Wisconsin Avenue Baptist Church of Washington DC

Renewal: The Sacramental Life

On Palm Sunday and for the beginning of Holy Week, Min. Leslie preaches on Matthew 21:1-11 and the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. She begins by reminding us, "Jesus is one who completely surrendered his life to the will of God." What's more, it is under God's new covenant that we can become followers of Jesus, and thus, the children of God. Under the new covenant we live in the Kingdom of God, and if we are to succeed in implementing that Kingdom, it is Christ who must shine through us as we live the sacramental life. Christ must shine through our words, our actions and our deeds. Since at the very heart of the Christian life is the transforming work of God, which is making us more and more like Jesus. 

Renewal: The Word-Centered Life

On this fifth Sunday of Lent, Pastor Jim preaches on what it means to live a word-centered life. He suggests that we are to asks ourselves the questions, "How do I live so the Word of God is central to my life? And, how do I understand the gospel message as being foundational to all that I do and say?" He answers them by considering 1 Corinthians 15:1-28, a portion of Paul's letter where Paul reminds his readers of the gospel message which he had shared with them in the past. And where Paul also explains the implications of this message for his life and for theirs. It is this good news which makes the death and resurrection of Jesus the central reality for all of life. 

Renewal: The Compassionate Life

For this fourth Sunday of Lent, Pastor Lynn preaches on how renewal and healing come when we get beyond ourselves and live lives of compassion and work for justice. As prophesized in Amos 5:21-24, 7:7-15 and witnessed in Jesus's life (Luke 4:16-30), there is renewal when we treat people right. Especially when there is genuine compassion and justice for those who are discriminated against or who are poor and vulnerable or without voice or power. As Pastor Lynn reminds us, "We are called to proclaim Christ's message of forgiveness and healing and new life. Even as we demonstrate its reality through service and through social justice, which has always been an essential part of God's mission in the world."

Renewal: The Spirit-Empowered Life

For the third week of Lent, Pastor Jim focuses on another aspect of spiritual renewal. He preaches on 1 Corinthians 12:1-14, 26-31 and how we are collectively formed by the Spirit of God into Christ's body to serve and love one another. Unlike the cultural narratives we may hear regularly, he says, "I'm dependent on you and you are dependent on me. You have been given spiritual gifts that I won't receive from the Spirit, and I have giftings you won't receive. And yet, the very gifts we need are indeed made available to us. They are provided by the empowering Spirit through the community of believers."

Renewal: The Virtuous Life

For the second Sunday of Lent, Pastor Lynn preaches on living a life of holiness. As it says in 1 Timothy 4:7-8 and Philippians 2:1-16, we are to cooperate with the grace of God in our lives to gradually become more godly people. And as people of faith, we are instructed to have within us the same attitudes and actions we see in the Lord Jesus, who made himself a servant and set aside the glories of heaven. Therefore, it's by putting our effort towards what the Holy Spirit is doing in our lives that we can develop the character of Christ. As Pastor Lynn puts it, "This is the Christian concept of character, where we see it not primarily as self-improvement but growth in godliness. Which is dependent on, which is a result of, our relationship with Christ."

Renewal: Prayer-filled Life

For the first Sunday of Lent, Minister Leslie delivers a message on the spiritual practice of praying regularly and often. She says, "When we talk about prayer, we are talking about a way of communicating with God, a way of talking to God." As suggested by Psalm 5:1-12, and many other psalms, David understood the concept of being in constant prayer with God at any hour of the day or night, and without the need for much formality. For David, praying was about crying out to God for whatever reason needed at that time. As Min. Leslie explains, "Prayer is one of the ways we practice obedient faith . . .  What is important is that we find a way to keep company with God through prayer, and in the process we bring our authentic self to the conversation."

When Temptation Strikes

In this message Pastor Jim preaches on the human experience of being tempted to sin. When we battle those inner desires to do something we want to abstain from doing. Those enticing thoughts that urge us to act on those feelings. What are we to do when temptation strikes? Let's turn to Jesus and learn from his temptation in the wilderness, the place where Jesus was led to go by the Spirit of God in Matthew 3:13-4:11.

Obedient to the Heavenly Vision

In this first of two messages Pastor Lynn asks a series of questions about our personal challenges with moving from aspirations to reality. Namely, how do we change? How do we become the person the Lord wants us to be? What's the Lord's vision for my life? When considering Paul's conversion story and testimony, as described in Acts 26:9-20 and Philippians 3:3-14, we need to recognize the importance of a heavenly vision for our own lives. As was the case for Paul, the Lord Jesus Christ is the source of our heavenly vision, and this vision provides us with a steady perspective of seeking and following God's will in our lives instead of just living for ourselves. 

The Cry of Hope

In this message Pastor Jim preaches on Psalms 42 and 43, related psalms which express the pslamist's deeply felt grief and his determination to hope in God. These are psalms of lament. A type of prayer that directly addresses God, describes a problem, requests help and places all hope in God. Throughout these two psalms the psalmist puts his trust and hope in God even as he feels isolated from God, and God seems absent from him. As you listen to this message, consider for yourself, "What's my heart's desire? What do I thirst for? Where do I place my hope?"

Still Climbing the Hill

Before turning to 1 Peter 2:9-10,  Min. Leslie reflects on recent events and the nation's history.  She reminds us that Peter's letter was written to persecuted Christians across Asia Minor to offer hope and reassurance in the midst of severe suffering. He reminds his readers that the real enemy is not political or cultural, but the dark, evil spiritual forces working among people to inspire hatred and to incite acts of violence. Like Israel wandering in the wilderness, we can rely on God to demonstrate his faithfulness as we endure our own experiences of desolation and disorientation. We can emerge from our desert as a new kingdom of priests ready to serve God as his representatives to all nations. We can become a people with a new confidence in God.  And when the time comes, we will leave the desert knowing God is mighty to save.