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
From the Mountain to the World
From the Mountain to the World
Scripture: Matthew 17:1-9 (CEB)
The culmination of our series, A Journey of Justice: From the River to the Mountain
In this concluding sermon of our worship series, we stand with Peter, James, and John on the mountaintop of the Transfiguration—awestruck by Christ’s radiant glory and tempted, like Peter, to stay where the moment feels holy and safe. But the mountain is not the destination. It is the launching place.
As Jesus leads the disciples back down toward Jerusalem—and ultimately toward the cross—we are reminded that every encounter with the living God is meant to send us back into the world bearing light.
Drawing on the life and witness of Desmond Tutu, this sermon explores what it means to practice joy as resistance. In the face of apartheid’s cruelty and injustice, Tutu chose laughter, hope, and unwavering love—not as denial of suffering, but as defiance against it. His joy was not naïve optimism; it was a theological conviction that the light of Christ is stronger than any darkness.
Rooted in the promises of our baptism—to resist evil, injustice, and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves—this message invites us to consider how mountaintop moments with God equip us for courageous, justice-shaped living. We cannot remain neutral in the face of harm. We cannot stay on the mountain. We are sent.
What would it mean for us to become “joy warriors” in our own time?
What does it look like to move from silence to action, from cynicism to hope, from private faith to public witness?
The world does not need more despair. It needs people so grounded in God’s love that they radiate joy, mercy, and justice wherever they go.
🌀 Reflection Questions:
- Desmond Tutu practiced “joy as resistance” in the face of apartheid’s evil. Where do you see the need for joyful resistance in our world today, and what might that look like in your own life?
- Tutu said, “If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.” Where might God be calling you to break your silence or move from neutrality to action?
✨ Listen as we journey from the mountain back into the world—carrying Christ’s light, choosing joy as resistance, and embracing our call to love boldly in a broken world.