PODCAST

Warrenton United Methodist Church

Louis McDonald

Weekly sermons from the pastor at Warrenton United Methodist Church, Warrenton VA

religion & spirituality religion

All Episodes

12:41

April 5, 2026 - An Unlikely Outcome

Warrenton United Methodist Church ·

2026/04/05

Send us Fan Mail Pastor Ashley’s sermon reminds listeners that while we often believe we can predict life’s outcomes, God is continually writing a greater story. Using examples of predictable endings and surprising twists, she connects this truth to Easter. Like the women at the tomb and disciples on the road, we may assume loss is final. Yet the resurrection reveals God is already present and at work. What seems like an ending may be a beginning. Believers are invited to trust Jesus, look fo...

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19:08

March 29, 2026 - Unlikely Allies

Warrenton United Methodist Church ·

2026/03/29

Send us Fan Mail Pastor Ashley’s Palm Sunday message centers on the idea that things are not always as they seem. Drawing from her own experiences, she highlights how assumptions about people and situations can lead to disappointment or unexpected joy. She points to Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea as unlikely disciples who, through curiosity and courage, stepped forward when others withdrew. Their example challenges us to move beyond surface-level judgments and remain open to God’s deeper w...

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15:30

March 22, 2026 - Unlikely Courage

Warrenton United Methodist Church ·

2026/03/22

Send us Fan Mail Pastor Ashley’s sermon, Unlikely Courage, focuses on the quiet bravery of those who stayed with Jesus at the cross when others ran. Figures like Mary Magdalene and the beloved disciple didn’t fully understand what was happening, but they showed up anyway, choosing love over fear. Their witness becomes a model for us. Through the story of Clarence Jordan, the message brings that same challenge into today—are we willing to follow Jesus when it costs us something? Often, we alre...

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17:26

March 15, 2026 - Unlikely Companionship

Warrenton United Methodist Church ·

2026/03/15

Send a text Pastor Ashley reflects on the story of Simon of Cyrene, the man compelled to carry Jesus’ cross. Though he appears briefly in the Easter narrative, Simon becomes an example of unlikely companionship. What began as an unexpected interruption placed him beside Christ on the road to the cross. Through Simon’s experience, the sermon explores how suffering and life’s sudden disruptions can draw people closer to God and to one another. Rather than avoiding hardship, believers are invite...

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19:07

March 8, 2026 - Unlikely Freedom

Warrenton United Methodist Church ·

2026/03/08

Send a text Pastor Ashley explores how shame and blame are deeply rooted in human nature, tracing the impulse to scapegoat others from biblical stories through to today. Drawing on her own personal experiences with perfectionism and unworthiness, she explains how Jesus, by willingly becoming the ultimate scapegoat, frees us from shame's power. His sacrifice gives us three gifts: freedom from scapegoating, freedom from self-preservation, and the freedom to openly admit our mistakes. When our i...

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18:40

March 1, 2026 - Unlikely Opposition

Warrenton United Methodist Church ·

2026/03/01

Send a text In her sermon “Unlikely Opposition,” Pastor Ashley reflects on how God can use opposing voices for our growth. Sharing stories from her own life, she recalls moments when disappointment and hard feedback became unexpected gifts of wisdom and redirection. Drawing on Peter’s denial of Jesus in the Gospel account, she highlights the servant girl as a surprising messenger who exposed Peter’s fear and called him back to truth. Opposition, she explains, is not always meant to harm; some...

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19:58

February 22, 2026 - An Unlikely Offering

Warrenton United Methodist Church ·

2026/02/22

Send a text In this Lenten message, Pastor Ashley reflects on Lent as a sacred reset, a season of repentance, sacrifice, and renewed perspective. Preaching on Mary anointing Jesus, she contrasts familiar roles such as Martha serving and Judas criticizing with Mary’s extravagant and unexpected devotion. Mary’s costly offering models surrendered love that catches the world off guard. Lent invites believers to break routines, release barriers, and offer their own “unlikely offering” to Christ. T...

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17:10

February 15, 2026 - What Love Does

Warrenton United Methodist Church ·

2026/02/15

Send a text In this post–Valentine’s Day sermon, Pastor Ashley reminds the church that love is more than a feeling—it is obedience to Christ. While we grow tired of talking about love, living it is harder. Jesus defines love as keeping his commands and remaining in him. True love is faithful, steady, and often costly, requiring us to die to self in everyday moments—apologizing first, telling the truth, serving when tired. Like the Good Samaritan, love crosses the road. Love is not one item on...

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19:18

February 8, 2026 - Launch Pad

Warrenton United Methodist Church ·

2026/02/08

Send us a text In the final week of the Defying Gravity series, Pastor Ashley invites us to move beyond reflection and into action. After weeks of examining what holds our attention, how we use our time, and what we cling to, this message centers on generosity as the way God’s kingdom breaks into our lives. Through Scripture, story, and vivid illustrations, we are reminded that holding too tightly to what doesn’t last steals joy, while letting go creates freedom and life. As Lent approaches, ...

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19:03

February 1, 2026 - Sheaves in the Snow

Warrenton United Methodist Church ·

2026/02/01

Send us a text Pastor Ashley explores Jesus’ parable of the wheat and the weeds, reminding listeners that the kingdom of heaven is both a future hope and a present reality. Jesus teaches in parables to awaken receptive hearts and invite transformation, not judgment. While good and harmful forces coexist in the world, followers of Christ are not called to uproot others, but to tend the wheat by living faithfully. Pastor Ashley offers five practices for discerning without becoming cruel, includ...

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19:50

January 25, 2026 - Defying Gravity

Warrenton United Methodist Church ·

2026/01/25

Send us a text Pastor Ashley continued the Defying Gravity series by challenging listeners to break free from the culture of “more” and make God the priority through intentional living and generosity. Using the story of early transatlantic flight, she contrasted failed attempts driven by excess and ego with Charles Lindbergh’s success, rooted in simplicity, focus, preparation, and intentionality. These same principles, she explained, shape faithful discipleship and stewardship. Drawing from J...

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17:19

January 18, 2026 - Defying Gravity

Warrenton United Methodist Church ·

2026/01/18

Send us a text Pastor Ashley’s sermon explores the tension between the “kingdom of self” and the “kingdom of God.” She explains how the gravitational pull of our own desires, priorities, and even well-intentioned habits can draw us away from God and ultimately enslave us. Using the parable of the prodigal son, she shows that both self-indulgence and self-righteousness can trap us. True freedom is found when God’s kingdom takes priority, marked by humility, trust, grace, and love. The sermon c...

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22:05

January 11, 2026 - Defying Gravity

Warrenton United Methodist Church ·

2026/01/11

Send us a text Pastor Ashley introduces the Defying Gravity sermon series, exploring the unseen forces that shape our lives. Using gravity as a metaphor, she describes how cultural pressures, media, possessions, and misplaced desires can pull us away from God when God is not our primary grounding force. Drawing from the story of the rich young man, she highlights how confusion between wants and needs creates spiritual imbalance and incompleteness. Jesus’ call to surrender exposes what stands ...

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22:31

January 4, 2026 - What if... The Wise Men Hadn't...

Warrenton United Methodist Church ·

2026/01/04

Send us a text Pastor Ashley reflects on the story of the Magi, emphasizing that their wisdom came not only from knowledge, but from discernment and obedience. Though the Magi understood prophecy and signs, their defining moment was trusting God’s warning in a dream and choosing a different path home, quietly resisting Herod’s power. Their decision protected Jesus and allowed God’s plan to unfold. The sermon invites listeners to consider how God often speaks through whispers rather than drama...

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19:02

December 28, 2025 - Christmas Music Sing Along

Warrenton United Methodist Church ·

2025/12/28

Send us a text Pastor Ashley reflects on Christmas wisdom through familiar Christmas movies, especially The Grinch, to explore the power of belief. She explains how deeply held beliefs shape behavior, relationships, and identity, using Cindy Lou and the Grinch as examples of hope and self protection. The sermon highlights how past pain can distort belief, but loving community and truth can renew it. When beliefs shift toward God’s perspective, lives are transformed. Drawing from Romans 12:2, ...

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18:54

December 14, 2025 - What if... Mary Said No?

Warrenton United Methodist Church ·

2025/12/14

Send us a text Pastor Ashley invites the congregation to reflect on the power of “what if” questions and how they open space for deeper faith, especially during Advent. She centers the message on Mary’s story and asks, “What if Mary said no?” While Mary’s role in salvation is unique, her experience reflects something we all share: free will, uncertainty, and the need for trust in God. Mary responds with curiosity and a desire to understand before offering her yes. Her willingness and praise s...

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20:14

December 7, 2025 - What if... Zechariah Believed?

Warrenton United Methodist Church ·

2025/12/07

Send us a text Pastor Ashley reflects on the theme of preparations during Advent, linking our Christmas preparations with Zechariah’s sacred duty in the temple. Chosen by lot to offer prayers for Israel’s redemption, Zechariah also brings his long-held personal prayer for a child. When the angel Gabriel appears and announces that both prayers will be answered through the birth of John, Zechariah struggles to believe. His imposed silence becomes both consequence and gift, creating space for ho...

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15:36

November 30, 2025 - Joy is an Action Word, Guest...

Warrenton United Methodist Church ·

2025/11/30

Send us a text Lori Bakewell shares her personal journey of losing and rediscovering joy after a season of profound loss, family responsibilities, and emotional exhaustion. Though she continued “showing up” in life, she realized she had mistaken being “happy enough” for true joy. A difficult Christmas Eve became a turning point, leading her to seek God’s answer and reflect on joy as something deeper and foundational. Lori learned that joy requires intention—recognizing the difference between ...

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17:12

November 23, 2025 - The Pause Before the Promise, The...

Warrenton United Methodist Church ·

2025/11/23

Send us a text Pastor Ashley teaches that God is always speaking, just as God spoke to Samuel throughout his life. Samuel’s story shows the power of listening—not just hearing—with attention, obedience, and trust. Though Samuel never saw the fulfillment of God’s long-term plan, his faithfulness helped set the stage for Jesus’ arrival. Waiting becomes meaningful when we listen, obey, and stay faithful in the in-between. Pastor Ashley encourages us to keep going when God feels silent, focus o...

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18:34

November 16, 2025 - The Pause Before the Promise, The...

Warrenton United Methodist Church ·

2025/11/16

Send us a text Pastor Ashley teaches that “trusting in the waiting” is essential to spiritual growth. In a world used to instant answers and constant updates, waiting feels uncomfortable, even anxiety-inducing—but God uses waiting to shape our character, deepen our dependence, and align us with divine timing. Drawing from Romans 8 and the image of an apple tree that stores energy after a harsh frost, she explains that seasons that seem dormant are actually preparing us for abundance. Scriptur...

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Warrenton United Methodist Church

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