Sermons by Washington National Cathedral

February 19, 2023 HBCU Sunday Sermon: Dr. Christine Johnson McPhail

“On the mountaintops, God’s glory is revealed again by the transfiguration of Jesus. Before his disciples, Jesus was changed. He shone like the sun, he was beautiful, some may say his melanin was poppin’. Transfiguration means a complete change of form or an appearance into a more beautiful spiritual state. When I read the passage, I thought, 'this is what we do at HBCU’s.' We, by our faith, and strength, and hope, participate with God in the transfiguration of each of our students, and in the process we are changed.” 

Dr. Christine Johnson McPhail preaches on the relevance, roles, and future of HBCU’s. She draws upon biblical ideas and lessons to illustrate how HBCU’s give hope, and how they do the work that needs to be done as examples of God’s work.  

February 12, 2023 Sunday Sermon: The Very Rev. Randy Marshall Hollerith

“This means that the only way for us to change our hearts is to die to self. The only way to save our lives is to lose them in Christ. The only way to choose life as Moses commands us today in Deuteronomy is to give our lives away. The Christian faith is not making God apart of our life, but about making our lives apart of God.” 

The Very Rev. Randy Marshall Hollerith introduces to the idea of being a “Christian under construction,” or a “work in progress.” He asks us to admit that we are a sinner, because admittance is the first part of moving forward and building a relationship with Christ. It allows us to turn our lives over to God, to receive his grace, to be saved.  

February 5, 2023: The Rev. Canon Leonard L. Hamlin Sr. Sunday sermon

“Jesus speaks to those who are gathered and tells them that they, and us who are here today, are not defined by our circumstances. We are not limited by our demographics. We’re not limited by the lines that we draw, the streets that we claim, the land that we try to possess. Let me say even more that we are not confined and defined because of race and ethnicities. We are more than that. We are children of the most high God and to put it plainly, he says “you are salt, and you are light.’”  

The Rev. Canon Leonard L. Hamlin Sr. preaches about who we are and what roles we have. He reminds us that we are more than our society has taught us to be, and that God clearly identifies us as his children, and address our call as love and justice.  

January 29, 2023 Sunday Sermon: The Very Rev. Randy Marshall Hollerith

“In short, shadow work is the work necessary for completing a purchase, that has been left to the consumer. So, what are we to do? Simply put, we are supposed to do God’s shadow work. That’s the work nobody gets paid for and few notice, but the work that makes a world of meaning of value, a world of peace and purpose, a world of love and hope and faith. In short, the work that builds the kingdom of God.”  

The Very Rev. Randy Hollerith provides us with numerous examples of individuals who were seen as foolish as they worked to build the kingdom of heaven. We reconcile with the idea that all of God’s choices, teachings, and values are viewed as foolish because they are at odds with those of the present world, while also finding comfort in our ability to serve God and evoke change through doing the Lord’s "shadow work." 

January 22, 2023 Sunday Sermon: The Rev. Canon Dana Corsello

“I don’t think Jesus meant that building up the Kingdom of God was an either-or proposition. In my mind, it's both-and. What strikes me now is that I think about Jesus calling Simon, Andrew, James, and John, and into lives of discipleship is how familiar and close to home their calls actually were.  Jesus didn’t cajole them into becoming something they were not. He invited them to discipleship in spite of their most authentic and imperfect selves.”  

The Rev. Canon Dana Corsello invites us listen as she works through her struggle with the term, “discipleship.” Through a broader dive into the stories of each disciple, we find that God meets people where they are, and calls them into the kingdom as themselves.  

January 15, 2023 Sunday Sermon: The Rev. Dr. Paul Smith

“And what Dr. King is calling us to do is to venture out into the deep waters, where the big ones are, where the big issues of life continue to challenge us and to call us into being. So, the question then is, ‘What will it take? What’s it going to take?”  

The Rev. Dr. Paul Smith reflects on the life and lessons of Martin Luther King Jr. He urges us to venture into the deep waters of life, and to face challenges with God by our sides, fully committed to living in Christ, regardless of the cost.  

January 8, 2023 Sunday Sermon: The Rev. Canon Jan Naylor Cope

“Baptism is done at the beginning of the faith journey, not at the middle or the end. You don’t have to have everything together to be baptized. You just have to grasp god’s grace. God’s grace is enough.” // “If I convey nothing else to you today, it is not only that you are enough, you are beloved. A beloved child of God, precious in God’s sight, no exceptions. God loves you, and so do we.” 

The Rev. Canon Jan Naylor Cope reminds us of the significance of baptism, and that we are beloved children of God. Through understanding baptism as God’s gift to us, we come to better know and appreciate his love and our own spiritual journey.  

January 1, 2023 Sunday Sermon: The Right Rev. V. Gene Robinson

"So maybe our New Year's resolutions this New Year’s day should be less about losing weight and getting more exercise and joining a new book club and more about what kinds of risks do I need to take right now in my life for my own good, for that of my family or my neighbors and friends.  Perhaps the nation itself, perhaps for human kind. How can I be more Christlike and vulnerably opening myself to some new and daunting and risky challenge?”  

The Right Rev. V. Gene Robinson encourages us to be vulnerable and to have courage as we go into the New Year, and celebrate Holy Name Day. Looking to God as our guide, to make this not only a good year, but a “new kind of year.”  

 

December 25, 2022 Christmas Day Sermon: The Rev. Canon Jan Naylor Cope

“Rekindle the light of Christ that abides in each one of us and carry it out into this broken world because the light came into the world, and the darkness did not overcome it. Didn’t then, won’t now, and never will, and that’s because Christ came, Christ lives -- in you, and in me.”   

 

The Rev. Canon Jan Naylor Cope ponders Christmas, describing it as the season when light comes into the darkness, when Jesus came into the world. Reflecting on her own experiences, and experiences of those she cares for, she urges us to be brave enough to bring that light into our world today.  

December 24, 2022 Christmas Eve Sermon: The Very Rev. Randolph Marshall Hollerith

“The wonder of Christmas is that in the birth of Jesus we are shown that the God we worship is not distant and ethereal. Our God is not a God who is cold and indifferent, but a God who humbles himself to become one of us. Flesh of our flesh, bone of our bone, to share our joys and our pains, to know our laughter and our struggles. No, the wonder and the beauty of Christmas lies precisely in its rawness.”  

 

The Very Rev. Randolph Marshall Hollerith calls us to reflect on the realities of the first Christmas, reminding us of the obstacles Mary and Joseph faced to bring Jesus into this world. Jesus came to remind us that this world is very real, and we are not alone. When we ask where God is, we find the answer in the story of Jesus.