Central United Methodist Church (Arlington, Virginia) Sermon Podcast
An audio podcast of the weekly message preached at Central United Methodist Church in Arlington, Virginia. You're invited to join us online for worship on Sundays at 10:30 a.m. Visit us on the web at cumcballston.org to learn how to join us for worship via zoom or facebook live. You're invited to join our congregation where we worship God, serve others, and embrace all.
Central United Methodist Church (Arlington, Virginia) Sermon Podcast
Beloved and Bold
Beloved and Bold: A Journey of Justice: From the River to the Mountain
Scripture: Mark 1:1–11 (CEB)
In Beloved and Bold, we begin our journey of justice at the river—standing with Jesus at the waters of baptism. As heaven is torn open and the Spirit descends, God speaks words that shape everything that follows: “You are my Son, whom I dearly love.” Before Jesus performs a single miracle or teaches a single crowd, he is named beloved.
This sermon reflects on how baptism grounds our identity not in achievement, productivity, or approval, but in God’s declaration of love. Jesus enters the Jordan not because he needs repentance, but in solidarity with a broken and vulnerable humanity. His baptism marks the beginning of a ministry rooted in presence, compassion, and justice—one that consistently stands with those on the margins.
From this moment at the river flows a bold life of resistance to injustice: healing on the Sabbath, crossing social boundaries, restoring dignity to the excluded, and challenging systems of oppression. The same Spirit that empowered Jesus is poured out on us in our baptisms, giving us freedom, power, and courage to live faithfully.
To be beloved, this sermon reminds us, is not a passive identity. When we know we are God’s beloved children, we are freed from proving our worth—and compelled to see others as beloved too. Justice then becomes not an obligation, but an act of love.
This message invites us to remember who we are, to renew our baptismal vows, and to take our first steps in a season-long journey of justice—from the river to the mountain.
🌀 Reflection Questions:
- When have you most felt affirmed as God’s beloved, and how can that memory strengthen you in times of doubt?
- How does embracing our identity as God’s beloved compel us to notice and respond to vulnerability and injustice in our community?
- Our baptismal vow calls us to resist evil, injustice, and oppression. What is one concrete, faithful step you will take this week to live out that promise?
✨ Listen as we remember our belovedness, renew our baptismal identity, and begin a bold journey of justice—empowered by the Spirit and rooted in God’s unwavering love.