Central Church NYC

The Greatest Stories Ever Told: The Parable of the Son and Stone

In the parable of the tenants, Jesus tells a rather dark story about an owner of a vineyard, who after building the vineyard, leaves it in the hands of his tenants. It's a parable that reveals the rebellious hearts of the religious authorities and all of humanity. As we take a closer look, we see it also reveals a greater and more hopeful truth: God will not be stopped in bringing his kingdom to our world.  ________ Sign up for Central’s newsletters here. Visit us on our website to learn ...

The Greatest Stories Ever Told: The Other Two Sons

The Greatest Stories Ever Told: Priceless

Jesus' two parables about the hidden treasure and the great pearl show us that the kingdom of heaven is of greater value than anything else we could possess. The invitation and the challenge that Jesus lays before us is not only to delight in the promise of his kingdom but to see that there is no other treasure worth pursuing. ________ Sign up for Central’s newsletters here. Visit us on our website to learn more. Follow us on Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook.

The Greatest Stories Ever Told: A Bad Man’s Good Example

In the Parable of the Dishonest Manager, we learn about the importance of being shrewd. While Jesus doesn’t condone the manager’s dishonest behavior, he commends only one thing—his shrewdness and ability to invest in the future. As Christians, we are to follow this bad man's good example to display astuteness and ingenuity as we invest in people, invest in the Gospel, and invest in eternity.  ________ Sign up for Central’s newsletters here. Visit us on our website to learn more. Follow u...

The Greatest Stories Ever Told: The Parable of the Mustard Seed

When Jesus compares the kingdom of heaven to a mustard seed and to leaven in Matthew 13, he is teaching us what it means to live by faith. There is nothing remarkable or powerful about mustard seeds and leaven, at least at first glance, but that is Jesus' point. It takes faith to wait on a mustard seed to grow, and it takes patience to trust that the leaven will really transform the flour. And it takes faith to trust that Jesus is going to come through on his promises. As we explore this par...

The Greatest Stories Ever Told: The Unmerciful Servant

Miroslav Volf, the Croatian theologian, has written “Forgiveness flounders because I exclude the enemy from the community of humans and exclude myself from the community of sinners.” But how do we specifically find the resources to forgive others, especially when we've been extremely hurt by another person? In this sermon, find the answer as we look at the Parable of the Unmerciful Servant. ________ Sign up for Central’s newsletters here. Visit us on our website to learn more. Follow us ...

Sent on Mission

Central was pleased to welcome Rev. Brent Harriman, who gave a sermon on Luke 10:1-1; 17-20 entitled "Sent on Mission.” Brent is the Founding Pastor of Resurrection Presbyterian in Knoxville, Tennessee. ________ Sign up for Central’s newsletters here. Visit us on our website to learn more. Follow us on Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook.

The Greatest Stories Ever Told: A Parable on Parables

Jesus often used parables to illustrate the nature and mystery of the kingdom of God. They are often not easy to understand, but it is through these stories that Jesus invites us to see, hear, and believe that God's kingdom is at hand. In this sermon, we set the stage as we explore Jesus' parables in greater depth over the next couple of months.  ________ Sign up for Central’s newsletters here. Visit us on our website to learn more. Follow us on Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook.

Growing in Christ: If Grace, Then Growth

If God accepts us solely on the basis of what Jesus has done for us, then why should we live our lives any differently? In the conclusion of our sermon series, we explore the basis of grace and learn how if we’re “saved by grace” then we will “grow in grace.” Growth is unavoidable, inescapable, and inevitable. ________ Sign up for Central’s newsletters here. Visit us on our website to learn more. Follow us on Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook.

Growing in Christ: Press On!

Christ’s righteousness is not something you achieve, but rather something you receive when you put your trust in Jesus. That is the basis of your standing and your acceptability before God and that becomes the core of who you really are. By taking this objective truth and working it into the center of your life, you’re able to lovingly serve God in response to his love and press on toward advancing his Kingdom.  ________ Sign up for Central’s newsletters here. Visit us on our website to l...

Growing in Christ: Following the Spirit

The gift of the Holy Spirit is integral to our growth as Christians. What we find in the surprising and encouraging words in John 16 is that the Holy Spirit is promised to us and he is exactly what we need to follow Jesus, but do we trust the Holy Spirit to work in our world and in our lives the way Jesus does?  ________ Sign up for Central’s newsletters here. Visit us on our website to learn more. Follow us on Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook.

Growing in Christ: How to Find Yourself

We often look for validation and affirmation from the outside to tell us that we matter, that we count, that we're significant, that we're secure, but we will never learn how to grow spiritually until we come to grips with our true identity, which we find in Christ. ________ Sign up for Central’s newsletters here. Visit us on our website to learn more. Follow us on Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook.

Growing in Christ: The Key to Growth

Union with Christ is the single most important thing you need to know and understand and appreciate in order to grow spiritually, but what does that entail? In this sermon, we take a close look at Colossians 3 and explore what union of Christ is, how it works, and why it matters. ________ Sign up for Central’s newsletters here. Visit us on our website to learn more. Follow us on Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook.

Growing in Christ: True Change

Growing in Christ: Engine of Growth

Growing in Christ: Stages of Growth

In the first sermon of our series, Growing in Christ, we learn about the stages of a growing Christian and how we grow into spiritually maturity in order to become the fullest version of ourselves. ________ Sign up for Central’s newsletters here. Visit us on our website to learn more. Follow us on Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook.

The Authentic Jesus: Life Changer

Christianity, at its heart, is a relationship with the living Jesus. Unlike other religious leaders, we can actually experience him—and his power, his grace, and his love—for ourselves, and that changes everything. ________ Sign up for Central’s newsletters here. Visit us on our website to learn more. Follow us on Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook.

The Authentic Jesus: Death Defeater

This Easter, we explore three historically secure claims that together provide us with a compelling reason to trust in the historic reality of the resurrection of Jesus. ________ Sign up for Central’s newsletters here. Visit us on our website to learn more. Follow us on Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook.

The Authentic Jesus: Sin Bearer

During Good Friday, we consider three possible answers to the question: Why did Jesus die?  ________ Sign up for Central’s newsletters here. Visit us on our website to learn more. Follow us on Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook.

The Authentic Jesus: Foot Washer

On this Maundy Thursday, we take a close look at John 13:1-17; 31-35, which reveals the depth of Jesus’ love and how we extend that love to the world in response.  ________ Sign up for Central’s newsletters here. Visit us on our website to learn more. Follow us on Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook.

The Authentic Jesus: Religion Challenger

On Palm Sunday, we remember the day that Jesus entered Jerusalem during the final week of his life. As we take a close look at Matthew 21:1-17 we see how Jesus calls all forms of false, empty religion into question.  ________ Sign up for Central’s newsletters here. Visit us on our website to learn more. Follow us on Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook.  

The Authentic Jesus: Corpse Raiser

Italian archeologists have recorded that in all the paintings of the Roman catacombs, the raising of Lazarus is the second-most represented depiction after that of Jesus as the Good Shepherd. In this sermon, we'll consider this story in John 11 and how Jesus’ actions provide us with a whole new outlook on death. ________ Sign up for Central’s newsletters here. Visit us on our website to learn more. Follow us on Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook.

The Authentic Jesus: Nap Taker

In Matthew 8:23-27 we find Jesus asleep on a boat in the midst of a terrible storm. The disciples, filled with fear, cry out to him and marvel at his power to calm the storm. On the boat, in the chaos, we meet The Authentic Jesus, the nap taker, at home in the chaos and willing to be awakened by even the feeblest cries of faith. ________ Sign up for Central’s newsletters here. Visit us on our website to learn more. Follow us on Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook.

The Authentic Jesus: Storyteller

The gospels do not provide us with a full character sketch of Jesus. Rather they show Jesus in action. We must decipher what Jesus was like based on what he says and does. But there is one other way we can gain insight into Jesus' heart, mind, and imagination, and that is through the stories he told. In this sermon, we learn about how Jesus used stories to show us who we are, what God is like, and how we should respond to his movements towards us. ________ Sign up for Central’s newsletters...

The Authentic Jesus: Magnetic Leader

Building upon last week’s sermon, we take a close look at the character that Jesus displayed, juxtaposing it with the extraordinary claims that Jesus made about himself. As we explore Mark 10:35-45, we see how Jesus is presented to us in the gospels as matchless, sinless, and selfless. ________ Sign up for Central’s newsletters here. Visit us on our website to learn more. Follow us on Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook.

The Authentic Jesus: Claim Maker

Critical scholars like Bart Ehrman argue that Jesus never claimed to be divine and that people did not start worshiping Jesus until long after he was dead. But the fact is Jesus didn't have to say the three little words, "I am God," because he claimed so much more. In this sermon we look at the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke to delve deeper into Jesus' divinity. ________ Sign up for Central’s newsletters here. Visit us on our website to learn more. Follow us on Instagram, YouTube, an...

The Authentic Jesus: Fellow Mourner

On this Ash Wednesday, we continue our exploration of The Authentic Jesus by considering how Jesus is presented to us as a fellow mourner over the brokenness of this world and what he does about it.  ________ Sign up for Central’s newsletters here. Visit us on our website to learn more. Follow us on Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook.

The Authentic Jesus: Authoritative Teacher

The gospel writers tell us that on numerous occasions when Jesus taught, his listeners were amazed. But what was it about Jesus' teaching that prompted such a response? In this sermon we learn about Jesus’ authority by taking a close look at Matthew 7:12-29. ________ Sign up for Central’s newsletters here. Visit us on our website to learn more. Follow us on Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook.

The Authentic Jesus: Wonder Worker

Jesus gained massive popularity for healing people of all different kinds of disabilities and diseases. Jesus did not just proclaim God's reign; he sought to bring it to bear on everyday lives. In this sermon, we look at Matthew 4 and consider the reality of Jesus' miracles, the meaning of Jesus' miracles, and the purpose of Jesus' miracles. ________ Sign up for Central’s newsletters here. Visit us on our website to learn more. Follow us on Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook.

The Authentic Jesus: Party Thrower

In this sermon, we take a close look at Luke 5 to explore the company that Jesus kept and the parties that he threw while specifically considering the problem with the parties, the purpose of the parties, and the possibility of the parties. ________ Sign up for Central’s newsletters here. Visit us on our website to learn more. Follow us on Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook.

The Authentic Jesus: Community Builder

Did Jesus actually intend to create the Christian Church? In this sermon we see that the answer to that question is: "Yes," as we turn to the remarkable moment when Jesus calls his first disciples and subsequently reveals the essential aspects of a Christian community.  ________ Sign up for Central’s newsletters here. Visit us on our website to learn more. Follow us on Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook.

The Authentic Jesus: News Announcer

What was Jesus’ primary message? Even the most critical of scholars would agree on the answer: Jesus announced the gospel of the kingdom. In this sermon we take a close look at Mark 1:14-20 and explore what Jesus meant by that and why it matters.  ________ Sign up for Central’s newsletters here. Visit us on our website to learn more. Follow us on Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook.

The Authentic Jesus: Myth Buster

In this sermon we take a close look at Luke 1:1-4 as we consider whether we can really trust the reliability of the gospels.  ________ Sign up for Central’s newsletters here. Visit us on our website to learn more. Follow us on Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook.

The Authentic Jesus: Scandalizer

As we learn more about Jesus—the authentic Jesus, not the figment of our own imagination, not Jesus of our own imaginings, but the authentic Jesus revealed to us in the pages of Scripture—we see that Jesus is inherently offensive if we see him for who he really is. In the first sermon in our series The Authentic Jesus we look at Matthew 11:2-6 and learn how John the Baptist dealt with the offensiveness of Jesus and worked through it and how we can apply these lessons so we can better underst...

The Power of the Gospel

Central was pleased to welcome Rev. Geoff Sackett, who gave a sermon on 1 Corinthians 1:17-18 entitled "The Power of the Gospel.” Geoff is the Executive Director of Manna Christian Fellowship at Princeton University.  ________ Sign up for Central’s newsletters here. Visit us on our website to learn more. Follow us on Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook.

The Gospel According to Handel: The Burden of Christmas

As we celebrate the fulfillment of God’s promises, we take a close look at the good news of Christmas and explore the two gifts Jesus gives us: The gift of rest and the gift of burden. ________ Sign up for Central’s newsletters here. Visit us on our website to learn more. Follow us on Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook.

The Gospel According to Handel: The Surprising Messiah

In this special Christmas Eve sermon, we take a close look at the central message of Christianity—good news of great joy is for all people.   ________ Sign up for Central’s newsletters here. Visit us on our website to learn more. Follow us on Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook.

The Gospel According to Handel: The Surprising Gift of Advent

In this sermon, we take a close look at one of the best-loved moments in Handel's Messiah when the prophet Isaiah promises a surprising gift: “For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given.” It is, of course, true, as Jesus himself said, that it is better to give than to get. Yet Isaiah reminds us that the greatest of all gifts is not one we offer, but one we receive.  ________ Sign up for Central’s newsletters here. Visit us on our website to learn more. Follow us on Instagram, Yo...

The Gospel According to Handel: The Surprising News of Advent

Christianity does not merely offer good advice about how to maximize our potential and become our best self. It proclaims the good news that God has come to us in the person of Jesus to do for us what we could never do for ourselves. In this sermon we take a close look at several Scripture texts to explore the importance of this good news and how it changes us.  ________ Sign up for Central’s newsletters here. Visit us on our website to learn more. Follow us on Instagram, YouTube, and Fa...

The Gospel According to Handel: The Surprising Fire of Advent

This Advent season, we are taking a close look at Scripture texts from Handel’s Messiah. In this sermon we explore Haggai 2:6-7 and Malachi 3:1-3 and consider what these texts tell us about the promise of the Lord's coming, the warning of the Lord's coming, and the hope of the Lord's coming.  ________ Sign up for Central’s newsletters here. Visit us on our website to learn more. Follow us on Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook.

The Gospel According to Handel: The Surprising Cry of Advent

In the first sermon of our new Advent series, The Gospel According to Handel, we take a close look at Isaiah 40:1-11 and explore the obstacles of Advent, the surprising cry of Advent, and how we ought to respond to Advent.  ________ Sign up for Central’s newsletters here. Visit us on our website to learn more. Follow us on Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook.

David and The Good Life: Salvation

In the conclusion of our sermon series, we consider David's death, specifically the three wrong ways to approach death and the right way because we cannot experience a truly worthwhile life until we overcome our fear of death.  ________ Sign up for Central’s newsletters here. Visit us on our website to learn more. Follow us on Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook.

David and The Good Life: Suffering

How can we possibly experience a fulfilling life in light of the painful reality of human suffering? The way to the good life is not to go around suffering, but to go straight through suffering. In this sermon, we turn to 2 Samuel 18 and explore the source, the sorrow, and the solace of suffering. ________ Sign up for Central’s newsletters here. Visit us on our website to learn more. Follow us on Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook.

David and The Good Life: Repair

David and The Good Life: Love

In the story of Mephibosheth in 2 Samuel 9:1-13, we learn about the covenant relationship between David and Mephibosheth’s father Jonathan, and how it foreshadows the ultimate significance and security we receive through Jesus’ covenant relationship with us.  ________ Sign up for Central’s newsletters here. Visit us on our website to learn more. Follow us on Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook.

David and The Good Life: Grace

We often view the "good life" as the "significant life." We want to prove to ourselves and to others that our life counts for something, but this week through a close reading of 2 Samuel 7,  we discover we simply cannot find the “good life” without grace. ________ Sign up for Central’s newsletters here. Visit us on our website to learn more. Follow us on Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook.

David and The Good Life: Worship

When we speak of the “good life,” we're not merely talking about an ethical or a moral life. Ethics and morality are important, but they only carry us so far. The real question is: How can we make the most of this gift of existence and live a life that is truly worth living? This sermon considers one of the most difficult and unsettling passages in the Old Testament—2 Samuel 6—and what it tells us about what worship is not, what worship is, and why it matters. ________ Sign up for Central’...

David and The Good Life: Compassion

The good life is a life that looks outward to others, not just in friendship but in compassion. This sermon examines the strength for compassion, the eyes of compassion, and the compassion of the Gospel. This sermon was given by guest preacher Rev. Andrew Smith, the pastor of Presbyterian Church of Kennett Square in Pennsylvania. ________ Sign up for Central’s newsletters here. Visit us on our website to learn more. Follow us on Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook.

David and The Good Life: Friendship

People today are living more lonely and isolated lives than ever before. Nearly one in four people say that they haven't made a new friend in the last five years, and the same number say that they have absolutely no one to talk to. So why do we need friendships, what is friendship really, and how do we find true friends? This sermon explores the essentiality of friendship through the story of David and Jonathan in 1 Samuel 18. ________ Sign up for Central’s newsletters here. Visit us on o...

David and The Good Life: Imagination

The story of David and Goliath is one of the most well-known stories in the Bible. But despite its familiarity, it is often misunderstood. In this sermon, we take a closer look at 1 Samuel 17 and consider what it has to teach us about living a life of faith and what’s possible when we possess a God-dominated imagination.  ________ Sign up for Central’s newsletters here. Visit us on our website to learn more. Follow us on Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook.