Wisconsin Avenue Baptist Church of Washington DC

Remember God

In this short 5 minute message, Pastor Jim shares a New Year's Eve reflection as part of WABC's Watchnight Service. He reflects on the gift of remembering. How believers have long-followed the biblical tradition of remembering the words and works of God (2 Peter 3:2, Deuteronomy 5:15). And more particularly, how this practice of looking backwards in time is to remember God Himself. May God bless you in this new year, and may you know the God who remembers you. 

The Coming of the Light . . . Sharing the Light

In this Christmas Sunday message, Pastor Lynn first reflects on "The Coming of the Light," followed by WABC's worship team singing, "O Holy Night," and then he concludes by briefly reflecting on "Sharing the Light." He reminds us, "It is so amazing that the Creator of the universe would choose to enter His creation as a baby, in order to become a part of our lives in a way we could understand. . . The Son of God left the glory of heaven, the throne of heaven, so we could find our Savior in a stable where no person would feel afraid to come into his presence." Indeed, the Christmas story tells us that "the humility of God becoming a human being only magnifies the love and greatness of our Lord." 

Do You See What I See?

For the Fourth Sunday of Advent, Pastor Jim preaches on John 9:1-38 when Jesus speaks of himself as the Light of World. The Messiah who reveals the truth of God to those who seek it. As in the Christmas story when the Magi traveled from the East to the city of Jerusalem. These Persian astrologers had seen a new star, and they set out to follow where it might lead them. Which they did until they met the child Jesus, the Light of the World, and they bowed down and worshipped him (Matt 2:1-11).

More Light

For the Third Sunday of Advent, Pastor Lynn directs us to the Word of God, which is the light of life. The essence of God's Word brings light and truth. It is pure. It gives life and brings order out of emptiness and chaos. There are no mixed messages, no darkness or confusion in the Word of God. What's more, God's Kingdom of Light is governed by love rather than hate, humility rather than pride, truth rather than lies, compassion rather than cruelty, generosity rather than greed. What our world needs is MORE LIGHT. Listen to this message and consider how you can be a little light that goes into our world to shine the light of Christ upon someone living in darkness.

Peace in the Midst of Conflict

For the Second Sunday of Advent, Pastor Jim preached on Luke 2:22-40, the story of Simeon receiving the child Jesus into his arms and beholding God's perfect peace. Then he prophesied how this child was destined to face hostilities later in life. The Prince of Peace would experience conflict and evoke division between people. How can this be? How can Jesus both embody God's peace and bring about division among people? Listen as Pastor Jim explains how this is not a contradiction, but rather, the reality of what happens when God's light shines in the darkness. 

The Highway of Hope

Life is sometimes like a highway of hope, but people just can't seem to get on it. As Pastor Lynn preaches, "The highway of hope takes you from where you are to where you need to be, where you want to be. If only you can find the way to get on it." Keep this in mind as he preaches on Luke 3:1-16, 21-22, and he explains how you can't get on the highway of hope unless you're honest with God and honest with your need for help and for forgiveness. Unless you're willing to follow where Jesus leads you. Repentance is the first step. 

Something to be Thankful For: Forgiveness

In this message Pastor Jim shares how he is personally thankful for the gift of forgiveness as he considers what Jesus taught about unlimited forgiveness (Matthew 18:21-35). A reminder that forgiveness is indeed a gift and not something we are owed, but it is something we cannot live without. As you listen you might also want to consider how extending forgiveness to other people is evidence of God's miraculous work in your life. Even reaching a point, due to God's transforming work within you, where you can sincerely say, "It is not hard at all to forgive." And for this you can truly be thankful. 

Anointed by Righteous Rebuke

In this week's message Pastor Lynn begins by preaching on Psalm 141:1-5. The psalmist can be paraphrased as saying, "Thanks, I needed that!" when a righteous man figuratively slapped me on the face. Why? Because, as Pastor Lynn explains, "Trust and integrity are so important. If this is what's needed to wake me up, then it would be a kindness." Since the criticism of a righteous person, which is motivated by truth and love, has no agenda, but only our well-being and the well-being of others in mind. It's not a slap, but an anointing of truth and a call to correction. Therefore, it is necessary to ask ourselves: Do I welcome a righteous person's rebuke? Do I accept correction when I need it in my life? Considering the story of Moses can help us to apply this biblical truth on an even broader scale, as Pastor Lynn points out later in his message (Exodus 2:11-15, 3:7-19, 5:1-2). 

Seek the Lord and Live

In this message, Min. Leslie unpacks the Book of Amos by focusing our attention on Amos 5:4-14. As she explains, "In Amos we are forced to deal with the relationship between God's justice and his mercy." Amos records a time in Israel's history when God confronted the evil going on in the nation of Israel and in the surrounding nations. While at the same time, God was working towards his long-term plan of restoration and renewed relationships. And that is the way it is today, too. God is still a God of justice and mercy who is constantly working towards his life-giving plan of renewal and restored relationships between himself and all peoples. Listen to this message as Min. Leslie applies the prophetic truths of Amos to our own lives and the church's call to continually seek the Lord and live. 

Faithful Proclamation

In this message, Pastor Jim preaches on the second time the apostles were confronted and arrested by the temple authorities for teaching in the name of Jesus. By starting with the believers' prayer in Acts 4: 24b-31 and then continuing on with Acts 5:12-42, this New Testament story illustrates how the early believers depended upon God to be powerfully present in their lives so they could faithfully carry out the ministry assigned to them. And like them, we are also called by God to faithfully live and proclaim the gospel message that invites all people into this new life with our Lord Jesus (Acts 5:20).  An everlasting life that anyone is free to receive and depend upon because of the saving work of Jesus.