REMINDER: Worship at Bishop O'Connell High School this week

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.

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.

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

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

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

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.

Gaining certainty about the Resurrection in the face of doubt.

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

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

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.

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

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.

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 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.”

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

Jesus died to be Living Water for us. A reflection on Jesus’ fifth 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.

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.

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.

The Rev. Bill Haley speaks to The Falls Church from Luke 11:5-13 and Ephesians 5:15-21, giving an introduction to the ministry of the Holy Spirit and what it means to be filled by him.

"The Kingdom of God" is The Age of the Spirit. In this age God pours out His Spirit on the elect and comes to dwell in their hearts in the Person of the Holy Spirit. No one is saved apart from the regeneration of the Holy Spirit. Similarly, the process of sanctification is all about learning to walk in the Spirit, submitting more and more of your life to the Spirit. The key question is not “how much of the Holy Spirit do you have?,” but “how much of you does the Holy Spirit have?” One implication of being filled with the Spirit is worship!

The Rev. John Yates speaks to The Falls Church. God gives us his Spirit to help us do what he calls us to do.

When Jesus looked at the crowd he had compassion on them because they were harassed and helpless like sheep without a shepherd. Jesus tells us that the way to address these needs is to ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers for the harvest. May we follow Jesus’ example and (1) be people who see and people who care, (2) be people who asks God to send out workers for the harvest, and (3) be the people who uses us to answer our prayer and make us disciples who make disciples!

We live in an age where God is expanding His kingdom one person at a time. Jesus chooses to use us to expand His kingdom by our actions and with our words. Three things to do to effectively tell others about the gospel of heaven: (1) Make time in your life to hang around with people that don’t know Jesus. (2) Think through your testimony and what your life was like before you met Christ, how you met Christ and what’s your life like since you met Christ. (3) Learn a simple illustration to explain the good news of the gospel of the kingdom of heaven.

In the gospels, when people recognized who Jesus was and came to Him in humility they were transformed. Like them we are called to recognize who Jesus is, to come to Him and to be transformed by Him. And having experienced Him, like those who experienced Him in the gospels we are called to bear witness by telling others what He has done for us.

The Rev. Bob Koth speaks to The Falls Church from John 15:12-17. Being a Christian is partnering with Christ in making God's love tangible. We do this by realizing the depth of Christ's love for us, and then fulfilling His mandate to love others.

The Rev. Jim Byrne speaks to The Falls Church from John 1:1-18. Jesus is the Word of God Incarnate. The same Word of the Lord who spoke creation into existence can speak transformation into your life!

The Rev. Robert Watkin speaks to The Falls Church from John 1:1-18. Jesus, as the Word made flesh, is the most supreme revelation of God, who became vulnerable for us and ever tabernacles among us as our ever-present God.

The Rev. John Yates speaks to The Falls Church from Luke 2:1-14. He shares that all the greatness and glory of God was concentrated in the little child Jesus.

The Rev. Bill Haley speaks to The Falls Church from John 1:1-14. A reflection on Jesus, The Word Made Flesh, and the sweetness of the Incarnation.

The Rev. Nicholas Lubelfeld speaks to The Falls Church from John 1:1-14. “The Christmas Gospel goes behind the event itself and compels us to consider not so much the history as the mystery of the nativity story.” (Frank Colquhoun) How? In old-fashioned language: By the mystery of the incarnation the Son of God became the Son of Man so that by the miracle of regeneration the sons of men might become the sons of God.

The Rev. John Kurcina speaks to The Falls Church from John 14:12-31. The sermon looks at the plight of orphans (& widows) in the ancient world in order to more fully understand the gospel promises for a family and home that Jesus gives to his disciples in John 14.

The Rev. Wright Wall speaks to The Falls Church from John 14:8-11. When Jesus says “I am in the Father and the Father is in me,” he is saying, "I am God". And if that is true, then we have a God that wants to be found -- a God that comes looking for us. Moreover, we have a God that is restoring His creation.

The Rev. John Yates speaks to The Falls Church from John 14:1-7. He shares that Jesus is the lens through which we see God the Father, and the pathway to the Father.

The Rev. Dean Miller speaks to The Falls Church from John 14:1-7. He shares that Jesus is our only way to life with God, despite the competing ways that seek to crowd Him out.

The Christian response to suffering for Christ is to rejoice. How can this be? The Rev. Bill Haley explores four reasons in this sermon given to The Falls Church .

Why is prayer important in a time of hardship, and, more than that, how do we pray? The Rev. Wright Wall speaks to The Falls Church from 1 Peter 4:1-7. We need to be self-controlled and think soberly so that we can pray as we ought to pray.

Give generously because: (1) Because generous giving is a part of Christian Maturity and Discipleship, (2) Because of the grace that they have received through Christ, (3) Because it’s important that they follow through on their good intentions, and (4) Because it’s important to care for the body of Christ.

The Rev. Bill Haley speaks to The Falls Church from Hebrews 13:18-25, in the conclusion to the church's eight-month study of the book of Hebrews. This message was given at the Saturday 5 p.m. service, the Sunday 9 a.m. service, and both 11:00 a.m. services.

The Rev. James Swynford speaks to The Falls Church from Hebrews 13:7-19. This message was given at the Saturday 5 p.m. service.

The Rev. John Yates speaks to The Falls Church from Hebrews 13:1-6. This message was given at the 9 a.m. and both 11:00 a.m. services.

The Rev. John Yates speaks to The Falls Church from Hebrews 12:1-2. This message was given at the 9 a.m. service and both 11:00 a.m. services.

The Rev. Dean Miller speaks to The Falls Church from Jeremiah 2:11-18, 15:16-21, and 17:13. This message was given at the 9 a.m. service and both 11:00 a.m. services.

The Rev. Rick Wright speaks to The Falls Church from Hebrews 11:29-30. This message was given at the 9 a.m. service and both 11:00 a.m. services.

The Rev. Bill Haley speaks to The Falls Church from Deuteronomy 34:1-8. This message was given at the 9 a.m. and large 11:00 a.m. informal service.

The Rev. Bill Haley speaks to The Falls Church from Hebrews 11:23-28. This message was given at the 9 a.m. service and both 11:00 a.m. services.

The Rev. Kathleen Christopher speaks to The Falls Church from Genesis 18:9-15 and Hebrews 11:11. This message was given at the 9 a.m. and large 11:00 a.m. informal service.

The Rev. Dean Miller speaks to The Falls Church from Hebrews 11:17-22. This message was given at the 9 a.m. service and both 11:00 a.m. services.

The Rev. Dean Miller speaks to The Falls Church from Hebrews 11:8-16. This message was given at the 9 a.m. service and both 11:00 a.m. services.

The Rev. Bill Haley speaks to The Falls Church from Hebrews 11:1-7. This message was given at the 9 a.m. service and both 11:00 a.m. services.

The Rev. Bill Haley speaks to The Falls Church from Hebrews 10:19-30. This message was given at the 9 a.m. service and both 11:00 a.m. services.

The Rev. Bill Haley speaks to The Falls Church from Hebrews 10:1-18. This message was given at the 9 a.m. service and both 11:00 a.m. services.

The Rev. John Yates speaks to The Falls Church from Hebrews 9:27-28. This message was given at the 9 a.m. service and both 11:00 a.m. services.

The Rev. Bill Mugford speaks to The Falls Church from Hebrews 9:1-10. This message was given at the 9 a.m. and large 11:00 a.m. informal service.

The Rev. John Yates speaks to The Falls Church from Hebrews 8:1-13. This message was given at the 9 a.m. service and both 11:00 a.m. services.

The Right Rev. FitzSimons Allison speaks to The Falls Church from 2 Corinthians 3:2-6. This message was given at the 9 a.m. and large 11:00 a.m. informal service.

The Rev. Nicholas Lubelfeld speaks to The Falls Church from Acts 2:1-13. This message was given at the Sunday 11 a.m. Rite II Holy Communion service held in the Historic Church.

The Rev. Wright Wall speaks to The Falls Church from Acts 2:1-13. This message was given at the Saturday 5 p.m. service.

The Rev. John Yates speaks to The Falls Church from Hebrews 7:1-28. This message was given at the 9 a.m. service and both 11:00 a.m. services.

The Rev. John Kurcina speaks to The Falls Church from Hebrews 6:13-20. This message was given at the 9 a.m. service and both 11:00 a.m. services.

The Rev. Dean Miller speaks to The Falls Church from Jeremiah 30:18-22 and 31:31-40. This message was given at the Sunday 5:30 p.m. service.

The Rev. Bill Haley speaks to The Falls Church from Hebrews 6:1-12. This message was given at the 9 a.m. and large 11:00 a.m. informal service.

The Rev. Dr. John Yates speaks to The Falls Church in a message concluding the church's "Art Music Justice" weekend. Jena Nardella and Shep Owen also speak. Texts include Revelation 21:1-4 and 1 Corinthians 15. This message was given at the 9 a.m. and large 11:00 a.m. informal service.

The Rev. Kristen Yates speaks to The Falls Church. This message was given at the Saturday 5 p.m. service.

The Rev. Jim Byrne, Director of TFC Student Ministries, speaks to The Falls Church from Hebrews 4:11-13. This message was given at the Saturday 5 p.m. service, the Sunday 9 a.m. service, and the large 11:00 a.m. informal service.

The Rev. John Kurcina speaks to The Falls Church from Hebrews 4:14-5:10. This message was given at the 9 a.m. service and both 11:00 a.m. services.

The Rev. Wright Wall speaks to The Falls Church from Hebrews 4:14-5:10. This message was given at the Saturday 5 p.m. service.

The Rev. Kristen Yates, Deacon, speaks to The Falls Church from Hebrews 4:1-13. This message was given at the Saturday 5 p.m. service.

The Rev. John Yates speaks to The Falls Church from Hebrews 3:7-19. This message was given at the 9 a.m. service and both 11:00 a.m. services.