Second on the Mount

Second on the Mount

By Second Presbyterian ChurchReligion & SpiritualityChristianity
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Second on the Mount episodes

  • The Provoking Smile

    "The Provoking Smile" – 1 John 4:7-21


    Sermon by Dr. George C. Anderson from Sunday, January 29, 2023. "We need to habitually put ourselves in places where we learn, see, and practice what God’s love is like. We worship over and over again so that we truly love the one we worship. We return to the stories of faith again and again until they become the stories we live. We practice selfless acts till we learn how to be selfless, we act with kindness so we can learn to be kind, we practice apologies until we mean them, and we practice forgiving until we become forgiving people."

     

    21 min
  • Until Our Hearts Find a Home

    "Until Our Hearts Find a Home" – Matthew 4:12-23


    Sermon by Rev. Elizabeth N.H. Link from Sunday, January 22, 2023. "Often, when we think of calling, we think of these first disciples and all that they gave up – two leaving their father, all leaving their livelihoods. Or perhaps when you think of calling, you may picture a priest or a pastor. It’s easy to look at someone in a robe or a clerical collar and recognize a calling. But it’s not always so obvious. I bet a lot of people have a hard time seeing a direct connection between what they do for a living and what they believe. But I believe that calling is less about what we do than who we are. God’s call isn’t simply to do something, but to be something."

    Read the manuscript on our website: https://www.spres.org/until-our-hearts-find-a-home/

    19 min
  • Servanthood

    "Servanthood" – Isaiah 42:1-9


    Sermon by Rev. Benjamin S. Brannan from Sunday, January 15, 2023. "Just as the heavens opened and the Spirit of God descended on Jesus, God’s love washes over us through the waters of baptism as we are called beloved children of God, with whom God is well-pleased. So too, it is our commissioning to a vocation of Servanthood. "

    17 min
  • Real World Faith

    "Real World Faith" – Galatians 2:15-21


    Sermon by Dr. George C. Anderson from Sunday, January 8, 2023. "Any Christian faith- any faith in a God among us as the Word made flesh- fleshed in life and in history- has to be a faith about life as it is lived in the world as it is. See the world as it is, and then love the world as it is because God loves the world as it is. Then work for the causes of the kingdom in ways that are possible and can actually make a difference."

     

    Read the manuscript on our website: https://www.spres.org/real-world-faith/

    20 min
  • A Different Sort of Resolution

    "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 kind
    Be 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/

    20 min
  • While We Are Waiting Part IV: Seek

    "Seek" – Luke 2:8-15

    Part 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, not

    just 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."

     

    20 min
  • While We Are Waiting Part III: Watch

    "Watch" – Matthew 25:1-13

    Part 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." 

    19 min
  • While We Are Waiting Part II: Prepare

    "Prepare" – Isaiah 11:1-10

    Part 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/ 

    12 min
  • While We Are Waiting Part I: Repent

    "Repent" – Matthew 3:1-6

    Part 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/ 

    16 min
  • Remembering Thankfully

    "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/ 

    19 min

About Second on the Mount

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No matter where you are on the journey of faith, God’s Word has something to say to you. Second on the Mount is a collection of sermons from Second Presbyterian Church on Mountain Avenue in Roanoke,…

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