Second on the Mount

By Second Presbyterian ChurchReligion & Spirituality Christianity

Second on the Mount episodes

March 26On This Rock Part V: The Rebuke
Matthew 16:21-27
Part V of the Lenten Sermon Series "On This Rock"
Sermon by Dr. George C. Anderson from Sunday, March 22, 2026.
"This rebuke isn’t just for [Peter]. It’s for us—when the path feels too hard. It shows up in small, ordinary moments.
"When we know we need to say something that is true—
but we soften it so much that it is no longer true anymore.
When we need to have a hard conversation—
and we keep putting it off.
When we sense God calling us to step into something—
and we quietly step back instead.
When we think we’re being kind—
when we’re really just being careful.
"Not because we don’t care,
but because it might cost us."
Read the manuscripts of our latest sermons at: https://www.spres.org/worship/sermons/
17 min
March 16 On This Rock Part IV: Who Do You Say I Am?
Matthew 16:13-20
Part IV of the Lenten Sermon Series "On This Rock"
Sermon by the Rev. Ben Brannan from Sunday, March 15, 2026.
Read the manuscripts of our latest sermons at:https://www.spres.org/worship/sermons/
19 min
March 10 On This Rock Part III: On This Rock I Will Build My Church
Matthew 16:13-20
Part III of the Lenten Sermon Series "On This Rock"
Sermon by Dr. George C. Anderson from Sunday, March 8, 2026.
"The church is not built on Peter’s person or perfection. It is built on the grace that kept calling Peter back.
• Peter confessed boldly.
• He failed publicly.
• And he was forgiven again and again.
"And that is the kind of church Jesus builds.
• A human one.
• A community whose Founder already knows we will fail—
and still calls us anyway."
Read the manuscripts of our latest sermons at: https://www.spres.org/worship/sermons/
17 min
March 05 On This Rock Part II: Sinking Like a Rock
Matthew 14:22-33
Part II of the Lenten Sermon Series "On This Rock"
Sermon by Dr. George C. Anderson from Sunday, March 1, 2026.
"Let’s return to Peter’s shining moment—the moment when he truly models faithfulness. No, it is not when he steps onto the water. It is when he cries out, 'Lord, save me!' That is where he shines. The moment he knows he cannot save himself.
"Faith is not proven in walking on water. Faith is revealed in knowing whose hand to grasp when you begin to sink."
Read the manuscripts of our latest sermons at: https://www.spres.org/worship/sermons/
12 min
February 25 On This Rock Part I: The Call
Luke 5:1-11
Part I of the Lenten Sermon Series "On This Rock"
Sermon by the Rev. Ben Brannan from Sunday, February 22, 2026.
"Simon is not exaggerating here. He is simply telling the truth. His truth. The truth of someone who has reached the limit of his own capacity. 'Master, we have worked all night long but have caught nothing.' I can imagine Simon leaving a pregnant pause, hoping Jesus would say, 'No worries. I know you’re tired. We can pick this up another time.' But he didn’t. Nothing was said. Nothing was shared, except a gaze that lingered between Jesus and Simon, a gaze penetrating and inviting—penetrating Simon’s heart and inviting his soul.
"Then, out of the heavy silence, Simon adds five words that change everything."
Read the manuscripts of our latest sermons at: https://www.spres.org/worship/sermons/
22 min
February 18Can Desire Be Converted?
Romans 7:7-25
Sermon by Dr. George C. Anderson from Sunday, February 15, 2026.
"You already belong to Christ. He loves you. You love him. You already stand in communion with the One whose heart is aligned with the Father’s.
"Stay there. Even if you are well aware of how far short you fall, stay there! Don’t have a spiritual affair with some other social, political or personal ideology. Stay in relationship with the Jesus of the Gospels. Because over time, remaining with Jesus changes you. His love changes how you love, and what once looked beautiful to you but is ugly in his eyes… begins to lose its shine.
Revenge becomes thin.
Reconciliation becomes radiant.
Cruelty looks ugly,
Kindness looks lovely.
Power looks smaller.
Peace looks stronger.
"Desire is not converted by force. It is converted by fellowship.
"And that is why Paul can move from, 'Wretched man that I am,' to 'Thanks be to God.'"
Read the manuscripts of our latest sermons at: https://www.spres.org/worship/sermons/
19 min
February 12 "Nurture Your Nature" Youth Sunday Sermons 2026
Genesis 1:1-25 (summarized), 26-27
From Youth Sunday, February 8, 2026.
Sermons by graduating seniors Ryan I'Anson (3:34) and Madelyn Lyons (11:42). Our Youth Group theme for the year is "Nurture Your Nature." May God's spirit remind you of who you are, that you might come to know more fully the love of God by which you were made.
19 min
February 03 He Has Told You, O Mortal...
Micah 6:1-8
Sermon by the Rev. Elizabeth N.H. Link from Sunday, February 1, 2026.
Read the manuscripts of our latest sermons at: https://www.spres.org/worship/sermons/
12 min
January 28 The Hills Are My Home
Psalm 121, Matthew 19:13-25
Sermon by Dr. George C. Anderson from Sunday, January 25, 2026.
"God guards not only our bodies, but our identities.
God holds not only our actions, but our worth.
In a culture that says we are what we achieve, what we post, and how we compare, the church dares to speak a deeper truth:
We are God’s children.
We are held.
We are known.
And we are loved."
Read the manuscripts of our latest sermons at: https://www.spres.org/worship/sermons/
15 min
January 22 Come and See
John 1:29-42
Sermon by the Rev. Ben Brannan from Sunday, January 18, 2026.
Read the manuscripts of our latest sermons at: https://www.spres.org/worship/sermons/
21 min

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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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