Second on the Mount

Matthew 13:10-17

Sermon by Dr. John McCall, guest preacher and our Evening VBS guest speaker, from Sunday, June 7, 2026.

"When we live with a nagging fear of scarcity, we really can’t hear God’s voice. When we live under constant pressure of missing out, we have to respond immediately to every sound from our smartphone. But Jesus never seems to be in a hurry. He was never controlled by the tyranny of the moment. In order to see God at work in daily life, in order to tell ordinary stories of God’s spirit at work on the farm, in the store, in our families, Jesus often paused to listen and observe. But in a world of constant stimuli, in a world where we have no peace if our cell phone is not our constant companion… how do we learn to pause and to listen? How do we learn to pause and to see?"

Read the manuscripts of our latest sermons at: https://www.spres.org/worship/sermons/ 

Romans 12:9-21

Sermon by the Rev. Elizabeth N.H. Link from Trinity Sunday, May 31, 2026.

"'Bless those who persecute you.' Can we really do that?

"This is where Christianity stops being theoretical. Loving people who love us is not especially difficult. Most people can manage that. But praying for people who wound us, refusing retaliation, refusing cruelty, refusing to dehumanize those we oppose, it doesn’t get much more countercultural than that. That kind of living requires transformation.

". . . And that transformation is desperately needed today. Because the world does not need more Christians who merely claim the name of Jesus. The world needs Christians who resemble Jesus. The world needs people who are genuine, who bless instead of curse, who refuse to repay evil for evil, who practice hospitality, who honor others, who overcome evil with good."

Read the manuscripts of our latest sermons at: https://www.spres.org/worship/sermons/

Sung Prayer for Illumination: "Open My Eyes, That I May See." TEXT and MUSIC: Clara H. Scott, 1895. Public domain.

Acts 2:1-21

Sermon by the Rev. Ben Brannan from Pentecost Sunday, May 24, 2026.

Read the manuscripts of our latest sermons at: https://www.spres.org/worship/sermons/

Mark 4:30-32

Sermon by Dr. George C. Anderson from Sunday, May 17, 2026. 

"The greatness of the kingdom is not found in spectacle or domination. Its greatness is found in the life it makes possible… the life it shelters.

"Perhaps that is the impressiveness of Jesus himself. We call him 'king,' yet he commands no armies and occupies no palace. Instead, he heals the sick, touches lepers, welcomes the outcast, forgives sinners, feeds the hungry, and announces good news to people who really need to hear some good news.

"Jesus teaches people to see differently. To see greatness where others see weakness. To see possibility where others see insignificance."

Read the manuscripts of our latest sermons at: https://www.spres.org/worship/sermons/

Mark 4:1-20

Sermon by Dr. George C. Anderson from Sunday, May 10, 2026. 

"In the Bible, the sea is never just water. It is the place where things come undone. And the beach—where land meets sea—is where order meets chaos. 

"So, while many of us go to the beach for vacation, Jesus goes to the beach to work.  For where better to do his work than right there at the edge—where things feel like they could come apart?"

Read the manuscripts of our latest sermons at: https://www.spres.org/worship/sermons/

Luke 18:1-8

Sermon by the Rev. Elizabeth N.H. Link from Sunday, May 3, 2026.

Read the manuscripts of our latest sermons at: https://www.spres.org/worship/sermons/

Luke 12:13-22

Sermon by Dr. George C. Anderson from Sunday, April 26, 2026.

"The problem is not that the man had a good year. The problem is that he could not imagine that his life still belonged to God. And so his world shrank… to himself.

"But when God is present—really present—everything changes.

Read the manuscripts of our latest sermons at: https://www.spres.org/worship/sermons/

John 21 (selected verses)

Sermon by the Rev. Elizabeth N.H. Link from Sunday, April 12, 2026.

Read the manuscripts of our latest sermons at: https://www.spres.org/worship/sermons/ 

John 20:1-10

Sermon by Dr. George C. Anderson from Easter Sunday, April 5, 2026.

"We belong here… you and I.

• "Whether our faith feels strong or uncertain,

"Easter is not just a celebration at the end of a journey. It is a celebration at the beginning, too.

"Easter does not require that our faith be complete or our life be resolved. It declares something that is true before we fully understand it:

Read the manuscripts of our latest sermons at: https://www.spres.org/worship/sermons/

John 18:1-14

Sermon by the Rev. Elizabeth N.H. Link from Sunday, March 22, 2026.

Read the manuscripts of our latest sermons at: https://www.spres.org/worship/sermons/