Second on the Mount

Jeremiah 29:1, 4-7; Luke 17:11-19 Sermon by the Rev. Elizabeth N.H. Link from Preschool Sunday, October 19, 2025. 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.  • The light of the sun isn’t the sun itself.  • The light of a fire isn’t the wood that burns.  • Even the glow from a candle or a bulb isn’t the wax or the filament.  "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.*** Video: "The Light We Shine" 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? "Whether you're a leader, a public voice, someone on X, or with a Facebook page, or an Instagram account, or a loud voice in the neighborhood or at the dinner table— If you speak of those you disagree with as enemies… If you repeat wild claims that stoke fear and cast others as villains… If you talk like a war is starting… You’re not calling out violence. You’re contributing to it. "...I don’t want to preach a gospel that takes partisan sides and becomes another form of ugliness. I want to preach the beautiful Gospel of Jesus Christ—the one who absorbed the world’s ugliest violence and answered it with love, grace, and peace." 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/ 

Matthew 5:13-16 Sermon by the Rev. Elizabeth N.H. Link from our Rally Day Picnic on Sunday, August 24, 2025. Read the manuscripts of our latest sermons at: https://www.spres.org/worship/sermons/

Scripture: Luke 12:49-53 Sermon by Dr. George C. Anderson from Sunday, August 17, 2025. Read the manuscripts of our latest sermons at: https://www.spres.org/worship/sermons/

"By Faith" – Hebrews 11:1-10, 12:1-2 Sermon by Nancy O. Gray, Parish Associate for Visitation, from Sunday, August 10, 2025. Read the manuscripts of our latest sermons at: https://www.spres.org/worship/sermons/

"The Armor of God" – Ephesians 6:10-20 Sermon by the Rev. Elizabeth N.H. Link from Sunday, August 3, 2025. Read the manuscripts of our latest sermons at: https://www.spres.org/worship/sermons/

"Grace in Letting Go" – John 12:20-26, Philippians 3:7-14 Sermon by Dr. George C. Anderson from Sunday, July 27, 2025. Read the manuscripts of our latest sermons at: https://www.spres.org/worship/sermons/

"Why?" – Luke 13:1-9 Sermon by Nancy O. Gray, Parish Associate for Visitation, from Sunday, July 20, 2025. Read the manuscripts of our latest sermons at: https://www.spres.org/worship/sermons/

"God's Consolation" – II Corinthians 1:3-7 Sermon by Dr. George C. Anderson from Sunday, July 13, 2025. "Your self is a good gift. It helps you dream, build, grow and relate, live your life. But it’s a perishable item. "Thank God you are not just a self with a shelf-life. You are a soul—named, known, and beloved, not because of what you do, but because of who God is. "And when the self is lost, the soul remains. That… is God’s consolation." Read the manuscripts of our latest sermons at: https://www.spres.org/worship/sermons/

"Burdensome Work" – Galatians 6:1-16 Sermon by the Rev. Ben Brannan from Sunday, July 6, 2025. "The life of faith was never meant to be lived in silos of self-sufficiency. It is a web of interdependence—each carrying their own load, yes, but never bearing the overwhelming burdens alone. But this burdensome work isn’t limited to individuals. Paul’s letter is saturated with communal responsibility. He says, 'Whenever we have an opportunity, let us work for the good of all.' Not just for the insiders. Not just for the ones who fit the mold. . . . Not just for those who carry the right label or check the right theological or political boxes. For the good of all." Read the manuscripts of our latest sermons at: https://www.spres.org/worship/sermons/ 

"Let Go, Let God" – Matthew 6:25-34 Sermon by Nancy O. Gray, Parish Associate for Visitation, from Sunday, June 29, 2025. Read the manuscripts of our latest sermons at: https://www.spres.org/worship/sermons/

"The Blame Game" – Luke 8:26-39 Sermon by the Rev. Ben Brannan from Sunday, June 22, 2025. "Friends, this moment calls us to something deeper. Something braver. Because we live in a world of scapegoating. A world eager to name enemies so we don’t have to name our fears. A world quick to assign blame so we don’t have to shoulder responsibility, shoulder any responsibility for our economic instability, our divided communities, our imbalance of power and wealth, our climate disasters, our fragile mental health. "But we must not play along. Who have we chained so we don’t have to face our collective anxiety? Whose torment are we tolerating to maintain the illusion of homeostasis? Whose name have we replaced with our fear? And what would happen if we stopped? If we listened? If we asked with compassion, 'What is your name?' and stayed long enough to hear the truth beneath the trauma? What if the ones we’ve tried to silence are the very ones Jesus sends back to us, clothed and in their right mind, to proclaim what God has done?" Read the manuscripts of our latest sermons at:https://www.spres.org/worship/sermons/ 

"Saving Time for What?" – Ephesians 5:15-16, Luke 10:38-42 Sermon by Dr. George C. Anderson from Sunday, June 15, 2025. "Ephesians reminds us that if all our time-saving just leads to more rushing and more anxiety, maybe we’re not saving time at all. Maybe we’re losing it. To 'make the most of time' is not to fill every moment, but to remember that time itself is a gift from God.  "It’s a subtle distinction, but  • do we rush to save time to spend it,  • or do we live wisely within the time God has given us?" Read the manuscripts of our latest sermons at: https://www.spres.org/worship/sermons/

"Endurance" – Job 42:1-6, James 5:7-11 Sermon by Dr. Ed McLeod, our Evening VBS guest speaker, from Sunday, June 8, 2025.