Saint Athanasius Lutheran Church
Saint Athanasius Lutheran Church in Vienna, Virginia is a parish in the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church and a member of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. Worship at St. Athanasius is according to the history Liturgy of the Church. Services at St. Athanasius are not designed for entertainment or sensation, but to prepare broken repentant sinners to receive these gifts of Word and Sacrament, and to know the truth of the incomparable riches of the grace showered on us by our gracious and loving Heavenly Father. In this weekly podcast, we present the sermons preached by our pastor, Reverend James Douthwaite.
Episodes
November 30, 2025 • 17 mins
In this week’s message, we shift from wondering what eternal life will be like to facing what life looks like as we wait for Jesus’ return. Scripture shows us a world marked by turmoil—wars, disasters, false teachers, persecution, and a creation groaning toward its end. These signs have been unfolding since Christ’s ascension and continue today. But Jesus’ surprising instruction is not to duck and cover, but to stand up and lift ou...
Mark as Played
November 30, 2025 • 17 mins
In this episode, I explore why Scripture tells us so little about heaven and why our limited minds couldn’t grasp it anyway. Jesus gives us a small glimpse when He tells the Sadducees that life in the resurrection will be entirely new—no longer divided into many families, but united as one family in Christ. We recall Moses at the burning bush, meeting the eternal God who stands outside of time, and we hear Jesus affirm that the res...
Mark as Played
November 30, 2025 • 16 mins
Just as we call loved ones to know they’ve arrived safely, John’s vision in Revelation shows that our loved ones in Christ have reached their true home—safe before the Lamb. They endured the tribulations of life and now rest in the victory Jesus won through His death and resurrection. But John’s vision also reminds us that not everyone is there yet. The world still needs the hope and mercy of Christ. As blessed ones, we are called ...
Mark as Played
November 30, 2025 • 15 mins
When Jesus said, “You will become free,” His listeners protested, claiming they had never been enslaved. But Jesus revealed a deeper truth — all are bound by sin. Every outburst, grudge, and selfish act exposes our captivity to our sinful nature. However hard we try, our efforts to overcome it fail, like a game of Whack-a-Mole where sin always reappears. Christ came to end that bondage. Through His cross and resurrection, He conque...
Mark as Played
November 30, 2025 • 16 mins
“Trust but verify.” President Reagan made the phrase famous, but Jacob lived it long before him—trusting God, yet still hedging his bets. As Jacob prepared to meet his brother Esau, fear led him to rely on his own strength instead of God’s promises. That night, God met him in a wrestling match—not to destroy him, but to teach him to trust completely. Like Jacob, we often wrestle with doubt, wanting to believe yet still trying to st...
Mark as Played
November 30, 2025 • 19 mins
Life often leads us down paths we never planned—ventures whose endings we cannot see. That’s true for churches, for families, and for each of us. Yet through every change, setback, or unknown, God’s hand still leads and His love still supports. From Naomi’s famine and exile, to the lepers healed by Jesus, to Paul’s imprisonment for the Gospel, God worked good through what seemed hopeless. The same Lord is at work in our own uncerta...
Mark as Played
November 30, 2025 • 19 mins
Today, we’re looking at the prophet Habakkuk—a man who saw a world filled with violence, injustice, and corruption, much like our own. Habakkuk cried out to God, asking why He seemed silent. God answered—but not as expected. He would use the ruthless Babylonians to discipline His people, proving that even through chaos, His purposes stand. The lesson? “The righteous shall live by faith.” Faith that trusts when nothing makes sense. ...
Mark as Played
November 30, 2025 • 19 mins
This week, I’m reflecting on the “war in heaven” — that mysterious battle between Michael and his angels and the dragon and his own. We may not understand how angels fight, but we know the outcome: the good prevailed. Yet the defeated enemy now rages on earth, turning his attacks toward us, using not swords but words — sowing doubt, twisting truth, and tempting us with his favorite word: “but.” Still, we are not defenseless. God’s ...
Mark as Played
November 30, 2025 • 14 mins
When Jesus said, “Go and learn what this means: I desire mercy, not sacrifice,” it wasn’t a rebuke just for the Pharisees—it’s a call for us, too. God doesn’t delight in rituals for their own sake, but in mercy that mirrors His own heart. Jesus came to bring that mercy to sinners, to touch the broken and bear their sin—even when it killed Him. On the cross, He became both the perfect sacrifice and the perfect mercy. And He still co...
Mark as Played
November 30, 2025 • 14 mins
The world measures funerals by size and fame, but Jesus does not. Whether in a stadium or a small chapel, He sees the same need—sinners in need of forgiveness and life. That is what He gave Reinhardt in Baptism, in His Word, and in His Supper: the promise that though he died, he is not dead but alive in Christ. Like the paralyzed man Jesus healed, Reinhardt will rise, not to temporary strength, but to everlasting life when Christ r...
Mark as Played
November 30, 2025 • 19 mins
This week’s tragedies remind us how deeply sin has scarred our world and our own hearts. Violence, hatred, and death are not exceptions but the fruit of our fallen humanity. That is why we need the holy cross. At the cross, Jesus took all sin, guilt, and hatred upon Himself, died in our place, and rose victorious to give us life. There, what looked like defeat became victory, turning death into life and despair into hope. Through W...
Mark as Played
November 30, 2025 • 18 mins
Today, I reflected on Jesus’ hard words about hating family, bearing the cross, and renouncing all we have. At first, they sound impossible—almost like disqualifications for discipleship. But Jesus isn’t telling us how to earn salvation; He’s warning us not to let anything stand in the way of following Him. Like those in His parable who made excuses about property and family, we too can let “later” become never. Yet Jesus counted t...
Mark as Played
November 30, 2025 • 17 mins
Today, I reflected on how Jesus turns the tables on what it means to be honored. At the Pharisee’s banquet, people fought for the best seats, but Jesus chose the place of the outcast and welcomed a man with dropsy, healing him and giving him dignity. That is what He does for us, too. Our sin disfigures us, but Jesus opens the door, forgives us, and gives us a seat of honor at His table. In His kingdom, the last are first, the humbl...
Mark as Played
November 30, 2025 • 20 mins
Today, I reflected on the disciples’ argument about who was the greatest, even after Jesus had given them His Supper. Jesus reminded them—and us—that greatness in His kingdom is not about status, but service. That truth comes alive in the story of St. Bartholomew, also known as Nathanael, whose very name means “gift of God.” Though not among the most famous apostles, he shows us that our worth doesn’t come from ranking higher than ...
Mark as Played
November 30, 2025 • 18 mins
Today, I reflected on Jesus’ hard words about casting fire on the earth. At first, they can sound harsh—even off-putting—but they reveal the truth about a world already burning with sin and brokenness. Jesus doesn’t come to ignore the flames but to fight fire with fire, taking the blaze of God’s wrath upon Himself at the cross so that we are saved. His work may bring division, even in families, but it also brings true peace—peace i...
Mark as Played
November 30, 2025 • 16 mins
Building on the Parable of the Rich Fool, Jesus teaches that life is more than possessions and that anxiety over material needs is unnecessary for those who know God as Father. Just as He feeds the ravens and clothes the lilies, He will surely care for His children—so much so that He gave His only Son for them. Our work, then, is not merely for personal gain but a way God provides for others and us. Freed from the idolatry of wealt...
Mark as Played
November 30, 2025 • 16 mins
In this episode, we reflect on a powerful moment when a man asks Jesus to divide an inheritance, revealing how easily worldly desires can overshadow eternal truths. The message warns against covetousness and idolatry—when we chase things that ultimately leave us spiritually empty, like drinking salt water that only increases thirst. Jesus invites us instead to seek heavenly treasures—His forgiveness, life, and glory—freely given to...
Mark as Played
November 30, 2025 • 19 mins
When the disciples asked Jesus, “Lord, teach us to pray,” they weren’t just asking for words—they were asking to be drawn deeper into relationship with God. Though they knew the traditions of prayer, they longed for what Jesus had: intimacy with the Father. Jesus responds by teaching them the Lord’s Prayer, beginning with the powerful word “Father”—a reminder that we pray not as strangers, but as beloved children. This relationship...
Mark as Played
November 30, 2025 • 17 mins
Today’s message reflects on the story of Mary and Martha, highlighting how Jesus gently redirects Martha—not because of her serving, but because of the division it caused. Mary had chosen the “good portion”: sitting at Jesus’ feet to receive His Word. That same Word speaks life, peace, and forgiveness to us today. Jesus didn’t come to be served, but to serve—and to heal the brokenness sin causes, including the divisions in our hear...
Mark as Played
November 30, 2025 • 18 mins
In today’s message, I reflected on Jesus sending out the seventy-two—ordinary people, sent with nothing but His Word, and yet they returned full of joy. Why? Because even the demons couldn’t stand against the power of Jesus’ name. That mission wasn’t just about then—it’s about now. Jesus still sends us out into a world full of wolves with the truth that changes everything: the cross. We might feel weak, like nothings, but the cross...
Mark as Played
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