Christ City Church, Washington DC

This week in our Learning to Live series, Pastor Justin Fung looks at what it means to be the Church. [1 Peter 2:4-5, 9-12]

This week in our Learning to Live series, Kiry Murray preaches on the Bible as a lamp for our feet and a light for our path according to Psalm 119:105. They recognize that Scripture has been used to harm and point us toward the hope that Scripture can also be used to heal.

Kiry Murray (They/Them) is an intern at Christ City and a Seminary student at Wesley Theological Seminary.

This week in our Learning to Live series, Pastor Justin Fung talks about overcoming and enduring through life's journey in community and with God. [Psalm 23]

-- Follow along with Learning to Live at ⁠learningtolive.app⁠.

Pastor Matthew Watson continues in week 6 of Learning to Live, a church-wide curriculum written for Christ City that we'll be journeying through over the next several weeks, exploring together what it means to follow Jesus and seek the kingdom of God. [⁠1 Timothy 4:7-16⁠] -- Follow along with Learning to Live at learningtolive.app.

Pastor Justin Fung gives an Ash Wednesday Homily on transformative fasting according to Isaiah 58.

Pastor Andrea Ackermann continues in week 5 of Learning to Live, a church-wide curriculum written for Christ City that we'll be journeying through over the next several weeks, exploring together what it means to follow Jesus and seek the kingdom of God. [2 Corinthians 3:17-18; Ephesians 2:8; Galatians 5:22-23] -- Follow along with Learning to Live at learningtolive.app.

Pastor Justin Fung continues in week 4 of Learning to Live, a church-wide curriculum written for Christ City that we'll be journeying through over the next several weeks, exploring together what it means to follow Jesus and seek the kingdom of God. [John 3:16-17] -- Follow along with Learning to Live at learningtolive.app. Find a Christ City small group at christcitydc.org/small-groups

Resources mentioned in the sermon:

• "Do You Know" questions | Study by Dr. Robyn Fivush & Dr. Marshall Duke

• "The Gospel of the Kingdom" - The Bible Project

• "The Four-Chapter Gospel" - The Institute for Faith, Work & Economics

• "The Big Story" - James Choung

• Resources for Wise Peacemakers - London Institute for Contemporary Christianity (the diagrams were taken from here, adapted by the artist Deb Mostert from James Choung's categories)

Pastor Matthew Watson, along with Dr. Daniel Harris, continues in week 3 of Learning to Live, a church-wide curriculum written for Christ City that we'll be journeying through over the next 12 weeks, exploring together what it means to follow Jesus and seek the kingdom of God. [Psalm 139]

Follow along with Learning to Live at: learningtolive.app .

Find a Christ City small group at christcitydc.org/small-groups

In this third week of our Advent series, "Waiting on God", Pastor Justin Fung reflects on two women who found joy in God, even in their waiting. Judges 13:2-5; Luke 1:46-55

In week two of Advent, Pastor Andrea Ackermann reflects on the peace of God from the stories of Elizabeth and Sarah, two women who waited on God to fulfill Their promises. Gen. 18:1-15, 21:1-7; Luke 1:1-25

Pastor Matthew Watson starts off our Advent season with the story of Hagar and the hope she names in God in Genesis chapter 16.

Pastor Justin Fung wraps up our sermon series "Blessed are the Peacemakers" by looking at Isaiah 65:17-25 and the path to peacemaking.

This week in our sermon series "Blessed are the Peacemakers", Pastor Matthew Watson is joined by a panel of peacemakers who share their experiences and perspectives in local and global contexts. John 14:25-27

In the second week of our sermon series, "Blessed are the Peacemakers", Pastor Lisa Watson explores Ephesians 2:14-18 and three elements of peacemaking: forgiveness, rest, and love.

Pastor Matthew Watson starts off our new sermon series, "Blessed are the Peacemakers" by looking at Matthew 5:9.

In this sermon series, we will explore Jesus’ invitation to be peacemakers as articulated in the Sermon on the Mount and consider its implications for our lives in a world plagued by violence. What does it mean to be peacemakers in our families, neighborhoods, and world? What implications does peacemaking have on our economics, livelihoods, parenting, and prayers?

This week, Pastor Justin Fung brought our series, “The Meaning of Life: Life Lessons from Ecclesiastes”, to a close. Pastor Justin Fung preached on the words of Ecclesiastes 12 that call us to remember who God is.

Pastor Matthew Watson continues our series "The Meaning of Life: Life Lessons from Ecclesiastes" in Ecclesiastes 9:7-11, looking at what it means to live the life you have while it lasts.

Continuing our series, "The Meaning of Life: Life Lessons from Ecclesiastes", Rev. Dr. Starlette Thomas talks about Ecclesiastes 8:14-15 and our striving to make sense of suffering.

Rev. Dr. Starlette Thomas is an author, activist, visual artist, race abolitionist and archivist. She is a womanist in ministry and a wilderness wanderer proclaiming a raceless “kin-dom” that is coming. Starlette regularly writes on the sociopolitical construct of race and its longstanding membership in the North American church as the interim managing editor of news and opinion and the director of The Raceless Gospel Initiative at Good Faith Media. Her podcast, The Raceless Gospel, takes her listeners to church and to a virtual church service where she and her guests tackle that taboo trinity— race, religion and politics. An unrepentant academician and bibliophile, Starlette graduated in May with a Doctor of Ministry degree from Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, DC. Her thesis is titled "Take me to the water": A raceless gospel as baptismal pedagogy for a desegregated church. From thesis to book title, it will be published in November by Nurturing Faith Books.

Guest preacher, Rev. Dr. Leroy Barber taught on Ecclesiastes 5-6 and the roots of injustice.

Rev. Dr. Leroy Barber is an innovator, entrepreneur, and lover of the arts. He has dedicated 30 years to living and working towards what Dr. King called “the beloved community," ministering in multiple communities and capacities. Leroy is currently Executive Director of Neighborhood Economics. Leroy is the Co-Founder of the Voices Project and Adjunct professor at Multnomah University. Rev. Barber has served on the boards of The Simple Way, Missio Alliance, The Evangelical Environmental Network (EEN), and the Former Board Chair of the Christian Community Development Association (CCDA). 

In our sermon series, "The Meaning of Life", Pastor Matthew Watson encourages us to look for meaning and humanity even in sorrow and death according to Ecclesiastes 7.

In our series, "The Meaning of Life", Pastor Justin Fung preaches on Ecclesiastes 4 and our need to offer help and receive help in a world where oppression exists.

In our series, "The Meaning of Life", Pastor Justin Fung looks at Ecclesiastes 3 and the seasons/times of life.

Pastor Andrea starts off our new sermon series, "The Meaning of Life: Lessons from Ecclesiastes" in Ecclesiastes chapters 1 and 2. This introduction to the book of Ecclesiastes calls us to hold the two realities that life is a vapor but also significant.

Pastor Matthew Watson reminds us of the rhythms of life that require times of rest in the One who renews, as described in Matthew 11:25-30.

Wrapping up our series, "How Do I Know", Pastor Andrea Ackermann talks about how we can discern where the Spirit is working by looking for the fruit of the Spirit's work as described in Galatians 5:22-25.

In our series "How Do I Know", Pastor Justin Fung looks at God's specific and general will in light of Matthew 5:13-16.

In week two of our series "How Do I Know", Pastor Lisa Rodriguez-Watson looks at 1 Samuel 3:1-10 and Philippians 2:12-13 and what these passages can teach us about the problems, promises and posture of discernment.

Starting off our new sermon series, "How Do I Know", Matthew Watson looks at Proverbs 3:1-8 in light of the question, "does God have anything to say about the decisions we have to make?"

Continuing our sermon series, "The Basics", Pastor Andrea Ackermann talks about community and the practice of giving testimony in light of our Scripture passages Psalm 40 and Hebrews 12.

In week two of our sermon series, "The Basics", Pastor Matthew Watson about what it means to live as "sent ones" following Paul's example in Acts 17:22-34.

Pastor Justin Fung starts off our new series, "The Basics", talking about prayer and Scripture. He looks at how Philippians 3:13-16 and Luke 4:1-13 can help us understand the basics of worship.

In part four of our sermon series, "Conflict is Key", Pastor Lisa Rodriguez Watson walks us through three principles for healthy conflict based on James 1:19.

In week 3 of our sermon series, Conflict is Key, Pastor Justin Fung talks about building healthy relationships and understanding ourselves. This sermon refers to Mark chapters 1, 3 and 4 as well as Psalm 139.

In week 2 of our sermon series, Conflict is Key, Pastor Matthew Watson talks about Boundaries, Forgiveness and Reconciliation according to Acts 15:36-41 and 2 Timothy 4:9-11.

For Pentecost, Reverend Tonetta Landis-Aina preaches on Acts 8:26-40 where we see an Ethiopian eunuch seeking God and being welcomed into the community of the Spirit.

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Rev. Tonetta Landis-Aina is a native of North Carolina and moved to Washington, DC in 2004, where she is one of the pastors at The Table Church. She holds a Master of Divinity from Wesley Theological Seminary and is passionate about marginalized people finding their stories in scripture as well as about the new shapes the church will take in the 21st century. When Tonetta isn't geeking out on the Bible or trying to piece together what God might be doing in this beautiful city, she is enjoying time with her wife, 5-year-old son, and newborn daughter.

Pastor Justin Fung wraps up our series, The Next Five, on Commitment Sunday. In 2 Samuel 24:16-25, King David says "I will not sacrifice to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.” This week Pastor Justin Fung discussed what it looks like to fully commit ourselves to God.

To submit your pledge or make a one-time donation to Christ City's next five years' worth of ministry, go to: https://www.christcitydc.org/tnf-give

Pastor Matthew Watson continues week four of our series, The Next Five, talking about collaborative justice according to Psalm 85:8-13⁠. Collaborative justice is one of the top three priorities Christ City is highlighting in this Next Five series. To learn more about The Next Five, check out: ⁠https://www.christcitydc.org/thenextfive

"To take space is to know that you are invited to bring your whole self to the community and that there will be space for you. We should hear and know that we can experience belonging. Taking space is being able to resonate with someone else’s experiences and perspective in this community, it’s to see yourself, to hear your own language (literal and figurative). It’s simple things like someone else looking like you or having the same experience or life season or struggle." This week in our series, The Next Five, Pastor Andrea Ackermann talks about inclusive welcome, one of Christ City's top three priorities. She discusses inclusive welcome based on Acts 2:1-12 and Acts 2:41-47.

To learn more about The Next Five: https://www.christcitydc.org/thenextfive