May 19 Worship at Fairview Pk Marriott

Biblically we understand family as the body of our extended kin, the nuclear family, and the family of Christ. We find our own family needs met in Christ’s family. This sermon looks at the relationship of parents to children and children to parents.

Bishop Guernsey speaks to The Falls Church from Proverbs 25 and Matthew 5.

Jesus talks about money more than almost anything else, Proverbs talks about it in almost every chapter. What do they say? How can we tame money and put it to God’s use and find financial freedom?

The Bible says that work is intrinsic to human health - we need to be working, and through our work serving others. Diligence in our work is essential.

We are to loop upward to Christ, inward to evaluate, and outward to serve.

The Easter morning experience of Mary, Peter, and the others makes perfect sense as they walked the four steps toward faith in the risen Lord. To believe having see is good; to believe without having seen is even better.

On Palm Sunday, the Proverbs speak to us about pride and humility, and Jesus models what humility looks like, and a lot of others too.

Wisdome comes from God - fearing God and walking God's path. We develop a wise character by the daily choices we make.

Wisdom is rare nowadays, but is at the heart of Christian character. Wisdom means knowing how things really are, and how things really work, and what decisions to make in light of this. Wisdom begins with knowing Christ.

In a crazy culture, character and wisdom really matter. Proverbs helps teach us about both.

When Jesus calls us, it's not just to himself, it's to the good of all.

Christ not only calls us to himself, but to the church which he is building up in Love. Thus, ours is a dual commitment: to Christ, as well as to his Church.

We are seeing a rage for "calling" today, but much of the discussion is shallow, confused, and commercialized. This sermon looks at one of the crucial biblical passages behind the doctrine. Christ's call is primarily to Himself and secondarily to our occupational work in the world. Calling is to serve, to be a steward, to be entreprenurial, and to accountability.

The Rev. Robert Watkin speaks to The Falls Church Anglican from 2 Cor. 5:11-21 and Matt. 28:16-20.

The person who lives into God's purposes must temper justice with mercy, learn to wait if he isn't certain, and then act when God speaks, even if God's guidance makes little sense.

Sometime our disappointments are part of God's larger plan - learning to trust God in pain is one of God's biggest lessons.

We celebrate Christ as King on this Sunday, and note how he’s a king who loves us when we fail.

A topical message about God's sovereign rule in spite of great evil in the world; a call for repentance and renewal in good works.

Are the things we pursue in life worthy of Christ? Did he give himself for us so that we could pursue these things? “Once you really realize how Christ sacrificed for you, you won't spend the rest of your life living to fulfill your own human desires and appetites, but you live for what God wills.” (1 Peter 4:2) Sometimes we need Godly rebuke and sometimes to rebuke another.

God gives us a lot when we say "Yes" to Jesus: we’re also called to live without some things.

Jesus calls us to “go” forth into Mission for him? What Mission? What is the Mission of God? And, what does the Mission of God have to do with you?

How do we enter into what God wants in relation to healing? The audio of this sermon includes two excellent interviews.

Christian living in the home requires a firm commitment to be a servant.

Peter shows us how to be faithful Christians in our times: 1st Century Discipleship in the 21st Century. And Jesus calls all of us “Follow Me”, even in times that make it hard to be Christian.

This message includes an extended interview w/ parishioners about serving God in the workplace, and its focus is on the main thing God has been doing moving our church office into the marketplace.

God's well known words to Joshua are also his words to us, especially when we face challenging seasons in our lives.

In the aftermath of Israel’s idolatry with the golden calf God refused to go with them any further. When Moses stepped in to intercede God relented, promising his presence and revealing his glory.

The Rev. Bill Haley speaks to The Falls Church Anglican from Exodus 25.1-9.

Like all wise fathers, God taught his children right and wrong. The Ten Commandments are God's grace gift: they teach us how to love God back, how to represent God to the nations, and teach us our need for Christ.

What are the Ten Commandments for? Just to obey a demanding God? No, they show us how to live in grace - the grace God gave the Israelites by bringing them to Himself out of Egypt on eagles' wings. The Law is a mirror that shows us our hearts and a path for us to walk on.

When all other options are exhausted in the wilderness, God will provide. The wilderness is where miracles happen.

How can believers find "blessed assurance" when every circumstance mocks them with trials and troubles? St. Paul's climactic message in "the Great Eighth" (Romans 8) not only affirms the assurance of faith but also reveals the Gospel paradoxical power that transforms our troubles and sanctifies our sorrows. This is truly a "theology of suffering" that everyone needs to embrace.

There is no shame in not knowing how to pray - even the most mature sometimes simply do not how to bring their concerns to God, and what would be most pleasing to God. In this time the Holy Spirit will pray for us in accordance with the will of God.

The Christian must learn to wait. God's great work in us has only just begun. We are "washed" in Christ's blood, yet "waiting" for the full blessing of new life that will be ours in New Earth.

When we are anxious and worry about the future, it is good to fortify ourselves with a review of the Bible’s teaching on hope. In Romans 8:24-25, Paul lays out four things to know and do: 1. We were saved in hope (24a). 2. We do not hope for what we see (24b). 3. We hope for what we do not see (25a). 4. We hope with endurance (25b). And beware: the two great enemies of hope, despair and presumption, are lurking around any hope we can manage. But also be consoled: God is at work in us to get us from our first beginning to our last end.

Gaining certainty about the Resurrection in the face of doubt.

[Media of this message is coming soon.] We can be as certain of the Resurrection and heaven as the early Christians were.

What options do we have for responding to the Resurrrection? In the Resurrection passages we are told to not fear, believe, and rejoice.

[Media of this message is coming soon.] A fictionalized account of the centurion, Petronius, who guarded Jesus’s tomb, and his meeting with Matthew years later. (Same message given April 4, 2010.)

[Media of this message is coming soon.] Cleopas and Mary’s encounter with the risen Christ on the road to Emmaus can be our experience too.

Like Barabbas, we are all guilty of great sin. We do not deserve pardon, we deserve death. But Jesus died for us and paid the price of our sin.

Whatever you are doing, unless and until you turn to God and give yourself to Him and His way in repentance and faith, you will die without him. God desires us to be with Him, but in His love, leaves the choice up to us.

Mary willingly submitted to God: He changed all of her plans, and in exchange, God gave her eternity of glory. Only as *we* are willing to let God step in and change *our* plans, can we come into His glory.

To the man who doesn’t take God seriously, eventually God becomes silent. God will not be trifled with.

We can turn adversity to advantage, by making it an occasion for exercise of faith and resulting blessing for ourselves and our family.

Jesus never stops loving you, but unless you love him *back*, he will let *you* go.

Life is hard. The Bible knows it. The Bible speaks to it. We have great hope in the redemption of our bodies: our resurrection.

Romans 8 gives great hope for creation, which groans while it waits for Christ and his people to be revealed.

Romans 8 says we are children of God and fellow heirs with Christ. What does that mean? And what does it mean for us right now?

Because of Jesus’ death for us on the Cross, we can be adopted by our heavenly Father, made children of God and become inheritors of the immeasurable riches of His Kingdom.

Our relationship with God changes forever when the Holy Spirit takes up residence in our life.

The Christian life is lived in, by and through the power of the Spirit. It is a supernatural –and natural – life. Too often we focus on the work of the Spirit at conversion, and at our resurrection, but neglect the Spirit’s work in our present, everyday lives. Paul tells the Roman Christians to “walk according to the Spirit.”

What does it mean to live of the flesh? What does it mean to live of the Spirit? What does it look like to submit to the Spirit?

The example of Naaman the Syrian, healed of his leprosy in the Jordan when he was expecting a more spectacular means of encountering God, leads us to expect to meet God in simple things. This expectation is confirmed by the manger and cross of Jesus Christ.

Don’t believe something about yourself that Jesus refuses to say. Many Christians struggle unnecessarily with feelings of self-condemnation for their ongoing failure to live up to God’s standards. Romans 8 gives us great hope that we can move past self-condemnation into an assurance of our healing for this love and help.

The Rev. John Yates speaks to The Falls Church from Isaiah 42:1-9. This sermon also touched on the recent court ruling regarding ownership of church property.

As image bearers of a just God, we are to do justice. Isaiah 58 is a bracing word to God’s people, but with clear instructions and promises of blessing when we love like God does, and do justice.

Jesus is a person, not an idea. He *is* the good news.

In this third and final session, John and Susan Yates discuss humility, self-discipline, and courage in the context of parenting.

Jesus, the Messiah, is the most amazing man ever to walk the earth. If we want to be like Jesus, we’ll do what he did. One thing he did every day was pray, and he shows us what prayer is.

In this second of three sessions, John and Susan Yates talk about raising "other-centered" kids in a "me-centered" world.

In this first of three sessions, John and Susan Yates discuss character, integrity, the challenges of culture, and parents' need for one another.

If you are a believer, then be passionate about being faithful to Christ!

Jesus assures the Philadelphians in Rev 3:7-13 of the hope of eternity with God so they will faithfully endure persecution and suffering. An eternal perspective and a God-ward focus is needed in all of our lives to keep us rightly oriented, keeping priorities and perspective when things are going well, and to give us hope and assurance when we are dealing with trials and hardships.

Jesus calls Sardis a dead church. How do know when church is dead, and what does Jesus say to do about it?

In today’s culture, intolerance is a vice and tolerance is a virtue. This can create difficulties for the Christian, as following Jesus calls us to really be “intolerant” to certain things; and to not “tolerate” certain things. Under the pressure of not wanting to offend, we can fall into “the temptation of tolerance,” meaning, when being clear about the Truth might be too costly, we tolerate the intolerable. Such was the case in Thyatira.

In the world we will have tribulation and suffering, but Christ commands us to overcome tribulation and suffering in the strength that He alone can supply.

The Church is a lampstand which spreads the light of Christ all around. We are to fully reflect Christ in all we do. We must remember that Christ died for our sins, and recommit ourselves every day to loving, serving, and communicating to others the hope and purpose of life in Christ.

Which is better, duty or delight? Which is better, to serve your spouse, friend, child out of a sense of duty, or out of a heart of delight? Although Jesus is pleased with the Churches good deeds and sound doctrine, He is ultimately after their hearts – their delight. This was the case in Ephesus, and is the case today.

The Christ is shown in Revelation as incomparable, cosmic, conquering, and coming.

As we remember the day when the towers fell, the Pentagon burned, and a plane falling from the Pennsylvania sky cut an untimely grave, the Scripture directs us to a vision of a White Horse and its Rider.

In the face of utter calamity, such as the calamity the world felt when the United States was attacked on September 11, 2001, how can we respond? When the foundations are destroyed, when not only physical things are disintegrating, but when a nation's moral, ethical and religious moorings are dissolving, what can the follower of Jesus Christ do? The Psalmist in Psalm 11 teaches us how the righteous can respond. The righteous woman or man is to 1) remain righteous; 2) trust in the Lord; and 3) preach the Gospel.

What does God want you to do with your life?

What’s the secret to being content in all circumstances? Paul tells us, and it’s at the same time comforting and challenging.

Solomon’s life is a story of a man who had it, and blew it. How can we finish well?

How can all Christians live faithfully to God in an oversexed and permissive culture, particularly if they are single?

Faithfulness is at the heart of all good friendships and is the key to a lasting marriage.

This message discusses faithfulness and fidelity in relationships, and especially in marriage.

This message discusses the importance of friendship, and most importantly our friendship with Christ.

Acts 2.42-47 is one of the most compelling portraits of the church as it’s ever been experienced. It helps us know what to expect when the Spirit comes to a community of believers.

Just like at the first Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit comes he convicts and the response is to repent.

The Holy Spirit will help us tell the story of Jesus Christ.

God wants to fill you with his Holy Spirit. Understand the differences between receiving the Holy Spirit, a baptism in the Spirit, and being filled with the Spirit.

The Disciples' replacement of Judas the betrayer with Matthias demonstrates the sovereign hand of God working in history and human lives to accomplish his purposes.

The Rev. Kathleen Christopher speaks to The Falls Church from Acts 1:12-26.

The Rev. John Yates speaks to The Falls Church from Acts 1:1-11. The printed sermon text differs significantly from the recording, which focuses on the objective basis for our faith. The printed sermon walks through Acts 1:1-11 and describes six inherent warnings.

The Rev. Jim Byrne speaks to The Falls Church from 2 Timothy 2:1-3. "Be a Barnabas; find a Paul; disciple a Timothy."

The Rev. John Yates speaks to The Falls Church from Mark 16:12-13 and Luke 24:13-35.

Jesus died to be Living Water for us. A reflection on Jesus’ fifth word from the cross.

A reflection on Jesus’ first word from the cross.

An exposition of Jesus washing his disciples' feet that focuses on what this act means to us.

The God who judges us is the God who weeps over us - we see this in Jesus on Palm Sunday.

The Right Rev. Martyn Minns, Bishop of CANA, speaks to The Falls Church from Matthew 5 during a service of Confirmation.

Along our Lenten way, looking ahead to the great drama of our redemption which we will shortly be celebrating at Holy Week and the Easter feast, we pause to sing a song of ascents which paradoxically begins “out of the depths.” How can that be? By waiting for the Lord. Why? Because he is God and we are not. Yes, but how? First, we wait actively, as St. Paul directs us in our capacity to set our minds on the Spirit and not on the flesh. Secondly, in our incapacity, we wait passively, like Lazarus. His contribution? It was twofold: he was dead and he stunk.

In John 15 Jesus calls us to life in the vine, abiding in him and bearing much fruit. This call to bear much fruit is not a demand to a moral checklist, but an invitation to the life that is truly and eternally life.

Bearing fruit for Christ involves our choice to abide in him, and letting him abide in us. We abide in his love as he abides in the Father's love.

God loves me and has designed me to draw life from him as I remain connected to the vine which is Jesus Christ. As a loving Father, he prunes back areas of my life that may potentially become the things from which I draw my ultimate satisfaction, security and fulfillment. And he does this so that we can draw more deeply from Him and be more fruitful, reflecting the character of Jesus Christ.

Jesus loves us the way he’s loved by the Father. Knowing this is harder than it seems, but there are ways we can “abide in his love.”

What is the essential meaning of John 15.1-11? Jesus tells us how the spiritual life works, and says simply “Abide in Me” using an illustration of the vine and branches.