Central United Methodist Church (Arlington, Virginia) Sermon Podcast

From Complaining to Lamenting: A Complaint Free World Scripture: Numbers 11:1-6 & Lamentations 3:19-24 This week at Central, we explored the difference between complaining and lamenting, guided by the experiences of the Israelites in the wilderness and the raw honesty of Lamentations. Complaints often focus on what’s missing, keeping us at the surface of our emotions, while lament invites us to name our pain, confront our deeper feelings, and bring them into God’s presence with trust and ...

Ambassadors for Christ: A Story Worth Sharing Scripture: Ephesians 6:18–20 This week at Central, we celebrated Laity Sunday—a day when members of the congregation step forward to share their stories of faith and discipleship, reminding us that ministry belongs to all of God’s people. Through heartfelt witness, Fabian Rosado reflected on how a simple act of welcome drew him into community and revealed what it means to be an ambassador for Christ—someone whose everyday kindness becomes an invit...

Seeds That Bless the World: A Story Worth Sharing Scripture: 2 Corinthians 9:6–15 This week at Central, we continued our A Story Worth Sharing series by exploring Paul’s reminder that generosity is like sowing seeds—when we give freely and cheerfully, God multiplies our offering to bless others and nurture new growth. Guest preacher Rev. Christina Hart-Perkins shared how the seeds we plant through acts of kindness, generosity, and faithfulness don’t just change individual lives—they ripple ou...

Partners in God’s Good Work: A Story Worth Sharing Scripture: Philippians 1:3–6 This week at Central, we explored Paul’s letter to the Philippians and the remarkable joy he expressed even while in prison. Paul reminds us that we are not alone in our faith journey — we are partners together in God’s ongoing work. From the support and encouragement of the Philippians to our own church community, spiritual partnership strengthens, transforms, and sustains us. Pastor Sarah encouraged us to recogn...

What I Know Is Enough: A Story Worth Sharing Scripture: John 9:1–39 This week at Central, we continued our series A Story Worth Sharing with the story of the man born blind in John 9. Pressed with questions he couldn’t answer and pressured to explain what was beyond him, the man gave a simple but powerful testimony: “I was blind, and now I see.” He didn’t have all the theological details, but he had his story — and that was enough. Pastor Sarah reminded us that we, too, do not need to know ev...

A Story Worth Sharing: Holy Rocks Scripture: Genesis 28:10–19 This week at Central, we continued our series A Story Worth Sharing with Jacob’s story in the wilderness. Fleeing from the consequences of his deceit, Jacob finds himself alone, exhausted, and afraid, with nothing but a rock for a pillow. Yet it is in this place — the middle of nowhere, in the middle of his mess — that Jacob dreams of heaven touching earth. God meets him not with condemnation, but with a promise: “I am with you now...

A Story Worth Sharing: From Persecutor to Preacher Scripture: 1 Timothy 1:12–17 This week at Central, we continued our series A Story Worth Sharing. Pastor Sarah reflected on Paul’s powerful testimony — a story that begins not with triumph, but with failure. Before he became the great missionary of the early church, Paul (then Saul) was a persecutor of Christians, complicit in violence against the followers of Jesus. Yet rather than hide his past, Paul put it front and center. He ...

A Story Worth Sharing: The Unknown God Revealed Scripture: Acts 17:16–34 This week at Central, we began a new worship series, A Story Worth Sharing. Pastor Sarah reflected on Paul’s visit to Athens, where the city was filled with shrines, altars, and philosophies — including one altar marked “to an unknown god.” Rather than debate or condemn, Paul began with the Athenians’ spiritual hunger. He connected their searching to the God already at work in their lives, the God revealed fully in Jesus...

Singing Our Faith: Go Down, CUMC Scripture: Exodus 5:1–6:8 (CEB) This week in our Singing Our Faith worship series, Central UMC welcomed guest preacher Rev. Lemuel Pearsall, Jr. to reflect on the story of Moses, Pharaoh, and God’s unshakable promises. Standing before Pharaoh, Moses demanded freedom for God’s people, only to see their burdens grow heavier — bricks without straw, beatings without mercy, despair without relief. Pharaoh’s arrogance, the Israelites’ frustration, and even Mos...

Singing Our Faith: Tambourine Theology Scripture: Exodus 15:1–21 (CEB) This week at Central UMC, Rev. Sarah Harrison-McQueen invited us to stand on the shores of the Red Sea with the Israelites, who had just witnessed the impossible. Behind them, the waters closed over Pharaoh’s army. Ahead of them stretched wilderness, uncertainty, and freedom. In that liminal moment, the first sound was not a command or a quiet prayer, but music — tambourines and dancing led by Miriam the prophet. Rev. Harr...

Singing Our Faith: The Best Is Yet to Come Scripture: Isaiah 43:15–21 (CEB) This week at Central UMC, we welcomed guest preacher Rev. Michelle Holmes Chaney, Director for Leadership and Church Vitality for the Northern Virginia District. Rev. Holmes Chaney reminded us that even in the midst of uncertainty and reflection, God is constantly doing something new—sprouting, emerging, and unfolding in our lives and in the world around us. Through personal stories, memories, and even a Frank Sinatra...

Singing Our Faith: Directions for Singing This week at Central UMC, we welcomed guest preacher Brian Lamb from Wrights Chapel UMC in Ladysmith, VA. A seminary-educated public high school business teacher pursuing ordination, Brian brings a unique vision for ministry in the public schools — serving God and students where faith and daily life meet. Drawing from John Wesley’s timeless “Directions for Singing,” Brian invited us to see worship music not as a battleground between “traditional” and ...

Singing Our Faith: Ubi Caritas Deus Ibi Est Scripture: Psalm 107:1–7, 33–43 (UMH 830) This week at Central UMC, we welcomed guest preacher Rev. Joanna Dietz, a deacon who ministers in the community—often at farmer's markets and public gatherings—where she makes visible the steadfast love of God. Rev. Joanna invited us to reflect on Psalm 107, a rich song of thanksgiving and reversal: deserts become springs, the lowly are lifted up, and the weary are led to a place to dwell. Through the lens o...

Singing Our Faith: The Still Center Scripture: 1 Kings 19:8–16 This week at Central UMC, we turned to the story of the prophet Elijah—a man who stood against injustice, called down fire from heaven, and then found himself hiding in a cave, burnt out and afraid. In 1 Kings 19, Elijah flees to Mount Horeb, the same sacred ground where Moses once met God, and there, in the quiet, he encounters the divine—not in the wind, earthquake, or fire, but in the sound of sheer silence. Pastor Sarah ...

🎶 Faith That Sings: Songs of Heaven and Resistance Scripture: Hebrews 11:1–16 This week at Central UMC, we turned to the stirring words of Hebrews 11—a chapter sometimes called the “Hall of Faith”—to reflect on the kind of belief that doesn’t just survive adversity but sings through it. Through the stories of Abraham, Sarah, Noah, and others, we were reminded that faith is not wishful thinking—it is confident assurance. It's the ability to live as if God’s promises are already true. Pas...

🕊️ Sent and Still: A Taizé-Inspired Service Scripture: Luke 10:1–11 This week’s worship service at Central UMC took a contemplative turn as we explored the rhythms and spiritual practices of the Taizé Community, an ecumenical monastic movement in France devoted to prayer, simplicity, and reconciliation. Pastor Sarah introduced us to the story of Taizé’s founding, its daily rhythms of prayer and reflection, and the spirit of unity that continues to draw thousands of pilgrims there each year. O...

Tending the Flame Scripture: Leviticus 6:8–13 In this week's message, Pastor Sarah draws from the rarely-visited book of Leviticus to uncover profound truths hidden within ancient temple rituals. Centering on the command to keep a continuous fire burning on the altar, the sermon invites us to reflect on the fire of God’s presence in our own lives—how it burns, how it flickers, and how we are called to tend it daily. We explore the theological significance of the burnt offering and how i...

Praying at the River Scripture: Acts 16:13–15 In this week’s message, Pastor Sarah takes us to the riverside in Acts 16, where Paul meets Lydia—a bold and generous woman whose open heart and courageous faith helped birth the first church in Philippi. Drawing from personal stories of outdoor baptisms and the unexpected grace that flows in those holy moments, we explore how prayer, like music, often happens best in community and in rhythm. As part of our Singing Our Faith series, this ser...

Improvising Prayers Scripture: Romans 8:22–27 Sometimes prayer begins not with words, but with sighs too deep for words. In this week’s message, Pastor Sarah shares a powerful experience of communal prayer in South Korea and reflects on the Spirit’s ability to speak through our groans, our longing, and even our silence. Drawing from Romans 8 and Psalm 40, we explore the deep connection between lament and hope, silence and song, structure and improvisation. Just as jazz invites us to imp...

Singing Our Faith Scripture: Colossians 3:12–16 What we sing shapes what we believe. As we begin our new worship series, Singing Our Faith, Pastor Sarah invites us to reflect on how music forms us—individually and as a church community. This week’s message explores the connection between worship and formation through the lens of Colossians 3, where Paul calls us to live in compassion, love, and unity—and to “teach and warn each other with all wisdom by singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual son...