Sermons by Washington National Cathedral

September 26, 2021: Sermon by the Very Rev. Randolph Marshall Hollerith

“As this Cathedral celebrates its 114th birthday, what is it being called to do? What are we being called to do?”

Birthdays are often a time for reflection, and the Cathedral’s birthday is no exception. Dean Randy Hollerith contemplates our mission, all we have to celebrate, and where we are headed as we remembered the anniversary of the laying of the foundation stone.

September 19, 2021: Sermon by the Rev. Canon Rosemarie Logan Duncan

“Jesus points us to a way of love that requires the living of life as a servant.”

How often on our faith journey do we distracted, discouraged, or fearful? Canon Rose Duncan reminds us that these journeys are never simple paths and there are always going to be challenges, but we must move beyond that fear in the service of building God’s kingdom. 

September 12, 2021: Sermon by the Very Rev. Randolph Marshall Hollerith

“Yes, we are a people divided to a degree we have not seen in a long, long time, but it need not be so. We have witnessed a better way. We have seen what we can do when we stand together.”

As we reflect on what we have learned in the twenty years since the 9/11 attacks, Dean Randy Hollerith reminded us on Sunday that we are strongest when we put love into action.

September 5, 2021: Sermon by the Rev. Canon Jan Naylor Cope

“There's no finite limit, truly, to Jesus’ compassion and grace. Neither should there be on ours.”

In Sunday’s gospel reading, we get a glimpse of Jesus’s not-so-pretty humanness when he insults a woman who asked for healing. This story may be difficult to hear, but Canon Jan Cope tells us that this interaction helped to broaden the scope of Jesus’s ministry.

August 29, 2021: Sermon by the Right Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde

“Even a fleeting moment of grace can carry us a long way, giving us enough, just enough, to keep going.”

 

Yesterday, Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde asked us a series of questions, inviting us to look back on the events of our lives to discover the surprising presence of God at pivotal moments and in everyday life.

August 22, 2021: Sermon by the Rev. Patrick Keyser

Why do we go to church?

 

This was the question posed by the Rev. Patrick Keyser on Sunday. Though answers may vary, Patrick is sure of one thing – worship changes us. The change might be so minute that we may not instantly notice it, but there is a change brought about by coming face-to-face with the very presence of God.

August 15, 2021: Sermon by the Rev. Canon Leonard L. Hamlin, Sr.

“Life is worth living just because He lives.”

What does it mean to have a life that is alive? Canon Leonard Hamlin examined this question during his sermon yesterday.

August 8, 2021: Sermon by the Very Rev. Randolph Marshall Hollerith

Who else is guilty of late-night snacking? ✋

 

Dean Randy Hollerith preached yesterday about satisfying a deeper hunger and filling the emptiness inside of us with God’s love.

August 1, 2021: Sermon by the Rev. Canon Dana Colley Corsello

Feeling hangry? Canon Dana Corsello says it may be time to probe the hunger beneath your hunger.

"The short answer is that Jesus, and Jesus alone, is all the sustenance we will ever need. If we trust that Jesus is our bread, he can fill our empty wells, he can heal whatever is broken, and he can find whatever is missing."

July 25, 2021: Sermon by the Rev. Canon Jan Naylor Cope

"Whatever we have, given in love, will be blessed by God and more than meet the moment and satisfy the needs of all. That's the way it works. That's what Jesus taught us about how to use the power that each one of us have: that nothing is too little when we give it away out of love and faithfulness."

Cathedral Provost Jan Naylor Cope looks at Jesus' lessons on power, and faithfulness, in the age-old story of the five loaves and two fish.