September 13
Together in Christ amid Divisive Times
Eph. 4:1–6; John 17:1–23
Here we introduce the tensions and divisiveness of this moment, consider how it impacts the church, and ask what unity looks like and why it is important at a time such as this. Click here to read the sermon.
Part I. The Nature of the Christ-Community
What is Christian community and how is it different from other communities we may be part of?
September 20
A Deeper Community
Eph. 1:1–23; Acts 2:36–37
What community finally determines who you are, what you’re here for, and where you are headed? Which web of relationships exacts the greatest influence upon you? Click here to read the sermon.
September 27
A Diverse Community
Eph. 2:11–22; Gen. 12:1–9
Our world is desperately trying to create an inclusive community; how does the Christian Community make possible a richer and real diversity?
Part II. The Habits of the Christ Community
How does the Christian community think and engage uniquely? What are its habits of understanding and acting with the world around it?
October 4
A Thinking Community
Eph 4:17–24; Prov. 1:1–5; 4:7; 15:22; 18:13; 20:5; 21:2; 23:12; 25:2; 27:27
Our culture does not teach us to think and understand issues well. Christians know that even our “minds are darkened,” so how do we as a community in Christ think and understand important matters with the mind of Christ?
October 11
A Doing Community
Eph. 2:1–10; 2 Cor. 5:16–21
As we understand issues around us in the light of Christ, when and how do we engage them?
Part III. The Love of the Christ-Community
How does our community uniquely love, both each other and the world around us?
October 18
A Praying Community
Ezek. 3, Zech. 7, Isa. 50, Luke 9 & 19, 1 Sam. 12
We are called to be people of truth and love. How do we live well during polarized times? In what ways do we seek what is ‘easy’ over what God calls us to?
October 25
A Loving Community Part 1: A Humble Love
Matt. 11:25-30; Eph. 4:1-7
Our witness loses integrity if we don’t love one another, so what is the unique energy and manner of how the community loves one another?
November 1
A Loving Community Part 2: A Building Up Love
Eph. 4:7-16; John 13:31-35
Our witness loses integrity if we don’t love one another, so what is the unique energy and manner of how the community loves one another?
November 8
An Outwardly Loving Community
Eph. 5:1–21; Matt. 5:13–16
Our posture toward the world is bittersweet in that we lament and warn, while also laying down our lives in service; what does this Christ-like love of the world look like?
Introduction
Dear Church Family,
2020 has been a tough year! A pandemic, race and justice issues, upended social norms, protests and riots, and virtual everything, have made the past six months unexpected to say the least. Thrown into the mix will soon be a presidential election. In the Washington Metro region, the mood can feel tense, tired and a bit divisive.
How should Christians understand and engage a moment like this? We must renew our vision and commitment to the church, the heart of God’s mission for us and the world, for two reasons.
First, when a spirit of division moves about in a nation, it tends to sow seeds of division within the church. The vibrancy and witness of the church, however, issues from her members’ unity and bonds of love. The quality of our life together is part of the witness of the Gospel of Hope that we hold out to a weary world. This fall, for the sake of the world, let’s ponder Paul’s admonition to the Ephesians: “be eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Eph. 4:3).
Second, you and I need the church. We are not ourselves by ourselves. Webs of relationships shape how we see and understand the world and our role in it. As Christians we are called to be shaped and to understand the world through Christ. In God’s economy of salvation, this shaping and transforming happens within a community of believers nourished by the Holy Spirit. Let’s live into, therefore, this truth: “though many, we are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another” (Rom. 12:5).
Our fall sermon series, Together in Christ amid Divisive Times, aims at renewing our vision and commitment to this community created by Christ. Drawing heavily from the Letter to the Ephesians, we will consider these three aspects of the church: its nature, habits, and love. My prayer for us in these months is not only for a deepened unity around our life in Christ (Eph. 4:3), but a fulfillment of Ephesians 3:10, “that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.”
In Christ's Love,
Sam Ferguson, Rector