August 10, 2020
“Signifying Everything” – Matthew 14:22-33
Sermon by Jen Brothers, M.Div, from August 9, 2020. "I imagine the sound and the fury of [this story] signify so much of what you have experienced lately. And yet, here is the good news: this story signifies everything we need to know in this moment. Jesus is in the chaos, Jesus has power over the chaos, and Jesus will deliver us from sinking into the chaos."
Read the manuscript on our website: http://www.spres.org/signifying-everything/
August 3, 2020
"Curiosity" – Psalm 8
Sermon by Dr. George C. Anderson from August 2, 2020. "Curiosity will destroy an unexamined faith, but is the virtue that can lead to a deep faith in God as a mystery, and to truths that are better described as revelations than certainties. It will lead to the kind of faith that is grounded in love, guided by grace, and fueled by hope."
Read the manuscript on our website: http://www.spres.org/curiosity/
July 27, 2020
“Great Faith” – Matthew 15:21-28
Sermon by The Rev. Elizabeth N.H. Link from July 26, 2020. "The more I wrestle with this passage, the more I have come to believe that in this scene, we are witnessing Jesus grow. It is possible that Jesus’ own sense of God’s kingdom is challenged, stretched, and enhanced by his encounter with this fierce and faithful woman. It is possible that he changed his mind."
Read the manuscript on our website: http://www.spres.org/great-faith/
July 20, 2020
"Encouragement" – Hebrews 12:1-17
Sermon by Dr. George C. Anderson from July 19, 2020. "You see, sometimes cheerleading is not enough. Sometimes encouragement has to go beyond “Keep it up,” to being reminded that we are accountable. . . . With how we live, with the decisions we make, and with the hope we bear, let’s hang in there with the one who leads us to joy. Let’s stay with Jesus, and we’ll finish strong."
Read the manuscript on our website: http://www.spres.org/encouragement/
July 14, 2020
“From Death to Life” – 1 John 3:11-18
Sermon by Jen Brothers, M.Div, from July 12, 2020. "Something miraculous happens when we love as Christ loved. When we put the welfare of others above our own need to be right, or comfortable, or in charge, the power of the resurrection becomes manifest. Here, now, on this side of the veil, the forces in opposition to God’s kingdom are overthrown and heaven’s on-earth-border grows. Every day we have the chance to move from death to life."
Read the manuscript on our website: http://www.spres.org/from-death-to-life/
July 13, 2020
“Eating With Jesus” – Luke 5:27-32
Sermon by Dr. George C. Anderson from July 5, 2020. "We are going to come to a table where Jesus is host, and we are going to be invited to be liberated with Jesus. For he takes bread and breaks it and he shares it with the likes of them… and the likes of us… with us all… at our worst and at our best. And maybe we can hang in there with each other at this meal and possibly stop talking so much so that Jesus can get a word in edgewise… a word that might challenge us, push us, affirm us, question us, and change us."
Read the manuscript on our website: http://www.spres.org/eating-with-jesus/
June 29, 2020
“Get Up, Eat, and Go” – I Kings 19:4-15a
Sermon by The Rev. Elizabeth N.H. Link from June 28, 2020. "Often, our listening is at the surface of things. We hear what we want to hear. We hear what we expect to hear. But if we are really turning our attention on God, we may in fact hear what God is saying to us... Somewhere in the midst of the storms swirling around us, God is speaking. We had better listen. We are not alone. And somehow, that is enough."
Read the manuscript on our website: http://www.spres.org/get-up-eat-and-go/
June 23, 2020
“The Calm Within the Storm” – Psalm 107:1-3, 23-32; Mark 4:35-41
Sermon by Dr. Carl Utley, Transitional General Presbyter of Presbytery of the Peaks, from June 21, 2020. "Our calling is to take up the boat’s oars and get to the other side with Jesus, not so that we can relax or get back to normal or simply be among our friends again, but so that we can be about the work of God: healing the sick, helping the confused, lifting up the weak, binding up the brokenhearted, confronting evil, recognizing God at the center of the world and of our lives, and Jesus as the head of the church."
June 15, 2020
“Hope Does Not Disappoint” – Romans 5:1-8
Sermon by The Rev. Rachel C. Thompson Orfield from her final Sunday as Second's Associate Pastor for Youth and Young Adults, June 14, 2020. "With everything you do, with every decision that you make, with everything you have: lean into the hope that the love of God could and does and will radically change this world."
Read the manuscript on our website: http://www.spres.org/hope-does-not-disappoint/
June 8, 2020
“The Call Before the Storm” – Mark 1:16-20
Sermon by Dr. George C. Anderson from June 7, 2020. "Storms are raging in our world right now. You can hear the howling winds of a pandemic and the thunder of protest. But this worship service provides a moment of calm when we can look to the distant mountains and remember that our help comes in the name of the Lord―which is also to say through the ways of God."
Read the manuscript on our website: http://www.spres.org/the-call-before-the-storm/
