Second on the Mount

John 14:1-3

Sermon by Dr. George C. Anderson from All Saints' Sunday, November 2, 2025.

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

I Samuel 8:4-22, Galatians 1:6-9

Sermon by Dr. George C. Anderson from Sunday, October 26, 2025.

"Young People—feeling the pressure to keep up, to prove yourselves, to stay relevant. Remember, your worth is not measured by speed, likes, or novelty. You are loved by God, fully and unconditionally. Creativity is a gift, not a requirement.

"Workers—those working in offices, shops, schools, factories or at home, who are asked to adapt constantly, to innovate on demand. Rhythms of prayer, worship, and Sabbath can restore what the world drains.

"Parents and caregivers—juggling the endless demands of home and work: You cannot do everything. Grace meets you in ordinary acts of love, which shape lives more profoundly than any trend.

"Retired or Older Adults—who may feel overlooked in a culture obsessed with youth: Your wisdom, presence, and memory of what is true and what sustains, are invaluable. You can guide and sustain younger generations.

"No matter our age or work status, God’s grace sustains us. God helps us live in a world of rapid change without being consumed by it. We create, we learn, we innovate—but always from a place rooted in God’s steadfast love."

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

Jeremiah 29:1, 4-7; Luke 17:11-19

Sermon by the Rev. Elizabeth N.H. Link from Preschool Sunday, October 19, 2025.

"It’s what Jesus does over and over again. He gathers the ones we’ve been taught to fear or exclude. He restores a body, and also a community. He returns dignity, identity, and participation. And he says, in every way that matters, you belong.

"In a world where exile, in one way or another, touches nearly all of us, this is good news. And it’s the same, surprising, good news he gives to exiles in Babylon: 'Seek the welfare—the shalom—of the place where I have sent you, for in its shalom you will find your own.'

"This is what Jesus offers—not just healing, but shalom. Not just survival, but salvation. Not just being made clean but being made whole. 

"The question for us is: how do we respond to such incredible grace?"

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

John 1:6-9, II Corinthians 4:5-7

Sermon by Dr. George C. Anderson from Commitment Sunday, October 12, 2025.

"The one essential fact about light is that it is separate from what bears it. 

"Paul echoes the same truth in his own way. He’s not speaking of John, but of all of us who call ourselves Christians. He is even speaking of every congregation: 'We do not proclaim ourselves; we proclaim Jesus as Lord… We have this treasure in clay jars, so that it may be made clear that this extraordinary power to save is of God and does not come from us.'

"We are not the flame—we are the candle. We are not the light—we are the lantern.

"That’s worth thinking about as a congregation on Commitment Sunday."

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

Luke 5:27-32, 17:7-10

Sermon by the Rev. Ben Brannan from World Communion Sunday, October 5, 2025.

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

***This sermon was originally intended to be a visual experience. We encourage you to watch the original live streamed recording of this sermon on YouTube.***

Thank you to Andrea Boone, Jane Winders Frank, Ginger Poole Avis, and the wonderful staff and technicians at Mill Mountain Theatre.

. . . 

Matthew 5:14-16

Sermon by Dr. George C. Anderson from Sunday, September 28, 2025.

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

Mark 1:21-39, Acts 17: 24-28

Sermon by the Rev. Elizabeth N.H. Link from Sunday, September 21, 2025.

"You are the living church when you forgive in a culture of vengeance. You are the living church when you speak truth in the face of lies. You are the living church when you love your neighbor more than your comfort. You are the living church when you sow compassion in a world that rewards cruelty. You are the living church when you refuse to bow to fear and choose hope and generosity instead.

"This is what it means to pray and live “Thy kingdom come.” May we follow Christ even when it leads us beyond the maps. May we be the living church in a world that needs it now more than ever."

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

Isaiah 53:2-3, Philippians 4:8

Sermon by Dr. George C. Anderson from Sunday, September 14, 2025.

"In the aftermath of [Charlie Kirk's] shooting—as with so many other publicized acts of violence, and the countless unseen ones—we all should be asking ourselves: Do our words carry the same ugliness we say we condemn and are we contributing to this dangerous climate?

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

Exodus 14:10-16

Sermon by the Rev. Ben Brannan from Sunday, September 7, 2025.

"The ways in which God is calling you to show your faith might surprise you. It might require courage. It might require you to risk comfort and convenience for the sake of love. It might require you to silence the bickering noise of the world and courageously take one step forward—and then maybe another."

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

Matthew 4:1-11

Sermon by Dr. George C. Anderson from Sunday, August 31, 2025.

"The temptations Jesus faces may sound distant from our lives—turning stones to bread, leaping from a tower, bowing to the devil—but what they represent is very real, and just as present in Roanoke as they were in the wilderness. . . . Just as a tuning fork causes an internal string to vibrate, these three temptations strike chords within us as they did with Jesus—our desires, our fears, our arrogant self-righteousness, our certainties, our longings for significance, control, or reassurance."

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