Second on the Mount

“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/ 

“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/ 

“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/ 

“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."

“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/ 

“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/

“I Will Pour Out My Spirit” – 1 Corinthians 12:3b-13, Joel 2:23-29
Sermon by The Rev. Rachel C. Thompson Orfield from the Day of Pentecost, May 31, 2020. "Today, on Pentecost Sunday, we celebrate together this truth that our scripture passages so beautifully articulate―that each one of us bears in our being the outpouring of the Spirit of God. We might have different giftings, but it’s the same Spirit working in all of us."
Read the manuscript on our website: http://www.spres.org/i-will-pour-out-my-spirit/

"Join Your Struggle to His" – I Peter 4:12-14, 5:6-11
Sermon by Dr. George C. Anderson from May 24, 2020. "Peter is not asking his readers to see their struggle as a gift from God, but rather in the midst of whatever struggle that comes to remember the gifts of God’s love, grace and community. When you must struggle, join your struggle to that of Jesus."
Read the manuscript on our website: http://www.spres.org/join-your-struggle-to-his/

“The Advocate” – I Corinthians 13:1-13, John 14:15-21
Sermon by The Rev. Elizabeth N.H. Link from May 17, 2020. "Brothers and sisters, you are inheritors of this advocate Spirit Jesus promises. And you cannot receive this Spirit and remain unchanged. The Spirit is among us, abiding within us, creating holy places where authentic, self-sacrificial human love can take root and flourish."
Read the manuscript on our website: http://www.spres.org/the-advocate/

“Enough of Utopia” – Luke 15:11-24
Sermon by Dr. George C. Anderson from May 10, 2020. A mother’s loving gaze; a father’s watchful eye. Seeking freedom through severing ties; longing to be reminded of who we are and that we are loved… In his sermon, “Enough of Utopia,” Dr. Anderson draws connections between the thoughts and feelings of the prodigal son, to the thoughts and feelings many of us may have in today’s age of information. "That imperfect but real community of faith is out there to be found."
Read the manuscript on our website: http://www.spres.org/enough-of-utopia/