Second on the Mount

"Ready for New Lenses?" – John 20:19-31, Revelation 1:4-8 
On the occasion of the 2025 Kittye Susan Trent Symposium for Newly Ordained Ministers, Dr. Ken McFayden, Vice President for Academic Affairs and Academic Dean of Union Presbyterian Seminary, was invited to preach at the 8:45 and 11:00 a.m. worship services.

"Wisdom Resurrected" – Luke 24:13-27Part VII of the Lenten Sermon Series "Wisdom"
Sermon by Dr. George C. Anderson from Easter Sunday, April 20, 2025.
"Friends in Christ, much of the wisdom we need right now is the wisdom we’ve forgotten. But it’s an old wisdom that can be resurrected. Just as Jesus rose from a tomb, this wisdom can be resurrected from Scripture. 
"And because Jesus is risen, he is with us even when we do not recognize him, talking to us if we will listen. He is teaching us… reminding us… what we know to be true: That God so loves the world."
Read the manuscripts of our latest sermons at: https://www.spres.org/worship/sermons/

"Wisdom Crucified" – Matthew 27:45-50, Acts 3:14-18Part VI of the Lenten Sermon Series "Wisdom"
Sermon by the Rev. Ben Brannan from Palm Sunday, April 13, 2025.
"This is not for someone else. This is for us. For those of us who follow Jesus, who sit in pews, who pray unceasingly and sincerely and yet still carry assumptions and perspectives that betray the very Gospel we claim and the very Jesus we love. . . . And like Peter, we are not called to shame each other, to point fingers, blame and deflect—but to tell the truth, the God’s-honest truth to each other. To acknowledge our ignorance so that grace can do its work. To confront our illusions so that real transformation can begin."
Read the manuscripts of our latest sermons at: https://www.spres.org/worship/sermons/

"New Wisdom" – Matthew 5:1-12, 38-45Part V of the Lenten Sermon Series "Wisdom"
Sermon by the Rev. Elizabeth N.H. Link from Sunday, April 6, 2025.
"'An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.' This idea was meant to limit the escalation of violent retaliation. It was intended to break the cycle of violence by ensuring the punishment never became greater than the crime. The concept was about seeking true justice. But justice in God’s kingdom brings about something greater than quid pro quo. In God’s kingdom, justice is about restoration and healing. It’s an entirely different way to relate to each other—relationships governed not by power, but by vulnerability and love."
Read the manuscripts of our latest sermons at: https://www.spres.org/worship/sermons/

"Broken Wisdom" – I Corinthians 1:18-25Part IV of the Lenten Sermon Series "Wisdom"
Sermon by Dr. George C. Anderson from Sunday, March 30, 2025.
"There is a phrase that might be over-used, but I think is so helpful in talking about how to move forward. It is living into a “new normal.” Your old wisdom about how to live in the world won’t serve you anymore because your world has changed. The only healthy way forward is to figure out how things are now and deal with them well. 
"The Bible is all about this. Some say it isn’t, that when it comes to the Bible as the Word of the Lord, wisdom doesn’t get broken. It is fixed. Only then you read the Bible and you see that wisdom is not something fixed but is fluid. That fluidity has been called the work of the Holy Spirit, the dynamic presence of God that speaks new words for each new day."
Read the manuscripts of our latest sermons at: https://www.spres.org/worship/sermons/

"A Chorus of Wisdom" – Psalm 150, Luke 18:9-14Part III of the Lenten Sermon Series "Wisdom"
Sermon by the Rev. Ben Brannan from March 23, 2025.
"If we want to reach Psalm 150’s unshackled praise, we must not only humble ourselves before God—we must also release the false belief that others are beyond God’s mercy, set free our notion that some people are just too far gone from God’s love, and swing open the prison doors of our hearts that so often commodify God’s grace. The praise of Psalm 150 is not exclusive; it’s not reserved for only those we deem worthy. It does not say, 'Let all who have lived rightly,' or 'Let all who have been faithful in every season' praise the Lord. No! It is an all-encompassing, all-inclusive invitation to 'everything that has breath.'"
Read the manuscripts of our latest sermons at: https://www.spres.org/worship/sermons/

"Forgotten Wisdom" – Hosea 4:1-6, Luke 16:19-31Part II of the Lenten Sermon Series "Wisdom"
Sermon by Dr. George C. Anderson from Sunday, March 16, 2025.
"Jesus uses his stark parable about eternity to make a point about life right now… his now, and our now. He reminds us that in any life-giving, community-enhancing moral tradition, there is a conservative streak. We need to conserve the moral tradition that has brought us this far, the tradition that demands justice and compassion. No matter how fast things change, no matter what popular influencers are telling us should be acceptable, it is dangerous to ignore old wisdom about how to live in a way that is responsible and compassionate.
"Later in the sermon series, you’re going to hear about the progressive streak that has to be in any healthy wisdom tradition. Wisdom adapts as the world changes… and, I guess, as time speeds up.  . . . but today, I want to remind us that most of the best wisdom for how to live good and faithful lives has already been figured out, if we will only remember it."
Read the manuscripts of our latest sermons at: https://www.spres.org/worship/sermons/ 

"Honor Your Grandparents" – Proverbs 1:1-7Part I of the Lenten Sermon Series "Wisdom"
Sermon by the Rev. Elizabeth N.H. Link from Sunday, March 9, 2025.
"Wisdom isn’t about having all the answers. Wisdom is about having the courage to question the status quo. It is the willingness to question, reflect, and remain open to God’s Spirit. It is about listening and remembering where we come from—not this kingdom, but God’s."
Read the manuscript: https://www.spres.org/wisdom-honor-your-grandparents/ 

"Daily Duties – Romans 7:14-25
Sermon by Dr. George C. Anderson from Sunday, March 2, 2025.
"Here is how I would, today, boil down Paul’s perspective on how to live the best life in following Jesus, with falling short being part of the equation:
Be humble because you cannot be God,
Be stubbornly grateful even in hard times (sometimes for the hard times),
Be honest about yourself and accept, not deny, your flaws and mistakes,
When you have wronged others, ask for forgiveness…, and be ready to forgive,
Deal with others with the grace with which God deals with you."
Read the manuscript: https://www.spres.org/daily-duties/

"Love as an Action Verb" – Luke 6:27-38 
Sermon by the Rev. Elizabeth N.H. Link from Sunday, February 23, 2025.
"Friends, love of enemies, forgiveness as we have been forgiven, these actions, these decisions do not always come swiftly. They often do not come easily.
"This is where and why I think it’s important to note – I think it’s important for you to remember – that Jesus preached this sermon to a great number. This command wasn’t to one or even to a few. It was to the community. There is no way we’d be able to live the commands of Luke 6 on our own. . . .  set yourself in a community that helps do this with you, that can help do this for you.
"When you can’t find the strength to do it on your own, look around you, look within you, seek God’s help to find it for you."
Read the manuscript: https://www.spres.org/love-as-an-action-verb/