Christmas Eve Sermons' Past

Christmas Eve Sermons' Past

We thought it would be nice to hear some Christmas sermons from the past few years. ‘Tis the season for such goodness and Twas the night before Christmas past, so we hope you enjoy these.

The Father's Welcome

The Father's Welcome

We had only seen pictures of her, but official documents said she was ours. Our daughter.  My husband Jedd and I boarded the airline to Ethiopia to pick her up, to see the world she came from, and to bring her to our world. In our world, two eager girls, ages 5 and 3, waited…

Caring for the Vulnerable

Caring for the Vulnerable

Caring for vulnerable children is near to the heart of God. It is, in fact, one of His identities. David, in extolling God in Psalm 68, proclaims, “A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in His holy habitation…”

The Church's One Foundation

The Church's One Foundation

As we sing this mid-19th-century hymn this Sunday, look for how the words echo Scripture and how Samuel John Stone follows Paul’s instructions to the Ephesians in Acts 20 to keep a careful watch: “I told you all the truth about God. Keep a careful watch over yourselves and over the church…”

Newcomer Spotlight: Elena

Newcomer Spotlight: Elena

Elena found our church through a surprising set of twists and turns. We hope this Q&A will encourage you as you consider which ministry might spark your interest at The Falls Church Anglican and pray about God’s leading.

Acts 2:42-47 Fellowship: Lucy's Story

Acts 2:42-47 Fellowship: Lucy's Story

Lucy has a story (starting with a cup of tea!) about how God reignited her passion for missions and preaching the gospel of Christ. As we study the book of Acts and learn about the community of believers devoting themselves to fellowship, prayer and sharing their belongings, here is a testimony from our community…

Sovereign Lord

Sovereign Lord

In Acts 4:24, we hear a word for Lord that graduates the normal word used. In the New Testament, the word κύριος is used to refer to someone in authority, a term a servant would use to address his master, a word that appears in the text some 600 times, depending on your translation. But here, in Acts 4:24, a different word is used: δεσπότης.

Newcomers Spotlight: Erik and Annie

Newcomers Spotlight: Erik and Annie

The door slammed to the empty moving truck and we sank to the bumper for a brief respite before beginning the next goliath task, unpacking our lives from the boxes that had been stored away, again. This concluded the 21st move, for me, in ten years…

Be Thou My Vision

Be Thou My Vision

"Be Thou My Vision" is sung to an ancient Irish folk tune called "Slane," named after the Hill of Slane where St. Patrick boldly lit a fire or candles in 433 AD on the night before Easter. King Loegaire mac Neil had forbidden fires before a pagan festival, but St. Patrick's boldness to so publicly ignore this taboo drew the king's respect…

Jesus amid Our Closest Relationships (Col. 3:18–4:1)

Jesus amid Our Closest Relationships (Col. 3:18–4:1)

This dance between men and women is most vividly on display in marriage, and in the ensuing makeup of the home. You may find it a relief to learn that even in the first century Mediterranean world, even in Paul’s little churches, men and women needed lots of advice for how to make marriages, and the household relationships that ensued, work. 

Oneself in Another (Col. 2:8-15, 3:1-4)

Oneself in Another (Col. 2:8-15, 3:1-4)

She was a wild, uncouth little creature. She roamed about during family meals, snatching handfuls of food from plates, shoving them into her mouth. She screamed for no reason. She cried and threw things. Like an angry cat, she lashed out toward an approaching touch…

Error and Its Remedy (Col. 2:1-9, 16-23)

Error and Its Remedy (Col. 2:1-9, 16-23)

Colossians chapter two makes me nervous. It makes me nervous because it tells me that without great attentiveness and care, churches and Christians drift, not toward truth, but error. Like a car out of alignment, when a hand the slightest bit off the wheel…

Growing as Christians (Col. 2:16-19)

Growing as Christians (Col. 2:16-19)

Our goal - individually and corporately - is to grow spiritually into the character and likeness of Jesus. This is the work he began in us. This is the work he will see to completion (Philippians 1:6). To accomplish this goal, we are going to focus on four words or phrases in this text. Judge, disqualify, hold fast and grow…

Suffering in These Bodies (Col. 1:24-29)

Suffering in These Bodies (Col. 1:24-29)

As we continue our summer series in Paul’s letter to the Colossians, we have the opportunity to pause on one of the strangest and more confusing verses in the New Testament. And as initially shocking as this verse is, when we truly understand it, what God is saying through Paul can send our own spiritual lives to another level…

I Stand Amazed

I Stand Amazed

Charles H. Gabriel’s mother once told him, “I would rather have you write a song that will help somebody than see you President of the United States.” Her hopes for her son came true, and the song we sing this weekend, “I Stand Amazed,” is one of more than 7,000 songs he composed…

Paul’s Goal for Your Life (Col. 1:9-14)

Paul’s Goal for Your Life (Col. 1:9-14)

In Colossians 1:9–14, Paul is praying for the Colossians. His prayer, however, sets forth the apostle’s goal for their lives. In these few verses, we see what Paul’s goal is for all his friends, including us. We also see how this goal comes to shape how we are to live in the present.

O Worship the King

O Worship the King

The words to “O Worship the King” echo Psalm 104 as well as other Scripture passages, including Psalm 84 and Genesis 15:1 (the metaphor of God as “our Shield”). Some lines also remind us of verses in Colossians…

The Gospel Bears Fruit in Colossae (Col. 1:3-8)

The Gospel Bears Fruit in Colossae (Col. 1:3-8)

In recent decades a trend has developed toward restoring environmental areas to their original habitat. One aspect of this involves introducing plants that at one point were native to the area. A plant that is re-introduced not only should grow well, but also gives life to the larger eco-system—by enriching soil, attracting insects and animals, its fragrance, and so on.  

Pentecost

Pentecost

We celebrate Pentecost 50 days after Jesus' resurrection. It commemorates the arrival of the promised Holy Spirit, our comforter. We see this detailed in Acts 2 where "God-fearing Jews from every nation" were staying in Jerusalem.

Who is Jesus?

Who is Jesus?

Jesus is, ”the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation…” and, “by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.