SERMON PODCASTS
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Youth Sunday
The Westminster Youth speak on the "Good Shepard." The scripture today is John 10:11-19
Disbelieving for Joy
Rev. Dr. Larry R. Hayward covers several elements in this story: unrecognized presence, “disbelieving for joy,” scripture, the charge to be witnesses. What does it mean to hear and assert news so terrific we “disbelieve for joy”? The scripture today is Psalm 41.
The Breath of New Life
“…he breathed on him and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.” Rev. Patrick A. Hunnicutt preaches on John 20: 19-31.
The First to Announce
Rev. Dr. Larry Hayward focuses on seeking to relate “the young man at the tomb” to the “young man who fled.” It raises the question, “how do we write ourselves into the Easter story?” The scripture today is Mark 16:1-8.
The Last One to Flee
Rev. Dr. Larry Hayward speaks about "The Last One to Flee". The scripture is Mark 14:52.
Calm
Rev. Dr. Larry Hayward will focus on calm, particularly how that, in Alter’s words, may lie “outside cultic or public function.” The scripture today is Psalm 131.
Alliance and Defiance
Rev. Whitney K. Fauntleroy speaks about "Alliance and Defiance." The scripture today is Psalm 2:1-4
Psalm 23
Rev. Dr. Larry R. Hayward continues the Lenten sermon series in conjunction with Leonard Bernstein's "Chichester Psalms". The Scripture today is Psalm 23.
Not We Ourselves
Rev. Dr. Larry R. Hayward continues the Lenten series "The Chichester Psalms". The Scripture is Psalm 100:3-5. Today he preaches "Not We Ourselves".
The Mantle
Over the centuries, we humans have experienced the decidedly mixed character of the world as we know it. In response, we began to yearn, to hope, to pray for, to believe in, something more. Rev. Dr. Larry Hayward preaches on 2 Kings 2:1-4.
When the Fever Left
*Due to technical difficulties, this sermon was not recorded. Download the PDF to read it!* Whenever we hear a Biblical story about healing, we likely react in one of several ways: Our eyes may immediately be drawn to our own experience; we may think of people who have experienced some kind of healing; we may wonder about – and even be angry over – those near to use who have not been healed. When I chose to preach on this passage today, what attracted me was one simple sentence at the outset of the healing of Peter’s mother-in-law: Then the fever left her, and she began to serve them. Rev. Dr. Larry Hayward preaches on Mark 1:29-39.
The Seasons of a Congregation
While changes in any congregation are necessary, inevitable, and best greeted with welcome, because a significant part the church’s role is to serve as sanctuary from the pressures of society, an island of stability in a sea of change, changes in the church can be particularly challenging for those of us for whom our church home – Westminster – is dear as refuge and relief. Rev. Dr. Larry Hayward preaches today. The Scripture lesson is Ecclesiastes 3:1-8.
The Absurdity of Grace
In a prophetic tale with an overabundance of the absurd, how do we stay focused on the sometimes startling, sometimes challenging, always absurd grace of God? Rev. Whitney Fauntleroy preaches on Jonah 3:1-5, 10.
Getting to Know You
“Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Nathanael is stuck: stuck in himself, stuck in his own ignorance, stuck in his own constricted view of reality. But when he is told to “come and see,” his willingness to go leads him to Jesus. And Christ’s seeing, and Christ’s knowing, change everything for Nathanael. Rev. Patrick Hunnicutt preaches on John 1:43-51.
Presented in the Temple
Whatever children and youth experience from hearing, seeing, interacting with adults – in the kitchen, in the hallways, at the water fountain, in the classroom, in the sanctuary, in the choir loft – whatever they experience from us shapes their faith, for good or for ill. We are all Simeons and Annas. Rev. Dr. Larry R. Hayward preaches from Luke 2:21-40.
The Beginning of the Good News
Matthew, Luke, and John, each writing thirty to sixty years after the death of Christ, have introduced us to Jesus with words carefully chosen and beautifully written. In contrast, Mark’s words are informative. They are important. But they are not particularly poetic or beautiful. Instead, Mark calls us to get to work, “immediately.” The kingdom of God is near. The business of life is at hand. It is time to repent, turn our attention to the kingdom Christ brings, commit ourselves to it, get to work on its behalf. Larry Hayward preaches on Mark 1:1-14.
Christmas Eve Homily 2017
though the stories that Christian churches across the world recite, sing, and tell this night are about a particular birth of a particular person in the midst of a particular people at a particular time and place in history – namely, Jesus Christ, born as a free, Jewish male, in first century Palestine – the significance of his birth transcends the time and place and gender and race and legal standing and national heritage in which he was born. The peace Christ brings transcends these all.
In and Above the World
Our sermons this Advent are drawn from the opening to each of the four gospels in the New Testament. We heard the beginning of Matthew three weeks ago; the beginning of Luke last Sunday. Today, we focus on the opening of John’s Gospel. Both Matthew and Luke begin their stories of Jesus with his conception and birth, not an illogical place to begin. As we will see next Sunday, Mark begins with Jesus is an adult. By contrast, John takes the origins of Jesus Christ all the way back to and even before creation. In fact, when we open the Gospel of John, we wonder if we haven’t by accident opened the Book of Genesis. Larry Hayward preaches on John 1:1-18.
Glory to God
Preaching her last sermon at Westminster, Rev. Casey FitzGerald leaves us with three thoughts: 1) Do not be afraid--fear is the wrong story; 2) Surround yourself with Elizabeths--those who would name for you how God is working in your life. Be Elizabeths--do not withhold your joy in naming the way you see God working in the world; and 3) Learn and tell the stories, that, like Mary, you might recall the promises of God when you and the world need them most! The Scripture lesson is Luke 1:26–56.
Advent(ageous)
Matthew: a gospel whose opening words would not necessarily win a prize for catching our attention. But by putting the account of Christ’s birth right after the family tree, Matthew shows us how it is connected to the broad passage of time and humanity that has come before—and how we might see the new life born in our midst. Patrick Hunnicutt begins a series of Advent sermons exploring how the gospels frame our understanding of the coming Christ in their opening pages. Today’s Scripture lesson is Matthew 1:17-25.
Above Every Name That Is Named
"I realize that in the past couple of years, in the midst of our national divisiveness, I have been trying to emphasize two things at the heart of the Christian faith: That every human being is created in the image of God and is therefore a child of God, and that the steadfast love of the Lord is given to every human being. But our text for this Reign of Christ Sunday exceeds in emphasis even these two hallmarks of Christian teaching. In emphasizing human unity, today’s text points to something else: God’s ultimate power which stands above us all." Larry Hayward preaches on Christ the King Sunday from Ephesians 1:15-23.
The Case for Free Trade
In this sermon, we probe two fundamental questions that appear to be at the center of this imaginatively truth-telling parable: who is God, and how do we live joyfully with this God and with all who share in God's life both now and in the age to come? Patrick Hunnicutt preaches on Matthew 25:14-30.
Reflections on Remembrance Sunday
Following a tradition that began in 1982, Westminster remembers those who have given their lives in service to our nation. Several choral anthems, were offered to mark this Remembrance Sunday, with Dr. Larry Hayward offering reflections on each.
What the Wise Consider
I wish I could say that every wave returns to the sea before it does damage, that every storm is stilled before it becomes destructive, that every disease is stopped short before it claims its first victim. I wish I could say that that every international crisis will end before the words are spoken that cannot be taken back, before the first sword is drawn, the first bomb dropped. But you know that I cannot make that promise. And neither does the psalmist. But in a psalm that is both eloquent and realistic about the heights and depths we experience as human beings, the psalmist closes with these words: Let those who are wise give heed to these things; And consider the steadfast love of the Lord. Larry Hayward preaches on Psalm 107.
Page 451
Like many Protestant congregations around the world, we at Westminster are acknowledging the 500th anniversary of the Reformation today. In this sermon, Larry Hayward shares what the Reformation has come to mean to him, a Presbyterian pastor in the twenty-first century. “I hope what you glean from this sermon will help you understand our church, our Reformed tradition, and most of all, where your own faith fits or lives in tension with our heritage.” The Scripture lesson is Romans 12:1-4, 9-15. The sermon title is a reference to Karl Barth’s commentary on The Epistle to the Romans.
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