Second on the Mount

“The Voice to Trust” – Mark 1:1-15

Sermon by The Rev. Jen Brothers from January 17, 2021. "God’s reign has come near, Jesus said. And then he came closer to show us what God’s reign looks like. He healed diseases of the body and mind, he brought dignity to women and immigrants. He challenged the civic values and religious practices that created boundaries between people. He welcomed everyone to the table, and he spoke out against those who created circles to define who was in and who was out, who was worthy and who was worthless."

Read the manuscript on our website: http://www.spres.org/the-voice-to-trust/

“Order” – Genesis 1:1-10, Mark 5:1-20

Sermon by Dr. George C. Anderson from January 10, 2021. "Do not wait for chaos to be calmed in the nation before finding order within. Right now, we can center ourselves on God’s love, we can remind ourselves of the virtues that should guide us, and we can commit ourselves to making a witness without insisting that we have to win or be seen as right."

Read the manuscript on our website: http://www.spres.org/order/

“Happiness” – Matthew 5:3-12

Sermon by Dr. George C. Anderson from January 3, 2021. "How did we handle the circumstances of the year? ...was it possible that some of us could have been happier even under the circumstances? Jesus says we can, but to get what it is he is saying is possible―what he might even be offering as a gift to us―we need to understand what sort of happiness Jesus is talking about."

Read the manuscript on our website: http://www.spres.org/happiness/

“About the Child” – Luke 2:22-40

Sermon by The Rev. Elizabeth N.H. Link from December 27, 2020. "As we approach a new year, may we be reminded of the call to lean into the future with hope. We know not what 2021 holds for us, but we do know that God goes before us. The trials of this life aren’t easy. The trials of this past year have not been easy. But we worship a Savior who became flesh and dwelt among us. Who chose to walk the path of humanhood, to live and love and grieve and suffer and die―showing us the lengths God goes to―showing us the truth of God’s deep love."

Read the manuscript on our website: http://www.spres.org/about-the-child/

"Love" – Matthew 1:18-25

Sermon by Dr. George C. Anderson from the fourth Sunday of Advent, December 20, 2020. "But God wants more of Joseph than good behavior. In fact, God wants more goodness than Joseph can willfully give on his own. And what happens next can only be described as a conversion of Joseph’s insides; a conversion of his soul, his heart, his head. A voice from outside of Joseph is heard―a goodness beyond Joseph is given him. . . . Let’s celebrate this beautiful moment of utter selflessness for the sake of Mary, and the child and, most importantly, the world."

Read the manuscript on our website: http://www.spres.org/what-cant-wait-love/

"Joy" – Isaiah 35:1-10, Luke 1:46-55

Sermon by The Rev. Elizabeth N.H. Link from the third Sunday of Advent, December 13, 2020. "A word of joy may seem out of place this year. But it is exactly the word a people of faith are commanded to proclaim. Ours is the joy of Isaiah in the exile. Ours is the joy of Mary in a world that gives her no voice. Ours is the joy of the faithful throughout all generations who are holding us in these days and reminding us we are not alone."

Read the manuscript on our website: http://www.spres.org/what-cant-wait-joy/

"Peace" – Jeremiah 6:13-15, Luke 2:8-14

Sermon by Dr. George C. Anderson from the second Sunday of Advent, December 6, 2020. "Peace for Jeremiah is going to have to be busy, disruptive, lively, active, noisy. It is going to be that way because the peace the prophet looks for, that peace that the Bible calls “Shalom,” is something alive and working. Shalom is what God’s love looks like, and that means it looks like a community actively and sacrificially working for justice and showing compassion. It is people actively putting other’s interests ahead of their own because the wellbeing of everyone is everyone’s concern. . . . What needs to change…for more of the Shalom of God’s kingdom to be more real in your life?"

Read the manuscript on our website: http://www.spres.org/what-cant-wait-peace/

"God’s Promised Day of Hope Can’t Wait" – Isaiah 2:1-5

Sermon by Jen Brothers from the first Sunday of Advent, November 29, 2020. "Despite what things may seem . . . Christians throughout the world are this day lighting the candle of hope. But we don’t stop at candle lighting. God’s coming new day asks something of us . . . To walk toward God’s presence is to constantly re-examine our commitments against God’s commitments. We must learn what it means to beat our swords into plowshares and our spears into pruning hooks so we can become the weaponless stewards God created us to be."

Read the manuscript on our website: http://www.spres.org/what-cant-wait-gods-promised-day-of-hope-cant-wait/

"Giving in Is Not Giving Up" – Acts 28:17-31

Sermon by Dr. George C. Anderson from Sunday, November 22, 2020. "We have to strive to be better, to do better, to better our world—to promote dignity, to fight against injustice and corruption, to promote the moral rule of Law in personal and communal life. But we do so because we are called to it—called to make a witness. So what if we witness to a grace that falls on deaf ears and dull hearts. It is still a grace that claims and saves us, gives us joy. And when we fail, we only then prove that we have taken up the cross of defeat to witness to God’s final victory of resurrection."

Read the manuscript on our website: http://www.spres.org/catching-up-with-the-spirit-giving-in-is-not-giving-up/

"More" – Acts 19:1-7

Sermon by Jen Brothers from November 15, 2020. "What strikes me most throughout the book of Acts is how unafraid Christ’s disciples seem to be. They are not afraid to change their minds. They are not afraid to try something new. They are not afraid to dream and hope and work for a better day. They are not afraid because they are convinced that Jesus is among them and that a new creation is unfolding. May we not stop short of the more God invites us into."

Read the manuscript on our website: http://www.spres.org/catching-up-with-the-spirit-more/