Second on the Mount

“Youth Sunday Sermons 2021”
Sermons by graduating seniors Allison Hammond and Madalyn Cook from Youth Sunday, February 7, 2021. Our Youth Group theme for the year is “Live in Love.” May you be blessed by these sermons as our youth preachers share through scripture and story what living in God's love means to them.

“A Single Act” – Mark 1:21-28
Sermon by The Rev. Elizabeth N.H. Link from January 31, 2021. "The exorcism of the unclean spirit is Jesus’ first act in Mark. Jesus crosses into those spaces where no one else is willing to go. That’s who God is―that’s what God does. Jesus has ushered in God’s kingdom, opened up a future of possibility and hope, and equips us to live in that kingdom now. A single act. One man helped. A single life changed for the better. If we are to follow, perhaps that’s where we are called to start."
Read the manuscript on our website: http://www.spres.org/a-single-act/

“Freedom” – I Corinthians 9
Sermon by Dr. George C. Anderson from January 24, 2021. "'We live in the land of the free,' say we as Americans. But as Christians, should we not then choose how to be free? Being free in Christ is to say 'No' to what is false, what destroys, what is evil and what is selfish; and to say 'Yes' to what is true, what heals, what is good, and what is loving. That’s the freedom of those who take up their cross to follow Jesus. They say many 'Nos' in order to live their best 'Yes.'"
Read the manuscript on our website: http://www.spres.org/freedom/

“The Voice to Trust” – Mark 1:1-15
Sermon by The Rev. Jen Brothers from January 17, 2021. "God’s reign has come near, Jesus said. And then he came closer to show us what God’s reign looks like. He healed diseases of the body and mind, he brought dignity to women and immigrants. He challenged the civic values and religious practices that created boundaries between people. He welcomed everyone to the table, and he spoke out against those who created circles to define who was in and who was out, who was worthy and who was worthless."
Read the manuscript on our website: http://www.spres.org/the-voice-to-trust/

“Order” – Genesis 1:1-10, Mark 5:1-20
Sermon by Dr. George C. Anderson from January 10, 2021. "Do not wait for chaos to be calmed in the nation before finding order within. Right now, we can center ourselves on God’s love, we can remind ourselves of the virtues that should guide us, and we can commit ourselves to making a witness without insisting that we have to win or be seen as right."
Read the manuscript on our website: http://www.spres.org/order/

“Happiness” – Matthew 5:3-12
Sermon by Dr. George C. Anderson from January 3, 2021. "How did we handle the circumstances of the year? ...was it possible that some of us could have been happier even under the circumstances? Jesus says we can, but to get what it is he is saying is possible―what he might even be offering as a gift to us―we need to understand what sort of happiness Jesus is talking about."
Read the manuscript on our website: http://www.spres.org/happiness/

“About the Child” – Luke 2:22-40
Sermon by The Rev. Elizabeth N.H. Link from December 27, 2020. "As we approach a new year, may we be reminded of the call to lean into the future with hope. We know not what 2021 holds for us, but we do know that God goes before us. The trials of this life aren’t easy. The trials of this past year have not been easy. But we worship a Savior who became flesh and dwelt among us. Who chose to walk the path of humanhood, to live and love and grieve and suffer and die―showing us the lengths God goes to―showing us the truth of God’s deep love."
Read the manuscript on our website: http://www.spres.org/about-the-child/

"Love" – Matthew 1:18-25Part IV of the Advent sermon series, "What Can't Wait?"
Sermon by Dr. George C. Anderson from the fourth Sunday of Advent, December 20, 2020. "But God wants more of Joseph than good behavior. In fact, God wants more goodness than Joseph can willfully give on his own. And what happens next can only be described as a conversion of Joseph’s insides; a conversion of his soul, his heart, his head. A voice from outside of Joseph is heard―a goodness beyond Joseph is given him. . . . Let’s celebrate this beautiful moment of utter selflessness for the sake of Mary, and the child and, most importantly, the world."
Read the manuscript on our website: http://www.spres.org/what-cant-wait-love/

"Joy" – Isaiah 35:1-10, Luke 1:46-55Part III of the Advent sermon series, "What Can't Wait?"
Sermon by The Rev. Elizabeth N.H. Link from the third Sunday of Advent, December 13, 2020. "A word of joy may seem out of place this year. But it is exactly the word a people of faith are commanded to proclaim. Ours is the joy of Isaiah in the exile. Ours is the joy of Mary in a world that gives her no voice. Ours is the joy of the faithful throughout all generations who are holding us in these days and reminding us we are not alone."
Read the manuscript on our website: http://www.spres.org/what-cant-wait-joy/

"Peace" – Jeremiah 6:13-15, Luke 2:8-14Part II of the Advent sermon series, "What Can't Wait?"
Sermon by Dr. George C. Anderson from the second Sunday of Advent, December 6, 2020. "Peace for Jeremiah is going to have to be busy, disruptive, lively, active, noisy. It is going to be that way because the peace the prophet looks for, that peace that the Bible calls “Shalom,” is something alive and working. Shalom is what God’s love looks like, and that means it looks like a community actively and sacrificially working for justice and showing compassion. It is people actively putting other’s interests ahead of their own because the wellbeing of everyone is everyone’s concern. . . . What needs to change…for more of the Shalom of God’s kingdom to be more real in your life?"
Read the manuscript on our website: http://www.spres.org/what-cant-wait-peace/