A Sermon Preached on Martin Luther King weekend at Laurel Presbyterian Church “When Jesus Makes Us Uncomfortable” from John 2:13-25 I can remember the first-time church going to church troubled me. It was the Sunday before Thanksgiving, 2002. I was set to graduate college in a few short weeks. I was open to visiting a …
Martin Luther King
Standing on Somebody’s Shoulders
Ever found yourself stuck and unable to act? I have! There have been multiple moments in my life, even some last month or maybe even last week that I felt afraid. I didn’t want to act. I stood on the edge and looked down for a long while thinking of all that could go wrong if …
Why I Wore a Hoodie on Sunday
“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.” On Monday, these words appeared in the feeds of so many of my friends all across social media. We tweet …
Prayer for Those Who Wait for Justice
Oh Lord, we’re stunned. We’re angry. We’re disillusioned. We’re afraid. Even several days later, we still wonder how in America could verdicts like “not guilty” come down when a life was clearly taken. We wonder how a mother, a father, an entire family can go on after all they’ve lived through. We wonder how boys …
Fall Excitement on the Plaza
Last Wednesday night, Washington Plaza began a joint fall effort with our friends at Martin Luther King, Jr. Christian Church just down the street in Reston. We’re doing Bible Study together for the next 12 weeks. MLK Church and WPBC are no strangers to one another. We’ve been friends for a while now. I count Rev. Jean …
Endurance to Stand
Promise in Night: Endurance to Stand Mark 15:1-20 with Isaiah 50:4-9 As we began our service today outside, we re-enacted together what it might have felt like to be among the crowd waving palm branches and singing the praises of “Hosanna!” We shouted praises of thanksgiving for Jesus. We hailed Jesus as king. We adored his …
By Faith We Go On
By Faith We Go On: Hebrews 12:1-2, 8-12 Martin Luther King, Jr. Christian Church 30th Anniversary Service & Joint Service with Washington Plaza Baptist Church Now, I know that some in the congregation this morning, get to hear me talk more than they might like– as I preach every Sunday– but for the rest of …
God Calls You to See What Others Don’t
God Calls You: to See What Others Don’t I Samuel 3:1-10; Romans 12:1-8 Several years ago while participating in the Lewis Fellows Young Clergy Leadership program, our group of 30 pastors gathered in Atlanta, Georgia for 3 days of workshops. One afternoon, our discussion sessions suspended and we were all encouraged to walk from our …
