On & Off the Mountaintop — February 19, 2023 St. Stephen’s UMC, Burke, VA Matthew 17:1–9 (NRSV) In the past weeks, we have been talking about discipleship. The life of a baptized Christian is meant to walk this narrow path of discipleship. Baptism is not only about believing, not only about joining, but also about serving…

The Cost, Challenges, and Outcome — January 29, 2023 St. Stephen’s UMC, Burke, VA Luke 14:25–33 (NRSV) During one of my first sermons here at St. Stephen’s, I shared how much I love describing our Christian discipleship as a journey. Being a Christian, or as we call a disciple, means being on a lifelong journey from…

November 20, 2022 St. Stephen’s UMC, Burke, VA Luke 23:33–43 (NRSV) In the movie Schindler’s List (1993), a film based on the true stories of the Holocaust that is considered one of Steven Spielberg’s bests, there is a scene where two characters have a discussion over the definition of power. …

October 30, 2022 St. Stephen’s UMC, Burke, VA Romans 8:12–25 (NRSV) Today, we are concluding our stewardship campaign with the holy habit of changing the world. As you are aware, the mission of the United Methodist Church is “to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.”…

October 9, 2022 St. Stephen’s UMC, Burke, VA Acts 8:26–40 (NRSV) We are going over five holy habits as part of our stewardship campaign. Last Sunday, we talked about the habit of worshiping. And today, we will talk about the habit of sharing the good news. In one simple term…

September 18, 2022 St. Stephen’s UMC, Burke, VA Philippians 2:1–13 (NRSV) Today, we look at the second part of our threefold vision statement: “REFLECT CHRIST AS THE CATALYST FOR COMMUNITY.” Not only do we receive Christ — inwardly — as the key to life, but we also reflect Christ —…

August 28, 2022 St. Stephen’s UMC, Burke, VA Acts 9:1–19a (NRSV) When it comes to Christian faith or discipleship, I like to describe it as a journey. Being a Christian means being on a lifelong journey from Point A to Point B. We journey from darkness to light, from old…

The Withering Bush — August 7, 2022 St. Stephen’s UMC, Burke, VA Jonah 3:10–4:11 (NRSV) When you hear the name Jonah, you probably think of the big fish story first. To provide a quick recap: God had called Jonah to do something, but Jonah decided to run away from God’s call. So, he hopped…

The Burning Bush — July 17, 2022 St. Stephen’s UMC, Burke, VA Exodus 3:1–15 (NRSV) Last week, we were reminded by Pastor Spencer that all of us are called to ministry through our baptism. Not just the pastors, not just the lay leaders, but all baptized Christians are ministers who are called to…