Who Are We to Hinder God’s Inclusiveness?

May 15, 2022

Peter’s experience with the Gentiles in Caesarea confirms what God had shown him in a vision: that the kingdom of God is for all people, not only the Jewish followers of Jesus. Like the little boy’s lost mitten in a Ukranian folk tale, the kingdom stretches and reshapes itself in limitless ways to provide refuge and belonging for all who seek it.

See Acts 11:1-18

Join the Good Shepherd in Caring for the Flock

May 8, 2022

Rev. Dorota Wright-Pruski cites from Psalm 23 as she describes the needs and hope of the Haitian people. A good shepherd must provide real, tangible support to the flock, including safe places to rest their heads, protection from danger, and a full table spread before them. In these ways, St. Andrew’s can support our partner school in Berault, Haiti.

See Psalm 23

Casting the Net of Discipleship Again and Again

May 1, 2022

After Jesus’s resurrection, the disciples’ intense spiritual experience had faded, so they went back to their daily routine: fishing. But a stranger on the shore, later recognized as Jesus, redirected them toward their mission to be fishers of people. Seminarian Brandon Nonnemaker asks: are we aware enough to recognize the figure on the shore of our own lives, reminding us to “cast the net again”?

See John 21:1-19

A Peaceful Presence Amidst the Storm

April 24, 2022

Today’s Gospel recalls Jesus’s message to the disciples — “Peace be with you” — amidst their confusion after his death and resurrection. As when he calmed the seas, Jesus offers blessed assurance of a peaceful presence in the current storm. Seminarian Annie Jung thanks St. Andrew’s for being a faithful community, and a peaceful presence for Annie’s formation amidst the storm of events in 2020-2022.

See John 20:19-31

Pancakes or waffles? Love or life?

April 17, 2022 / Easter Sunday

In a special Easter Sunday message, Rev. Dorota Wright-Pruski gets the kids playing a game about tough choices — like the choice Jesus made to sacrifice his life for the sake of love. And thanks to God’s miraculous rule change, the result wasn’t the disappearance of life, but of death.

Waiting

April 15, 2022 / Good Friday

Seminarian Brandon Nonnemaker notes that, like other laments in scripture, Psalm 22 embodies universal feelings of loss and grief. There are times we may feel forsaken as we wait in the darkness, perceiving the absence of God. But perhaps if we first look within ourselves, and then beyond ourselves, we might remember God’s presence…even amid the longing and the waiting.

See Psalm 22.

Using Our New Lenses to See Blessings, Not Curses

March 27, 2022

Today’s scripture readings feature stories of people grumbling and complaining. But as Seminarian Brandon Nonnemaker points out, once we encounter Jesus, we see things in a new way, like looking at the world through a different lens. We see new possibilities, new connections, and blessings where once we saw curses. We are now reconcilers, called to continue Jesus’s work of reconciliation.

See today’s scripture readings.

God’s Is Not a Snowplow Kind of Justice

March 20, 2022

Rev. Dorota Wright-Pruski shares the story of a volunteer snowplow driver who uses his services to reward his neighbors’ good deeds and punish the unkind. God’s role in our lives’ outcomes is not so clear and predictable. But in today’s Gospel reading, Jesus offers a parable of hope, telling of a barren fig tree whose owner gives it another chance to bear fruit. In God’s eyes we all deserve forgiveness, healing and love.

See Luke 13:1-9

Don’t Fight Like Hell; Love Like Hen

March 13, 2022

Reverend Dorota Wright-Pruski notes Jesus’s unusual choice of metaphors as he responds to warnings of Herod’s plans to kill him. In aspiring to be like a mother hen who takes Jerusalem under her wings, Jesus emphasizes community over conquest, love over violence. We can follow his example by choosing one person whom we can surround with our love this week.

See Luke 13:31-35

The Past Can’t Be Changed, But Hearts and Minds Can

February 20, 2022

Seminarian Brandon Nonnemaker acknowledges that it’s not easy to follow God’s model of mercy and forgiveness. Repentance is a journey in which we grow and transform along the way. Joseph makes a clean break with the past, and allows for a new beginning for himself and his brothers. By embracing the truth and showing mercy, we keep alive the hope that we can change, and that we can recognize the change we see in others.

See Genesis 45:3-11, 15 and Luke 6:27-38

A Year in the Life of St. Andrew’s: 2021

January 30, 2022

Presented at the St. Andrew’s Parish Annual Meeting, this video looks back on the challenges and celebrations of our parish during a year of dramatic change.

The Scripture Is Alive With What We Bring to It

December 25, 2021

John’s Gospel prologue invites us back to the beginning of creation; the Word that spoke the world into being continues to speak. As Seminarian Brandon Nonnemaker notes, every week we tell and hear stories of God’s relationship with God’s creation. As we bring ourselves to scripture again and again, we can be encouraged and inspired. It is Good News that “God pitched a tent among us, in a lowly stable.”

See John 1:1-14.

Ye Choirs of New Jerusalem

— C.V. Stanford

Sung by the combined choirs of:

• The Falls Church, Episcopal
• St. Andrew’s, Arlington
• St. Andrew’s, Burke
• St. Mary’s, Arlington, and
• The Church of the Epiphany, Oak Park, CA

Jay Wilcox, conductor

Aaron Goen, organist

A Year in the Life of St. Andrew’s: 2020

Jan. 31, 2021

Presented at the St. Andrew’s Parish Annual Meeting, this video looks back on the challenges and celebrations of our parish during a difficult year. Permission to reprint, podcast, and / or stream the music in this service obtained from ONE LICENSE with license # M-400520. All rights reserved.

Christmas Greetings from St. Andrew’s

Dec. 25, 2020

Families from St. Andrew’s share their holiday greetings virtually in a heartwarming montage of photos and videos.

Permission to reprint, podcast, and / or stream the music in this service obtained from ONE LICENSE with license #M-400520. All rights reserved.

Silent Night

Dec. 24, 2020

Families from St. Andrew’s lend their voices to a virtual ensemble performance of “Silent Night.”

Speaking in Tongues: The Pentecost

May 31, 2020

In this reading of Acts 2: 1-21, members of St. Andrew’s contribute their talents in terms of foreign languages and artwork.

“Draw Us in the Spirit’s Tether”

May 31, 2020

A combined choral presentation featuring the choirs of Holy Cross in Dunn Loring, VA; St. Andrew’s in Arlington, VA; and St. Andrew’s in Burke, VA.

Permission to reprint, podcast, and / or stream the music in this service obtained from ONE LICENSE with license #M-400520. All rights reserved.