Central United Methodist Church (Arlington, Virginia) Sermon Podcast

Submitting to the Spirit
Scripture: Luke 4:16–21 (CEB)
Series: Defying Limits
What does it look like to submit to the Spirit when it leads us beyond comfort, control, and respectability?
In this week’s sermon, we travel back to 1739 Bristol and witness John Wesley’s uneasy but transformative moment of obedience. A man formed by discipline, order, and religious precision finds himself pulled beyond the boundaries of what he believed faithful ministry should look like. Standing before thousands of coal miners in an open field, Wesley does what once felt unthinkable: he submits to the Spirit and steps into a wider, wilder mission field.
Wesley later writes in his journal, “I submitted to be more vile”—not meaning shame or corruption, but a willingness to abandon respectability for the sake of the gospel. His story becomes a living illustration of what it means to move from inward devotion to outward action, from carefully contained faith to Spirit-led disruption.
That same tension is present in Luke 4, where Jesus stands in his hometown synagogue and declares that Isaiah’s promise is fulfilled today. Good news is proclaimed to the poor, release to the captive, and freedom to the oppressed—not as distant hope, but as present reality. Yet this proclamation also challenges boundaries, disrupts expectations, and ultimately provokes rejection when grace extends beyond what people are willing to accept.
Both Jesus and Wesley reveal a Spirit that refuses containment. The Spirit leads into uncomfortable places, calls us beyond familiar circles, and redefines what faithful presence in the world looks like. The question becomes not just what we believe, but where we are willing to go—and who we are willing to go there for.
🌀 Reflection Questions
• Wesley’s journal uses the word “submitted” because he did not initially want to engage in field preaching; he was pulled by the Spirit into a space he considered “vile” and “filthy.” When has the Holy Spirit nudged you toward a task or a group of people you initially resisted, and what did you discover about God's love once you finally yielded to that pull?
• If the “Good News” Jesus proclaims in Luke 4 is for the poor and oppressed, what “respectable” church protocols are we willing to break to ensure that mission is fulfilled?
• This scripture moved Wesley from an inward “strangely warmed” heart to one “set afire” for action. How does this scripture challenge you to move from private piety to outward “vile-tality”?
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In Death, There Is Resurrection
Scripture: Luke 24:1–12 (CEB)
Part of the Defying Limits worship series
What if the resurrection isn’t a tidy, comforting ending—but something far more disruptive?
On this Easter Sunday, we hear the familiar story of the empty tomb from Luke’s Gospel—but through the eyes of those who first experienced it, the resurrection doesn’t feel like joy at first. It feels like confusion, fear… even “nonsense.” The women come expecting death, not life. The disciples struggle to believe what they hear. No one is prepared for what God is about to do.
And yet, this is the scandal and the promise of Easter: God refuses to let death have the final word.
In this first sermon of our Defying Limits series, we explore how the resurrection breaks open everything we thought we knew about life, death, and the love of God. Drawing on the story of the empty tomb and the bold witness of the early Methodists, we are invited to consider what it means to follow a risen Christ who defies expectations, crosses boundaries, and calls us beyond fear into a more courageous, expansive faith.
Because resurrection isn’t just something that happened long ago—it is something God is still doing. In moments of grief, uncertainty, and change, God is at work bringing new life where we least expect it.
So where are you looking for the living among the dead?
This Easter, we are reminded that in death, there is resurrection—and that truth changes everything.
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Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus
Scripture: John 19:30–42 (CEB)
Part of the Witness at the Cross Lenten series 
What does it take to step out of the shadows and live your faith openly?
In this week’s sermon, we encounter two men who come forward in the final moments after Jesus’ death—Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus. One has believed in secret, held back by fear. The other is still on a journey of faith, full of questions and uncertainty. Yet both show up when it matters most.
Drawing on the Gospel of John and insights from Witness at the Cross by Amy-Jill Levine, we reflect on the different ways people come to faith—and how God meets us in each place along the journey.
Joseph’s story reminds us that it is never too late to find the courage to step forward. Nicodemus shows us that faith doesn’t require having everything figured out, but simply a willingness to seek, to question, and to show up.
Together, they bear witness to a love that cannot remain hidden.
This story invites us to consider where we are being called to respond—to move from fear to courage, from silence to action, and to create space for others who are still finding their way.
🌀 Reflection Questions
• Joseph of Arimathea believed in Jesus for years but kept his faith hidden out of fear. When has fear kept you a secret disciple?
 • What did you witness at the cross, in this worship series, that has moved you from silence toward courage?
 • Who in your life is a Nicodemus—someone seeking understanding and faith in God? How can you support them on their journey?
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The Women
Scripture: Luke 23:26–49 (CEB)
Part of the Witness at the Cross Lenten series
What gives someone the courage to stay present to suffering instead of looking away?
In this week’s sermon, we stand at the cross alongside the women who followed Jesus all the way to Golgotha. While many disciples fled, these women remained—watching, mourning, and bearing witness to the suffering of Christ.
Drawing on the Gospel of Luke and insights from Witness at the Cross by Amy-Jill Levine, we reflect on what it means to stay present in moments of pain and grief. These women remind us that faith is not about avoiding suffering, but about learning how to face it—with honesty, courage, and compassion.
Jesus’ words to the women—“weep for yourselves and your children”—also invite us into the practice of lament. We are called not only to grieve Christ’s suffering, but to acknowledge the pain in our own lives and in the world around us.
Even from a distance, the women stayed. And in doing so, they became faithful witnesses.
This story invites us to consider how we, too, are called to bear witness—to remain present, to support one another, and to trust that we are not alone at the cross.
🌀 Reflection Questions
• The women followed Jesus all the way to the cross when most disciples fled. What gives us courage to stay present with suffering rather than look away?
 • Jesus tells the women to “weep for yourselves and your children.” When is lament for our own world’s pain an appropriate response to Jesus’ story?
 • The text says the women “stood at a distance observing.” What keeps us at a distance from Jesus’ suffering? What would it mean to come closer?
 • These women are named as witnesses—they saw, they stayed, they mourned. Who are the faithful witnesses in your life who have shown you how to stay present in hard times?
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The Beloved Disciple
Scripture: John 19:25–27 (CEB)
Part of the Witness at the Cross Lenten series
At the foot of the cross, a small group remains with Jesus in his final moments. Among them is an unnamed figure in the Gospel of John known simply as the beloved disciple. In this week’s sermon, we stand beside Mary, the mother of Jesus, and this anonymous disciple to reflect on what it means to remain close to Christ even in moments of suffering.
Drawing on insights from Amy-Jill Levine’s Witness at the Cross: A Beginner’s Guide to Holy Friday, we explore why this disciple may have been intentionally left unnamed. By leaving the beloved disciple anonymous, the Gospel invites each of us to step into the story—to see ourselves as the one whom Jesus loves and the one called to care for others in his name.
From the cross, Jesus forms a new kind of family. He says to Mary, “Here is your son,” and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” In that moment, family is redefined—not by biology, marriage, or obligation—but by love, faithfulness, and care for one another in Christ.
Standing close to the cross is not only about remembering the past. It calls us to look around and notice who is beside us, and to practice love in concrete ways—through presence, hospitality, and acts of compassion that reflect Christ’s love in the world.
🌀 Reflection Questions
• What spiritual practices help you stand closer to the cross and gain clarity and focus on what Jesus wants you to see?
 • What does “family” mean to you after hearing John 19:25–27? How does that shape your commitments?
 • Who is the person standing at the cross with you whom Jesus is calling you to love like family? What action can you take this week to love them well?
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