, are you extrovert or an introvert and how that could guide to a newfound life in Christ.
The scripture reading today reminds us that no family is perfect. But here's the good news- we've been set free. Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law so that we might receive the promise of the Holy Spirit.
In the end, how do we view King David? A flawed human? Someone God can use? In today's message we'll see what happens when we're confronted by the reality of sin, and what God offers us instead.
No matter the history of our lives, we're caught up in God's redeeming love and God's redeeming work.
The church, along with all of creation, is joined together in the house of the Lord. Christ is in you, in us. The Lord cannot be controlled and will always be with us.
As the world resumes more and more in-person and indoor activities, and as changes we were forced to make 16 months ago either become permanent or relics of the past the church as a choice to make - what will we keep with us and what will we allow to be left behind? How might we enter the new space we find ourselves in with singing and dancing, and at the same time not become too causal with that which the church has been doing since Mary and Mary found the tomb to be empty?
We begin this series looking at history through the lens of faith, divinely called leaders, and God's ultimate will for his chosen people.
Stillness is hard to find, but being in community can help us foster peace and stillness together.
Jesus created a new family, and frankly, it looked and continues to look different than many expect.
On this Sunday after Pentecost, we're joined by laity from the Arlington District for a conversation on what it means for us to "move into the neighborhood".
We have been filled with the power of the Holy Spirit to proclaim the Good News - that the God who created and sustains all creation has redeemed us.
The amazing thing about God's grace? Just when I think I'm not qualified, I'm reminded that God is with me. We're in this together.
John's gospel tells us that we're to spend our time and energy producing love in the world. Thankfully, love is handed down. We're able to love because we were loved first.
Isn't it easier to focus on other things? Well, we bear fruit because it glorifies God. It's what naturally happens when we are connected to others, connected to Christ.
Being caretakers of God's creation invites us into working to make sure that this creation is there for generations to come.
The resurrection is real. It is grounded in the reality in which we live. Touch and see.
To be of the same mind as Christ, to build a life that does not fall into the fallacy of thinking six weeks Lenten of intentionality and introspection are enough for a lifetime of discipleship means that we are of the same mind as Jesus. And we see this clearly on Palm Sunday as Jesus is humble, obedient, and still to be exalted by God. Life as a disciple of Jesus begins as John the Baptist did- preparing the way. Preparing the way of the Lord.
Jesus calls us friend, and it's through this relationship that we learn how to build a life of love.
We, the church, are resurrection people. We do not believe the valley of dry bones gets the last word.
Through the pandemic, we've learned to live with constant fear and anxiety. But we are not in this alone. God sends angels who, through their actions, say "Fear not." Have hope.
Rev. Lynne Alley-Grant from Walker Chapel UMC continues our Lenten series "Building A Life". We look at gestures of justice - something as simple as a drink of water. Gestures like this keep us in the flow of God's living water.
He came not to condemn, but to save. Because of God's great love for you, YOU are the beloved.
The good news is not that we must ascend up to God by our own good deeds or spiritual striving; the good news of the Gospel is that the one who met Moses in a burning bush and spoke through Elijah has come down to us in Jesus Christ and will come again to….
The central truth about sharing Christ's love? You can't do it from a distance. We need to engage with people. We need to show up.
Jesus gave a simple instruction, “Follow me.” Two words, without much explanation and yet those words have set the course for the church, for generation upon generation of Christians to do one of two things: get it right or get it wrong.
With so many things dividing us, we'll look at how people from different views of life can come together through God's grace.
Every person who has been baptized – regardless if you were sprinkled, poured over, or dunked – every person who has been baptized into a new life in Jesus Christ has been baptized into Hope. Hope that can only come from the One Hope of the World.
Sam Riedel, our Youth Director, leads us in a message the first Sunday after Christmas.
We're all tired of waiting, and yet, waiting and hoping are exactly what we need to do.
We begin our Advent journey not by looking back to the manger or the proclamation of the Angel Gabriel, rather the Gospel writer invites us to look ahead, beyond the historical Jesus and towards Jesus’ promised return.
How do the “monumental, historic, scary, and angst-filled” moments of the past (election) week expose the lack of unity we in the church have been trying to course-correct since the first Christian communities began to form?
As we move past the election, what’s next? We’ll talk about addressing the deep divisions not just in our country, but within Christianity. Hint: God plays the central role…
The Saints' are those who walk before us, those who show us the way. Today we honor and give thanks for them.
We're living in a world designed to trigger us and divide us. As Christians, we know a better way.
Karen McElfish, Lay Leader for the Arlington District of the UMC, gives an important message on social justice.
Our guest preacher this week is Rev. Dr. Michelle Holmes Chaney, Church Development Coordinator for the United Methodist Church in Northern Virginia Arlington District. We hope you'll join us in giving her a warm welcome!
You have heard it said that we should “Preach the gospel at all times, when necessary use words.” So, what does it mean to evangelize more than offering an invitation to Christ? And one does not even need to use words to do so, but instead can lead an evangelical life by letting your life reflect your faith and being a Christian out loud.
"This is the real world: Christ's reign. Healing, empathy, truth, love, and prayer. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed. Church, at it's best, is a time to renew our minds once a week."
"How many problems in your life stem from an inability to sit with yourself? The need to run and run and run because you know if you stop you may not get back up. So I encourage you to take this strange opportunity that quarantine provides to speak truth to ourselves, to choose honesty."
"What saves us from living a life of fear is keeping our eyes upon Jesus. In the midst of fear and the uncontrollable, keep your eyes on the one who by mercy and grace takes your hand and walks you through the chaos."
"Before I can remove this prejudice, this judgement, this hypocrisy, I need to comprehend it. I need to do the work to understand how I see the world, how I see you, how I see God before I can remove the log from my eye. I need to grasp reality."
The beautiful gospel of Jesus Christ, the Good News for those who gather to worship and those who have not been in quite some time, if ever, is that the love of God in Christ is ours. There is nothing we can do to earn this love and better yet, there is nothing we or anyone or anything can do to separate us from this amazing love.
Good things can come out of the weeds because God is here among them, his kingdom everywhere.
We are free, in Jesus Christ, to go beyond our limitations and to live fully in this world, working as we are moved by the Spirit of Christ to share that freedom in a world that is better positioned to condemn and convict. In Jesus Christ, in the power of his resurrection, and by the power of the Spirit of God we have been made free, no longer condemned, no longer guilty, and now invited, all of us, to live according to God’s Grace.
"The Christian Gospel is a paradox- only as our lives are linked to Christ and God's will, are we truly free. It is a great freedom to bear a burden other than our own selfish desires. Free to be who God created us to be."
"The task before us is monumental, and frankly long overdue in being addressed. But the Good News in Jesus’ words is not only for the ones being welcomed or ushered to the balcony. The Good News also is for the church where people are sent to the balcony to make us more comfortable, the church where a hand of welcome is not extended to someone whose hand looks different from our own, and the church where we may not participate in such actions but we certainly are not doing anything to address the actions of the larger body. "
Today we celebrate our one-year anniversary of becoming a Reconciling congregation. There is work to do, but we won't stop proclaiming the Good News.
"Our task is not greatness. Our task, given by Jesus, reiterated at Pentecost so that all can hear and believes is to do just that: believe."
"The Holy Spirit is a love connector, connecting everything and everyone to each other. May your world be transformed."
The power of Christ’s Resurrection ensures that we are all, all of creation is held together, we are grounded in His Grace through the love of our Creator and the power of God’s Spirit.
"The only proof of the resurrection is us. When people look at us, they will say 'surely Christ is risen!'"
Welcome to this time of worship. While we may not be gathered in the same worship space, we are held together in Christ. Even though you may be at home, our Lord promises that where two or three are gathered in his name, he too is present.
This order of worship can be used alongside our online worship service or done together as a family around the kitchen table or on the couch. Know that while we may not be worshiping in the same space, the peace of Christ is with us.
Make your worship space at home comfortable. We invite you to light a candle as you are able to serve as a reminder of God’s presence with each of us.
Welcome to this time of worship. While we may not be gathered in the same worship space, we are held together in Christ. Even though you may be at home, our Lord promises that where two or three are gathered in his name, he too is present.
This order of worship can be used alongside our online worship service or done together as a family around the kitchen table or on the couch. Know that while we may not be worshiping in the same space, the peace of Christ is with us.
Make your worship space at home comfortable. We invite you to light a candle as you are able to serve as a reminder of God’s presence with each of us.
Welcome to this time of worship. While we may not be gathered in the same worship space, we are held together in Christ. Even though you may be at home, our Lord promises that where two or three are gathered in his name, he too is present.
This order of worship can be used alongside our online worship service or done together as a family around the kitchen table or on the couch. Know that while we may not be worshiping in the same space, the peace of Christ is with us.
Make your worship space at home comfortable. We invite you to light a candle as you are able to serve as a reminder of God’s presence with each of us.
Jesus tells Nicodemus that he must be born of water and Spirit. At the font, we are given a new birth as daughters and sons of God. As God made a covenant with Abraham, in baptism God promises to raise us up with Christ to new life. From worship, we are sent forth to proclaim God’s love for all the world.
Lent begins with a solemn call to fasting and repentance as we remember our journey to the baptismal waters of Easter. During Lent, the people of God will reflect on the meaning of their baptism into Christ's death and resurrection. What seems like an ending is really an invitation to make each day a new beginning, in which we are washed in God's mercy and forgiveness.
We live in a time where we can explain so many things that were complete mysteries in the time of the Gospels — the rotation of the earth (rather than a sun that moves across the sky), predicting the weather (rather than having little foreknowledge), controlling epilepsy (that was believed to be caused by evil spirits). Where is the mystery today? It is still there but we tend to avoid it because in its face we feel powerless, maybe even fearful. But the mystery of life, while fearful, can also be intriguing and invigorating. It can pull us out of our own small worlds and make us very aware of what is around us. Mr. Rogers conveyed to children, and us, that we live in a magnificent yet complex world. This is especially true for children who do not yet understand the extent of the world around them. But the mystery that is around us does not mean we are alone. We are surrounded by neighbors who genuinely care for us, and we for them. And there is a God who has come to earth to demonstrate God loves us everywhere and all the time.
We are considering how our call from God invites us to live differently. How does being a child of God inform how we are a neighbor? How do we interact with the “neighbors” in our lives? Take a moment and ponder the lyrics of “The Servant Song” hymn number 2222 in The Faith We Sing as you prepare to worship.
Today’s focus is engaging our neighbors. That’s what salt and light — two keywords from our scripture — do; they engage us. They enhance our foods; illumine our world; provide heat. Listen this morning as we consider ways we become salt and light for God’s creation. If you feel so led, you may even be invited to share a way you or someone you know serves as salt and light.
Who are the blessed ones of God? For the prophet Micah, they are those who do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God. For Paul, they are the ones who find wisdom in the weakness of the cross. For Jesus, they are the poor, mourners, the meek, those who hunger for righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers. In baptism, we find our blessed identity and calling in this countercultural way of living and serving.
Followers of Christ are called to a different story. Those offended by the scandal of Christ’s ministry will try to show us one thing but then we hear Jesus saying, “I’ll show you…” (Matthew 4: 19, CEB).
We have not been left to figure out this story on our own or to write the story for ourselves. The narrative changes because we have been changed by God’s Grace.
Jesus shows up when we reach beyond ourselves and connect with our neighbors. Today we will look at how we are accepted by God’s grace just as we are. And it is when many different people come together — neighborhoods — that we discover Paul’s admonition “that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift.”
Followers of Christ are called to a different story. We have not been left to figure out this story on our own or to write the story ourselves. The narrative changes because we have been changed by God's grace.
Where has God changed your narrative? The narrative of your community?
In the waters of the Jordan, Jesus is revealed as the beloved Son of God. Through this great epiphany, Jesus fulfills all righteousness and becomes the servant of God who will bring forth justice and be a light to the nations. In the waters of baptism we too are washed by the Word, anointed by the Spirit, and named God’s beloved children. Our baptismal mission is to proclaim good news to all who are oppressed or in need of God’s healing
Linnea Carlson kicks off the New Year with a message about Epiphany and the revelation of Jesus, Emmanuel.
Today is a day to tilt our heads upward and look into the sky, just as the magi did long ago. There is something both mysterious and humbling about stars. Whether you ‘wish upon a star’ or look up and feel small as you ponder the immensity of the universe, stars grab our attention.
Today’s Scripture from Matthew is about God grabbing humanity’s attention to reveal the Messiah, God in the flesh. And our remembering this today is important lest we become enmeshed in the routines of life. Once a year it is good to look up and remember that God has come to dwell among us.
Oh come, Oh come, Immanuel.
Our word is ‘dream.’ The reading from Matthew delves into a dream. Only, considering the implications of Joseph's reality, it is more of a nightmare than a dream. His reality is not a vision of sugar plums dancing in his head but of betrayal and shame, both personal and public. His dreams for the future are short-circuited by circumstances. We are reminded that Jesus comes into a family facing turmoil and upheaval. Jesus comes into the complicated relationships of our life and world. This makes his birth all the more real and relevant.
As the shadows of Advent begin to give way to the Light revealed at Christmas, we recall the beginning of the Kingdom of God in a child and in doing so we await the full realization of a dream bigger than we can imagine but not so big that any of us will be left out.
When we approach God with thanksgiving, knowing that what was needed has been done by Christ, and all left to do is to be a part of the Kingdom Christ inaugurated when he left the grave empty, we realize the story we’ve been trying to write has been written.
Who blesses whom? How does blessing relate to steadfast love? What difference does it make in a life that feels blessed?
Keith Nelson, an active layperson in the life of Mount Olivet, speaks about how he has been blessed by Mount Olivet and, out of love, wants to give back so others can be blessed, as well.
We celebrate holy communion with congregations around the globe on World Communion Sunday. Through a piece of bread and a glass of juice, holy communion is an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace. It is one of the many ways God reaches into our lives to transform us.
This Sunday was all about the Bible. We presented Bibles to our third graders — an age where they can now read a Bible that is translated with their maturity in mind — so they can begin to develop the spiritual discipline of reading Scripture.
We proclaim how we are blessed by the cross of Jesus. The cross appears foolish, weak, low and despised; and yet, God uses it to redeem the world.
As we kick off a new season at Mount Olivet. There are so many activities and events to choose from — Sunday school, youth group, scouts, small groups, Wednesday Dinners, and more. The reason we offer so many different kinds of experiences is because each of us is on a unique journey toward becoming a disciple of Jesus. Where are you on that journey?
Today we are beginning our Blessed To Be A Blessing worship series. It is our hope that through preaching, thanksgiving, and prayer we might consider the blessings in our lives and how they might be shared with others.