Second on the Mount

"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 im...

"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 sa...

"What Makes Patience a Virtue" – Romans 8:18-25

Sermon by Dr. George C. Anderson from Sunday, June 1, 2025.

"...all of us are living with situations we can’t fix. Never mind the global problems, or the social or political realities we’d love to see change. We live with people we can’t change. Pain we can’t escape. And in those places, what might hopeful endurance look like?

"What difference might patience make in a relationship tha...

"Peace Be With You" – John 14:23-29

Sermon by Nancy O. Gray, Parish Associate for Visitation, from Sunday, May 25, 2025.

"Jesus, who promised peace to his disciples the night before his own crucifixion, never promised us a life without hardship or a world without troubles, but he did offer us a way forward through the gift of his deep and abiding peace. No matter what difficulties we face in our lives or what challenges the world p...

"Who Goes With You?" – Revelation 21:1-6

Sermon by the Rev. Ben Brannan from Senior Recognition Sunday, May 18, 2025.

"'I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end.' And in that declaration, God makes a claim—not just over cosmic history, but over your story.

"When your beginning feels uncertain, or your ending unclear, God still speaks: 'I am with you. I am your beginning and your end.'

"There has not been a place in y...

"Teach Me How to Pray" – Luke 11:1-4

Sermon by Dr. George C. Anderson from Sunday, May 11, 2025.

"What difference would it make to remember God is in the room?

"It doesn’t necessarily mean you stop being frustrated or stop being angry. That awareness doesn’t mean silencing conviction. Stay honest. Keep caring about what you believe is right and true. But remembering God’s presence might also slow your speech. Open your ears. Inspir...

"A Calling Passed On" – Micah 6:6-8, Matthew 6:19-20

Sermon by Dr. George C. Anderson from Legacy Sunday, May 4, 2025.

"What does it mean to live well when you believe in a God who loves selflessly—and calls you to love others the same way? The boy, in his conversation with the mole, leaps right to Micah’s answer.

"'What do you want to be when you grow up?'

"The boy doesn’t say he wants to be a

• superhero or famous athlete,
• ast...

"Wisdom Resurrected" – Luke 24:13-27 Part VII of the Lenten Sermon Series "Wisdom"

Sermon by Dr. George C. Anderson from Easter Sunday, April 20, 2025.

"Friends in Christ, much of the wisdom we need right now is the wisdom we’ve forgotten. But it’s an old wisdom that can be resurrected. Just as Jesus rose from a tomb, this wisdom can be resurrected from Scripture. 

"And because Jesus is risen, he is with us even when we do not reco...

"Wisdom Crucified" – Matthew 27:45-50, Acts 3:14-18 Part VI of the Lenten Sermon Series "Wisdom"

Sermon by the Rev. Ben Brannan from Palm Sunday, April 13, 2025.

"This is not for someone else. This is for us. For those of us who follow Jesus, who sit in pews, who pray unceasingly and sincerely and yet still carry assumptions and perspectives that betray the very Gospel we claim and the very Jesus we love. . . . And like Peter, we a...

"New Wisdom" – Matthew 5:1-12, 38-45 Part V of the Lenten Sermon Series "Wisdom"

Sermon by the Rev. Elizabeth N.H. Link from Sunday, April 6, 2025.

"'An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.' This idea was meant to limit the escalation of violent retaliation. It was intended to break the cycle of violence by ensuring the punishment never became greater than the crime. The concept was about seeking true justice. But justice in Go...

"Broken Wisdom" – I Corinthians 1:18-25 Part IV of the Lenten Sermon Series "Wisdom"

Sermon by Dr. George C. Anderson from Sunday, March 30, 2025.

"There is a phrase that might be over-used, but I think is so helpful in talking about how to move forward. It is living into a “new normal.” Your old wisdom about how to live in the world won’t serve you anymore because your world has changed. The only healthy way forward is to figure o...

"A Chorus of Wisdom" – Psalm 150, Luke 18:9-14 Part III of the Lenten Sermon Series "Wisdom"

Sermon by the Rev. Ben Brannan from March 23, 2025.

"If we want to reach Psalm 150’s unshackled praise, we must not only humble ourselves before God—we must also release the false belief that others are beyond God’s mercy, set free our notion that some people are just too far gone from God’s love, and swing open the prison doors of our hear...

"Forgotten Wisdom" – Hosea 4:1-6, Luke 16:19-31 Part II of the Lenten Sermon Series "Wisdom"

Sermon by Dr. George C. Anderson from Sunday, March 16, 2025.

"Jesus uses his stark parable about eternity to make a point about life right now… his now, and our now. He reminds us that in any life-giving, community-enhancing moral tradition, there is a conservative streak. We need to conserve the moral tradition that has brought us this fa...

"Honor Your Grandparents" – Proverbs 1:1-7 Part I of the Lenten Sermon Series "Wisdom"

Sermon by the Rev. Elizabeth N.H. Link from Sunday, March 9, 2025.

"Wisdom isn’t about having all the answers. Wisdom is about having the courage to question the status quo. It is the willingness to question, reflect, and remain open to God’s Spirit. It is about listening and remembering where we come from—not this kingdom, but God’s."

Read the m...

"Daily Duties – Romans 7:14-25

Sermon by Dr. George C. Anderson from Sunday, March 2, 2025.

"Here is how I would, today, boil down Paul’s perspective on how to live the best life in following Jesus, with falling short being part of the equation:

• Be humble because you cannot be God,
• Be stubbornly grateful even in hard times (sometimes for the hard times),
• Be honest about yourself and accept, not deny, your flaws and mistakes,
• W...

"Love as an Action Verb" – Luke 6:27-38 

Sermon by the Rev. Elizabeth N.H. Link from Sunday, February 23, 2025.

"Friends, love of enemies, forgiveness as we have been forgiven, these actions, these decisions do not always come swiftly. They often do not come easily.

"This is where and why I think it’s important to note – I think it’s important for you to remember – that Jesus preached this sermon to a great number. This command was...

"One" – John 8:12

Sermon by Dr. George C. Anderson from Sunday, February 16, 2025. "Not that I know what I’m talking about, but it seems to me that checking out a church online is like using a dating app. It is a way to check out a church from a safe distance before taking the risk of an in-person meeting. The rest of my sermon is for everyone, but I have those online visitors especially in mind. As an introduction for them and as ...