Sermons by Washington National Cathedral

December 20, 2020: Sermon by the Rev. Canon Jan Naylor Cope

“When we come together in a common purpose, miracles can happen, for nothing is impossible with God.”

2020 has been filled with loss, grief, and suffering. Provost Jan Naylor Cope reminded us on Sunday that although while we may feel broken, light still shines through us.

December 13, 2020: Sermon by the Very Rev. Randolph Marshall Hollerith

During advent, we may see the cute, cuddly baby Jesus that adorns our crèches and be tempted to forget who that baby grew up to be – a man who demanded justice and cared for the outcast.

Dean Randy Hollerith reminds us that “the real function of advent is the preparation for the radical entry of God into human history and the creation of something new.”

December 6, 2020: Sermon by the Right Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde

It’s no secret that the past nine months have been stressful. It’s been a year of juggling responsibilities to ourselves, to our loved ones, and to our work. So often, we worry that we aren’t doing enough. Yesterday, Bishop Mariann invited us to take a step back, let that worry go, and instead focus on love.

“Intentional efforts of love, however small, what they do inside is expand our capacity to love. And so the love that we offer, no matter where, no matter how small, has a way of multiplying.”

November 29, 2020: Sermon by the Rev. Adam Hamilton

Yesterday, on the First Sunday of Advent, we welcomed guest preacher, the Rev. Adam Hamilton from Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas.

As we're preparing for the arrival of Christ, Rev. Hamilton reminded us that "this whole month is about yearning and longing and remembering, so that we can rightly celebrate, and we can really fully remember, the significance of Christmas."

November 22, 2020: Sermon by the Rev. Canon Kelly Brown Douglas

“Whatever you did to the least of these, you did to me.”

Canon Theologian Kelly Brown Douglas preached at the Cathedral on Christ the King Sunday, inviting us to affirm the personhood of others, “for it was the case that Jesus saw himself in the face of the weak and the vulnerable, of those on the underside of injustice. It was personal for him. And as it was for him, it is to be for us the way to go.”

November 15, 2020: Sermon by the Rev. Canon Rosemarie Logan Duncan

“We have not been entrusted with the gospel of Jesus Christ to treat it as a personal treasure, to place on a shelf for our own comfort. No, now is not the time to deny the power of the gospel.”

 

The Rev. Canon Rosemarie Logan Duncan preached on Sunday, encouraging us to discern how our lives are connected with God and one another. How will you use God’s gifts to help the vulnerable, fight for justice and build God’s kingdom?

November 8, 2020: Sermon by the Very Rev. Randolph Marshall Hollerith

"While we are supposed to disagree in this democracy, while we are supposed to argue our competing ideas, we are not supposed to hate one another. That is not the way. Hate is not the way."

 

After a long week Dean Randy Hollerith preached on caring for one another, the work we have ahead and the political implications of the gospel.

November 1, 2020: Sermon by the Most Rev. Michael B. Curry

Presiding Bishop Michael B. Curry preached at the celebration of the Holy Eucharist on All Saints' Sunday.

October 25, 2020: Sermon by the Very Rev. Randolph Marshall Hollerith

“I sought my soul, but my soul, I could not see. I sought my God, but my God alluded me. I sought my neighbor and found all three.”

Quoting William Blake, Dean Randy Hollerith reminded us on Sunday that in the midst of this pandemic and the upcoming election, our fundamental task as Christians is to love God and love our neighbor.

October 18, 2020: Sermon by the Rev. Canon Leonard L. Hamlin, Sr.

“Have I really thought about who is first in my priority, who is at the center of my life and who is at the center of all of my joy?”

 

Sundays provide a chance to prepare ourselves for the week ahead. As Canon Missioner Leonard L. Hamlin, Sr. said in his sermon yesterday, Sundays are also a time to ask ourselves what we can give to God.