Sermons by Washington National Cathedral

February 6, 2022: Sermon by the Rev. Canon Leonard L. Hamlin, Sr.

"What are we becoming? We are asking this question not only of ourselves, but also of our families, our communities, our nation, and - dare I say - the world."

As the Rev. Canon Leonard L. Hamlin, Sr. reminds us, something powerful happens when we invite Jesus to occupy the center of our lives. Like Simon (later, the apostle Peter) and the fishermen at Gennesaret, we are called to follow Jesus from shallow waters into the deep and have faith that we, too, can become all that we were created to be.

January 30, 2022: Sermon by the Very Rev. Randolph Marshall Hollerith

"The question is, can we accept God’s love for us, and thereby in turn, love ourselves?"

Being broken and being loved are not mutually exclusive. As Dean Hollerith reminds us, the Bible is filled with stories of love for the broken, the flawed, and the sick. #NationalCathedral #SundaySermon

January 23, 2022: Sermon by the Rev. Canon Rosemarie Logan Duncan

"Jesus comes to us today here and now. He is not lost in our past or hidden in an unknown future."

Jesus's message is the same today as it was when he preached in the synagogue all those years ago – bring good news to the oppressed, bind up the broken hearted, who proclaimed freedom and release. Watch Canon Rose Duncan's full sermon now!

#NationalCathedral #SundaySermon

January 16, 2022: Sermon by Dr. Barbara Williams-Skinner

"Dr. King was not just a dreamer. He was a doer. You and I have the same spiritual power that King had. The power that got Jesus up out of the grave is available to you and I when our lives are rooted in Christ."

Dr. Barbara Williams-Skinner preached on MLK Sunday, asking us to make loving God a priority. 

January 9, 2022: Sermon by the Very Rev. Randolph Marshall Hollerith

“As I stand here this morning in the light of the Epiphany, reflecting on the importance and the meaning of our baptisms, I can't help but wonder – what responsibility do we have as Christians to protect the health and welfare of our democracy?”

Remembering Jesus’s baptism and the first anniversary of the January 6th attacks, Dean Randy Hollerith reflected on our role as Christians in protecting democracy.

January 2, 2022: Sermon by the Rev. Canon Leonard L. Hamlin, Sr.

“I am reminded that spiritual growth is very difficult if we live our lives in solitude. We all need each other.”

The New Year is often a time for growth and setting ourselves up to succeed. As the Rev. Canon Leonard L. Hamlin, Sr. reminded us on Sunday, this is easier to do when we ground ourselves in scripture and community.

December 26, 2021: Sermon by the Rev. Canon Jan Naylor Cope

The Rev. Canon Jan Naylor Cope preached on Sunday, December 26, 2021, the First Sunday after Christmas Day.

December 19, 2021: Sermon by the Rev. Canon Kelly Brown Douglas

“As you have heard me say from this pulpit before, but it bears repeating…no one, absolutely no one, is more or less worthy of a decent place to live, a secure job to work, enough food to eat, or the means to health and well-being…Because here is the thing – we are all lovingly created out of the dust of the earth as children of God.”

On the Fourth Sunday of Advent, Canon Theologian Kelly Brown Douglas asked us what it means for God to love us into loving.

December 12, 2021: Sermon by the Rev. Patrick Keyser

What do you make of John the Baptist? He’s often described as eccentric or wild, but the Rev. Patrick Keyser says that “John's most remarkable quality is his steadfast, unwavering sense of his identity and purpose.”

John knows who he is and is confident in the message he relays – the savior is coming.

December 5, 2021: Sermon by the Very Rev. Randolph Marshall Hollerith

“Have you not learned that love has nothing to do with pardon or forgiveness, that it only loves and loves and loves?”

John the Baptist’s words arrive to us shortly before Christmas, telling us to repent right as we’re celebrating the most momentous expression of love that the world has ever seen. Dean Randy Hollerith tells us that repenting opens us up to the love around us.