Westminster Presbyterian Church, Alexandria Va

"Love your enemies is not the only teaching of Jesus Christ that leads me to question the seriousness, if not the reach, of my faith. Then when Jesus adds, 'do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you" - my doubts remain. Larry Hayward preaches from Luke, Proverbs, and Romans.

Patrick Hunnicutt preaches on Luke 6:20-26.

"In the year King Uzziah died." For all their tumultuous history, Israel lived in relative stability during the reign of Uzziah. When he left the throne, it ushered in a time of instability--Isaiah's career as a prophet will largely take place under Syrian occupation. Was it the finality of death and the inevitable reminiscing that comes with shock and mourning that made Isaiah recall "the good old days"? Rev. Whitney Fauntleroy preaches on Isaiah 6:1-8. The Scripture is read by Nico Gutierrez from Boy Scout Troop 129.

A three-part series with Dr. Diana Bermudez, a psychotherapist specializing in early childhood who helps young children, parents, educators and administrators to enhance emotional health and decrease challenging behaviors. In this session, Dr. Bermudez discusses the transformation of parenting from the traditional generic/authoritative style to a more responsive/nurturing style.

German pastor, theologian, and anti-Nazi dissident, Dietrich Bonhoeffer has achieved iconic status as one who epitomizes what it means to struggle and resist tyranny and fascism and how one acts in faithful witness as a religious and political commitment. Dr. Victoria Barnett, U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, will guide us through his faith journey, with an emphasis on how he engaged with the issues of his times and how that in turn led to some new theological insights. Part 4 of 4.

In a world in which sin and evil, death and disease, tragedy, treachery, and tyranny retain a great deal of their power, the church will never be able to reach every human being, heal every illness, eliminate every form of injustice, bring reconciliation to every personal, familial, political, religious, class, ethnic, tribal, national, or global conflict. But even when we accept, however reluctantly, what the church cannot do, there is one thing – one thing – that the church retains the power to do: bear witness to the Word God has given us, a Word which – in the end – is a word of hope. Rev. Larry Hayward preaches on Luke 4:21-30 and Psalm 71:1-6.

A three-part series with Dr. Diana Bermudez, a psychotherapist specializing in early childhood who helps young children, parents, educators and administrators to enhance emotional health and decrease challenging behaviors. In this session, Dr. Bermudez discusses how brain research has transformed our understanding of early childhood mental health and the role of parents.

Westminster members Matt Viser, Dan Judy, and John McArdle team up again to bring us up to date on the implications of the 2018 midterm elections. Matt is National Political Reporter with the Washington Post, Dan is Vice President at North Star Research, and John is Producer and Host at C-Span. Hear their insights and analysis of the midterms, just as the new Congress is getting started.

German pastor, theologian, and anti-Nazi dissident, Dietrich Bonhoeffer has achieved iconic status as one who epitomizes what it means to struggle and resist tyranny and fascism and how one acts in faithful witness as a religious and political commitment. Dr. Victoria Barnett, U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, will guide us through his faith journey, with an emphasis on how he engaged with the issues of his times and how that in turn led to some new theological insights. Part 3 of 4.

When we come to church, we expect to hear about love. But love and hate are bound in very intimate ways, so today we'll take a detour into the realm of hate. We ask ourselves, what is it that we hate? Patrick Hunnicutt preaches on Luke 4:14–22a.

German pastor, theologian, and anti-Nazi dissident, Dietrich Bonhoeffer has achieved iconic status as one who epitomizes what it means to struggle and resist tyranny and fascism and how one acts in faithful witness as a religious and political commitment. Dr. Victoria Barnett, U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, will guide us through his faith journey, with an emphasis on how he engaged with the issues of his times and how that in turn led to some new theological insights. Part 2 of 4.

The first miracle Jesus performs in the Gospel of John occurs at a wedding feast that lasts seven days and doubtless costs more than a few shekels. When Mary notices a human need – not one of life or death, of poverty or plenty – she turns to her son, whom both she and the reader know is “the Word” that has become “flesh” and “dwelt among us, full of grace and truth, ” and lays this situation at his feet. Larry Hayward preaches on John 2:1-11.

Baptism of the Lord Sunday always seems to come at just the right time: that part of the year that we are in between transitions, as we get caught up in the culture of the New Year. We might find ourselves somewhere between the reflections of the old and the hopes of the new. Whitney Fauntleroy preaches on Luke 3:15–22.

German pastor, theologian, and anti-Nazi dissident, Dietrich Bonhoeffer has achieved iconic status as one who epitomizes what it means to struggle and resist tyranny and fascism and how one acts in faithful witness as a religious and political commitment. Dr. Victoria Barnett, U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, will guide us through his faith journey, with an emphasis on how he engaged with the issues of his times and how that in turn led to some new theological insights. Part 1 of 4.

In the Time Being in which we live, the Herods of the world often rule but do not ultimately prevail. The Child who lives is the One over whose birth the star settles, the One whose birth draws Magi from their precincts of learning and shepherds from their fields of labor. On the Epiphany of the Lord, Larry Hayward preaches on Matthew 2:1-12.

How are we to behave in community? In Colossians, how we dress is a metaphor for how we strive toward communal flourishing. We do not dress for ourselves, but for our community: a community that should be imitators of Christ. Rev. Whitney Fauntleroy preaches on Colossians 3:12-17.

On this night, Christmas Eve, we gather with a sense of rapt, beautiful wonder. Shakespeare once wrote: “Such a deal of wonder is broken out within this hour, that ballad-maker’s cannot be able to express it”. In contrast to all other services in which the church gathers at night, on Christmas Eve, the sense of wonder is so pervasive that not even our most beautiful hymns and anthems, our gentlest harp, our most inviting voices can “express it.” Christmas Eve almost begs to be silent. Rev. Larry Hayward preaches on Luke 2:13-20.

On this Sunday before Christmas, the Fourth Sunday of Advent, I want to do something I rarely do in a sermon: I want to bear witness as clearly and beautifully as I can as to why I believe in all we are doing in this service today: the words we say, the music we hear and sing, the prayers we lift spoken or silent. In other words, I want to say, as best as I am able, why I am a Christian and how I got to be one. I hope to do so in a way that is not so much about me, but becomes about you who have gathered and about the birth, life, and destiny of the Christ whose name draws us here. Rev. Larry Hayward preaches on Luke 1:39-45.

Advent is a time of hope & expectation. We celebrate the miraculous birth of a child whose life, death and resurrection is the anchor of the Christian message. How are we to understand this first century message today as we come to it with very different cultural mores and practices, ethical understanding, scientific knowledge, and philosophical and religious insights? Questions we’ll explore include how to square our current scientific outlook with the Biblical account, how to understand the nature of miracles, and how faith is to be understood in this Post-Truth era. With Dr. Jim Muyskens.

Paul's encouragement to rejoice, his assurance of the nearness of God, his promise that we would obtain a peace that surpasses understanding - these are the words of the Bible that the church has been playing over and over again. If all we listen to are these "greatest hits," they might lose their power. Haven't we played that song enough? On the third Sunday of Advent, we light the candle for joy. Patrick Hunnicutt preaches on Philippians 4:4-9.