"Mary" – Luke 1:46-50

Sermon by Dr. George C. Anderson from the third Sunday of Advent, December 15, 2024. "So, what does Mary’s song mean for Christians who are to bear the image of Christ and we as the church that is called to be the body of Christ? It means that we are called to bear the heart of Mary and of Jesus—that we are to be the intercessors for the poor, advocates for the oppressed, and bearers of good news to those who need it most. We are to offer the sanctuary of worship, the kindness of those who care, and the assistance of those who offer signs of God’s grace. That is why our ministries of outreach and compassion matter so deeply. They are the ways we echo Mary’s song and offer evidence of her joy."

Read the manuscript on our website: https://www.spres.org/sing-in-exultation-mary/ 

"Elizabeth" – Luke 1:39-45

Sermon by the Rev. Elizabeth N.H. Link from the second Sunday of Advent, December 8, 2024.

"Zechariah" – Luke 1:67-79

Sermon by Dr. George C. Anderson from the first Sunday of Advent, December 1, 2024. "Within the classroom of silence, Zechariah’s faith is reconstructed. The one who kept the rituals of faith but lost confidence in God working salvation regains the faith of a child who can sing with awe and wonder. He has the headspace of someone for whom God’s love is miraculously real despite the circumstances of his times. He sings as someone so convinced of God’s reign that he sings as if Israel’s messiah has already come, that God has already saved Israel from her enemies and brought relief from all that burdens Israel’s people. For him, the miracle of the saving grace of God is as real as what he can see right in front of him..."

Read the manuscript on our website: https://www.spres.org/sing-in-exultation-zechariah/ 

"Stretch the Truth" – John 18:33-38

Sermon by the Rev. Ben Brannan from Sunday, November 24, 2024. "Beloved, the truth is both a gift and a calling. It is a gift in that Christ himself is the truth, a truth that stretches from eternity to eternity. It is also a calling in that we are invited to pause and listen to and follow the voice of truth.

"As we find ourselves in the liminal moments of life, I wonder what truth God is calling you to live into and where you might pray, 'Lord, stretch me'?”

Read the manuscript on our website: https://www.spres.org/stretch-the-truth/ 

"Illusions and Dreams" – Isaiah 43:19-21

Sermon by Dr. George C. Anderson from Sunday, November 17, 2024. "... we should always be asking these questions of ourselves:

"And ask the same kinds of questions of our relationships and communities: 

"These questions are good guides for prayer that could be summed up to be this: 'Help me, Lord, surrender my illusions and dream what can be knowing that whatever the future holds, you are in it.'"

Read the manuscript on our website: https://www.spres.org/illusions-and-dreams/ 

"Christ Alone" – Colossians 1:15-23

Sermon by Dr. George C. Anderson from Sunday, November 10, 2024. "There will be those who will speak of Jesus as if he is a chaplain of their certainty—the chaplain of whatever social or political agenda they are pushing.

"So, what are we to do but—again—be reminded. Go to the Jesus of the Gospels. Pay attention to what Jesus does and who he is with. Remember how he attends to the needs of the masses when they are hungry, and how he ignores the masses when one hurting and ignored woman grabs the hem of his garment. Remember how he heals the sick without judgement of their need, and how he argues with the self-righteous without rejecting them. Remember how he honors the Law of the Jews, and how he praises the theological insights of the Samaritan woman. 

"Watch him. Watch him and listen to him."

Read the manuscript on our website: https://www.spres.org/christ-alone/ 

"Jesus Wept" – John 11 (selected verses)

Sermon by the Rev. Elizabeth N.H. Link from All Saints' Sunday, November 3, 2024. "The good news of the Gospel is that the God who weeps for us and with us is also the God who resurrects. God is not finished yet. May we be instruments of God’s resurrection power and life here and now."

Read the manuscript on our website: https://www.spres.org/jesus-wept/ 

"Chaos, Passion, and Pause" – Job 42:1-6, 10-17

Sermon by Dr. George C. Anderson from Sunday, October 27, 2024. "God responds [to Job] out of the calm center of a chaotic whirlwind. In the middle of the storm of chaos, in the stillness of its eye, there is a pause. 

Read the manuscript on our website: https://www.spres.org/chaos-passion-and-pause/ 

"What Story Are You Telling" – Job 38:1-7, 34-41

Sermon by the Rev. Ben Brannan from Sunday, October 20, 2024. "So, what story are you telling? To your children? To yourself? 

"Beloved, may the story you tell be one of God’s vast and mysterious love, a love that has been with you and has held you since the beginning of time! And may you believe the story of God’s love to be true for you, as well."

Read the manuscript on our website: https://www.spres.org/what-story-are-you-telling/ 

"The Witness of Hope" – Romans 8:24-25, Matthew 13:24-30

Sermon by Dr. George C. Anderson from Commitment Sunday, October 13, 2024. "Wheat among weeds is what Jesus wants Second Presbyterian Church to be. . . . Our calling is to bear witness to the hope that God’s grace is real and shows itself when we resist what is unjust, work to mend what is broken, and heal what is hurt... when we show evidence that lives can be lived with purpose, meaning and joy."

Read the manuscript on our website: https://www.spres.org/invest-in-hope-the-witness-of-hope/