Central Church NYC

The Gospel in the Carols: What Child Is This?

During this Advent season, we will explore the gospel message contained in some of our favorite hymns. This week we turn to “What Child Is This?” This carol was written by William Chatterton Dix who established himself as a successful businessman managing an insurance office in Glasgow, Scotland. But during his late ‘20s he was struck with a near-fatal illness which threw him into a severe depression. While recovering from his illness, he had a spiritual awakening which changed him forever. Dix ...

The Gospel in the Carols: Joy to the World!

This Advent, we are engaging in a series focused on the gospel in some of our favorite Christmas carols. We begin this sermon series by looking closely at “Joy to the World,” which is based on Psalm 98. The song describes the second coming of Jesus as the risen and reigning king, to restore and renew all things. As we examine this song, we will look at the cause for joy: the Lord has come, the scope of joy: as far as the curse is found, and the call to joy: repeat the sounding joy. ________ Sign...

The Greatest Sermon Ever Told: The Anxiety Opportunity

The Greatest Sermon Ever Told: Treasure

Jesus famously said, "Wherever your treasure is, there will your heart be also." We all have something we treasure, and our heart moves to be wherever we place it. In other words, our identity is bound up with our treasure. We become whatever we most love. The problem, from Jesus' point of view, is not that we treasure something. The problem is that we often treasure the wrong thing. ________ Sign up for Central’s newsletters here . Visit us on our website to learn more. Follow us on Instagram ,...

The Greatest Sermon Ever Told: Prayer 101

Right in the middle of the greatest sermon ever told, Jesus offers the greatest prayer ever uttered. The Lord's Prayer may be the most recited prayer in the entire history of human civilization. Though it is familiar, we may fail to appreciate its significance and power. As Jesus lays out God's new way of being human in the Sermon on the Mount, he leads his followers through the school of prayer. If you have ever struggled to know how prayer works, or if prayer works, then this message is for yo...