Westminster Presbyterian Church, Alexandria Va

On this the 2nd Sunday of Easter, let us remember that resurrection is not about a certain day of the year but about an orientation to life, death, and life after death. This day, I invite you to remember that we all are witnesses, to remember when the name of God, the name of Jesus, became more than a mere word to you. Rev. Whitney Fauntleroy preaches on the Second Sunday of Easter. The Scripture lesson is Acts 2:14a, 22-32.

Perhaps in all those Easters we have anticipated and celebrated – with the size of the congregation, the beauty of the weather, the conviviality of the gathering, the suits and dresses and hats – we have overlooked that the first Easter emerged in darkness for people who like Mary were traumatized: going to a tomb at night, finding its entrance unsealed and presumably invaded by grave-robbers. Easter doesn’t occur in the light. But it brings the light. While it is still dark, Easter brings light.

There are many questions that the continuous sweep of a pandemic has raised for us the past few weeks. For all these questions – theological and human – some will soon have answers, some will have answers in time, and some will never have answers. But there is one thing with which we are left: the witness of our fellow human beings. Rev. Larry Hayward preaches on Palm Sunday. The Scripture lesson is Matthew 21:1-11, and is read by Rev. Patrick Hunnicutt.

Hebrews boasts that “we are not among those who shrink back and so are lost, but among those who have faith and so are saved.” This assurance can only emerge from those who have been met by God not just in their strength, but in their weakness. Not those whom God finds to be puffed up, but those who are shrunken down. Not those who are found and can see, but those who are blind, and lost. That’s what we need. We need to be met where we are, to go where God would have us be. Rev. Patrick Hunnicutt preaches on the Fifth Sunday in Lent. The Scripture lesson is Hebrews 4:14-16.

On a small scale, I never thought I could accept that the worship of God could occur – at least for me – without the congregation being gathered, in the Sanctuary, in the Chapel, worshipping as a community. But when I walked into this Sanctuary last Sunday, even though the pews were empty, the place was filled with the Spirit. And this week whenever a familiar face has appeared on the monitor I now have set up in my basement, that even though location changes and media of communication is new, the face or faces on the screen are community, the community with whom I worship, the community I love, the community of Westminster Presbyterian Church. Rev. Larry Hayward preaches on the Fourth Sunday in Lent. The Scripture lesson is selected verses from Number 13-14, read by Rev. Whitney Fauntleroy.

I was tearful on Friday when our Session made the final but correct decision – in a conference call in which nearly all thirty-three members participated – to cancel all our activities, to livestream our worship, and to close our facilities. It was clearly the right decision, but I never thought I would see the day when I would say, “I’m sorry, but you cannot enter this house of worship.” Rev. Larry Hayward preaches on the the Third Sunday during Lent. The Scripture lesson is Proverbs 6:6-11 (Revised Standard Version), and is read by Rev. Jacob Bolton.

Engage John Calvin’s "Institutes of the Christian Religion," that lengthy and often argumentative exposition of our faith by our tradition’s seminal theologian and leader. Join us as Patrick reflects on his pilgrimage of reading and reflection and shares some of the inspirations and astonishments he encountered along the way. Come to discover how this book, so foundational to our historically held beliefs, can challenge and re-orient our contemporary faith, opening us to a more grounded and wonder-filled living of the gospel today.

During an illness, King Hezekiah, one of the three vaulted kings of Israel, is told by the prophet Isaiah, “Set your house in order, for you shall die; you shall not recover.” In this sermon, we will see how Hezekiah faces news of his impending death. Rev. Larry Hayward preaches on the Second Sunday in Lent, when the Westminster choir presents the Bach cantata, "God's Time Is the Best of All Times." The Scripture lesson is Isaiah 38:1-8, and is read by Rev. Patrick Hunnicutt.

No matter how bleak or insignificant a human life seems to be, the most important thing is to seek wisdom, to seek a wise heart, to seek a heart that begins with awe, reverence, respect for the Lord as the first principle and animating force for life. Rev. Larry Hayward preaches on the First Sunday in Lent. The Scripture lesson is Psalm 90.

Engage John Calvin’s "Institutes of the Christian Religion," that lengthy and often argumentative exposition of our faith by our tradition’s seminal theologian and leader. Join us as Patrick reflects on his pilgrimage of reading and reflection and shares some of the inspirations and astonishments he encountered along the way. Come to discover how this book, so foundational to our historically held beliefs, can challenge and re-orient our contemporary faith, opening us to a more grounded and wonder-filled living of the gospel today.

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 book is an attempt to reclaim that part of our religious heritage. Most of us have never met, much less learned from, the wives of Moses and Peter, Paul’s sister, Jesus’ brothers or the man behind the dark story of Judas. This forum series will talk of the practice of midrash and its access to some of the people found on the Bible’s edges.

Rev. Whitney Fauntleroy preaches on the Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time. The Scripture lesson is Matthew 5:22-26, and is read by Boy Scout Drew Berlett.

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 book is an attempt to reclaim that part of our religious heritage. Most of us have never met, much less learned from, the wives of Moses and Peter, Paul’s sister, Jesus’ brothers or the man behind the dark story of Judas. This forum series will talk of the practice of midrash and its access to some of the people found on the Bible’s edges.

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 book is an attempt to reclaim that part of our religious heritage. Most of us have never met, much less learned from, the wives of Moses and Peter, Paul’s sister, Jesus’ brothers or the man behind the dark story of Judas. This forum series will talk of the practice of midrash and its access to some of the people found on the Bible’s edges.

His name was George Steiner. He passed away Monday at the age of 90 at his home in Cambridge, England. He had served as the chief literary critic at The New Yorker for over thirty years. Now it may seem odd for so highbrow a figure as a professor of literature to serve as a connection to a sermon given on a hillside by an itinerant first century rabbi, to fishermen and tax collectors and other ordinary people who had gathered around him. But maybe there is more in common between Jesus’ teachings and the obituary of a scholar of literature than at first meets the eye. Rev. Larry Hayward preaches on the Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time. The Scripture lesson is Matthew 5:14-15.

WPC member Curt Powell and and his team will be speaking on the Kairos Prison Ministry he chairs for Sussex I State Prison. The session will include an overview of the program, how we at WPC can help, open discussion and powerful testimony from a former inmate whose life was turned around by finding Christ through Kairos.

A few weeks ago, a member of our church told me that the Beatitudes are the most meaningful part of the Bible for her to read. Her comments have led me to think about the Beatitudes over the past few weeks, specifically, what they mean to me, to us; their role in the life and teaching of Jesus; their place in the faith out of which they grow and which they in turn shape and form. Rev. Larry Hayward preaches on the Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time. The Scripture lesson is Matthew 5:1-12.

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 book is an attempt to reclaim that part of our religious heritage. Most of us have never met, much less learned from, the wives of Moses and Peter, Paul’s sister, Jesus’ brothers or the man behind the dark story of Judas. This forum series will talk of the practice of midrash and its access to some of the people found on the Bible’s edges.

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 Third Sunday in Ordinary Time. The Scripture lesson is Matthew 4:12-23.

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 relevant to contemporary and biblical stories.” Ruth argues that “we must examine the system that allows predators to thrive and hide” and calls “churches to develop formal systems for victims or witnesses of abuse to come forward.” As pastor and survivor, Ruth can shine a light on abuse and tell stories highlighting damage done to individuals, families and communities that gives hope for change and deliverance from more violence.