Second on the Mount

"A Different sort of Resolution" – Philippians 1:9-11
Sermon by Dr. George C. Anderson from Sunday, January 1, 2023. "Yes, learn what Christians should learn. But become. Worship weekly, pray daily, give generously…I encourage the disciplines of church, but not because church is the point. Becoming is the point. Becoming those described by Paul’s fruits of the Spirit is the point. So, resolve yourself to habits.Show kindness to learn to love being kindBe empathetic to learn to love others for who they are,Be generous to learn to love being generous,Forgive regularly to learn to love reconciliation."
Read the manuscript on our website: https://www.spres.org/a-different-sort-of-resolution/

"Seek" – Luke 2:8-15Part IV of the Advent sermon series, "While We Are Waiting."
Sermon by Dr. George C. Anderson from Sunday, December 18, 2022. "Could this passage be inviting us to seek signs of God coming not just into the world, notjust in history, but into the lives we live. Are we not invited to a Confirmation Bias of a different sort, a bias that seeks the signs that God is here, and that, by God’s grace, we can be led to peace? If that is true, looking for God to come could be the most practical thing we can do because grace, mercy and peace—if they are out there—should be sought."
 

"Watch" – Matthew 25:1-13Part III of the Advent sermon series, "While We Are Waiting."
Sermon by Dr. George C. Anderson from Sunday, December 11, 2022. "It is the interior work of waiting [Jesus] is speaking of; the ways we can prepare to recognize the signs of God. Prayer that listens more than speaks so, one might actually gain insight, find comfort, or accept what cannot be changed. Learning the stories of scripture and the wisdom of the church so, one might, when the moment comes, know better what to do when something graceful needs to be done. Attending to the duties of devotion to God, so one can better attend to the devotion of others." 

"Prepare" – Isaiah 11:1-10Part II of the Advent sermon series, "While We Are Waiting."
Sermon by the Rev. Elizabeth N.H. Link from Sunday, December 4, 2022. "• A man who thought he’d never find joy after the death of a beloved spouse, opens himself to new people and relationships.• A parent who’s experienced the excruciating loss of a child returns to worship and, despite grief and pain and doubt, finds new meaning in service.• A woman who felt belittled and judged by her childhood church, somehow finds the strength to open herself to a new community to ask questions and explore God’s word in a whole new way.• A son who is honest about who he is, and a family that grows to not only accept him but to advocate for him.
The list could go on.
From the outside, these signs of hope may not look like much—a shoot coming out of a stump, a branch springing forth from a root, a step forward, an opening, a light—but it’s enough, Isaiah says. Sometimes, that’s all it takes. But seeing such a sign of hope doesn’t always come naturally to us. So we have to watch, get ready for it, pay attention for when it comes."
Read the manuscript on our website: https://www.spres.org/while-we-are-waiting-prepare/ 

"Repent" – Matthew 3:1-6Part I of the Advent sermon series, "While We Are Waiting."
Sermon by the Rev. Ben Brannan from Sunday, November 27, 2022. "Frustration. Anxiousness. This is not the waiting Advent calls us into. The waiting Advent calls us into is one of hopeful anticipation. Advent-waiting is not only to celebrate something that has already happened. Yes, we are to celebrate the incarnate birth. But we now wait for something different! We are waiting for the coming of the Lord in a way that we have not yet seen; we wait for something we have not experienced before."
Read the manuscript on our website: https://www.spres.org/while-we-are-waiting-repent/ 

"Remembering Thankfully" – Deuteronomy 16:1-15
Sermon by Dr. George C. Anderson from Sunday, November 20, 2022. "The goodness we have to offer comes of the good we choose to remember. Fear, resentment, hatred provide great cause to cling to what we have. Remembering thankfully gives clear cause to do for others the kindnesses done for you."
Read the manuscript on our website: https://www.spres.org/remembering-thankfully/ 

"When Wrong is OK" – Luke 5:29-32
Sermon by Dr. George C. Anderson from Preschool Sunday, November 13, 2022. "...I am suggesting that the way to authentic self-esteem begins with authentic self-acceptance. And the first thing to accept is that we’re human. We’re going to mess up. We want to get it right, but we are going to make mistakes. We want to be right—to be good and decent human beings—but we are going to do what is wrong. . . . What I hope for children at home and children in this preschool is that they be seen and loved for who they are. . . . What I hope for is that they know grace, which helps them gain an honest and thus healthy self-acceptance and true self-esteem. We all need that grace. We all need to know that it is OK to be human."
Read the manuscript on our website: https://www.spres.org/when-wrong-is-ok/ 

"That Still Small Voice" – 1 Kings 19
Sermon by Dr. Ben Witherington III, renowned New Testament scholar and our guest speaker for the 2022 Edmunds Lecture Series, from Sunday, November 6, 2022. 

"Zacchaeus" – Luke 19:1-10
Sermon by the Rev. Elizabeth N.H. Link from Sunday, October 30, 2022. "Jesus is once again turning our world upside down. He doesn’t see Zacchaeus the ways his neighbors saw him. Jesus doesn’t see you the ways your neighbors see you—or, for that matter, the ways you even see yourself. Jesus sees deeper than that. Jesus sees who and what you truly are—your deepest self, who God made and called you to be."
Read the manuscript on our website: https://www.spres.org/zacchaeus/ 

"What Wonder Below" – Psalm 8, Genesis 1:26-28
Sermon by Dr. George C. Anderson from Sunday, October 23, 2022. "And among the creatures placed upon the land are humans; 'male and female he created them.' There is something different about these creatures for there is placed within them the image of God. This means at least in part that humans are to be God’s representatives—God’s stewards—on earth. They are put in the garden to tend it and keep it. They are not put there to be owners of the land who are accountable only to themselves. They are put there to be stewards of the land accountable to God. Progress is encouraged: 'Be fruitful and multiply.' But, progress should not mean exploitation; expansion should not lead to extinction. The reason is simple. As God’s representatives, we are here to love what God loves."
Read the manuscript on our website: https://www.spres.org/what-wonder-below/