Second on the Mount
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, VA. Listen to the encouraging words of ministers George Anderson, Elizabeth Link, Ben Brannan, and occasional guests as we journey together, finding direction by following Jesus. We hope you’ll return to this podcast, visit our website www.spres.org for more, or visit us in person!
Episodes
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 w...
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 k...
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 tire...
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 Gos...
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.
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/
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: http...
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/
John 15:12-17
Sermon by Dr. George C. Anderson from Confirmation Sunday, January 11, 2026.
"What can be shocking today is when realize that Jesus wants us to be his friend. The kind of friend who speaks for him, acts on his behalf, and bears his love into the world even when it is uncomfortable, inconvenient, or risky. It means going to the places he went, welcoming the people he welcomed. It means not embarrassing his reputation b...
Colossians 3:1-17
*Sermon title comes from James K. A. Smith’s book, You Are What You Love: The Spiritual Power of Habit, published in 2016.
Sermon by the Rev. Elizabeth N.H. Link from Sunday, January 4, 2026.
"Friends, we worship today at the beginning of a new year. And we do so in anxious and uncertain days – days when many voices compete for our allegiance, our attention, and our trust. Knowing this, may we be a community that...
Matthew 25:31-46 Part VI of the Advent Sermon Series "Once Upon an Advent"
Sermon by the Rev. Ben Brannan from the First Sunday of Christmas, December 28, 2025.
"There is a temptation to sentimentalize the Christmas season—to wrap it in nostalgia and soft lighting and comforting music. But Jesus won’t let us do that because Christmas has consequences. Christmas, at its heart, is the declaration that God has chosen to be found not i...
Luke 2:1-20, John 1 Part V of the Advent Sermon Series "Once Upon an Advent"
Sermon by Dr. George C. Anderson from Christmas Eve, December 24, 2025.
Read the manuscripts of our latest sermons at: https://www.spres.org/worship/sermons/
Luke 1:26-38, I John 4:7-12
Part IV of the Advent Sermon Series "Once Upon an Advent"
Sermon by the Rev. Elizabeth N.H. Link from the Fourth Sunday of Advent, December 21, 2025.
Read the manuscripts of our latest sermons at: https://www.spres.org/worship/sermons/
Isaiah 35:1-10, Luke 2:8-20 Part III of the Advent Sermon Series "Once Upon an Advent"
Sermon by the Rev. Ben Brannan from the Third Sunday of Advent, December 14, 2025.
Read the manuscripts of our latest sermons at: https://www.spres.org/worship/sermons/
Isaiah 9:2-7, Luke 3:1-6 Part II of the Advent Sermon Series "Once Upon an Advent"
Sermon by Dr. George C. Anderson from the Second Sunday of Advent, December 7, 2025.
Read the manuscripts of our latest sermons at: https://www.spres.org/worship/sermons/
Isaiah 11 (selected verses), Luke 1 (selected verses)
Part I of the Advent Sermon Series "Once Upon an Advent"
Sermon by the Rev. Elizabeth N.H. Link from the first Sunday of Advent, November 30, 2025.
"No matter where we are or how we feel this Advent Sunday, God is still telling the same story: • Hope doesn’t wait for perfect conditions. • Hope grows in unexpected places. • Hope shines through ordinary things touched by love. • H...
Luke 23:33-43
Sermon by the Rev. Ben Brannan from Christ the King Sunday, November 23, 2025.
Read the manuscripts of our latest sermons at: https://www.spres.org/worship/sermons/
II Corinthians 1:3–7
Sermon by Dr. George C. Anderson from Sunday, November 16, 2025.
• "Sometimes encouragement looks like holding someone steady when they cannot hold steady themselves.
• "Sometimes it looks like absorbing the angry words of another without firing back—letting them sit with what they said without the comfort of your having said worse.
• "Sometimes it looks like sitting in a hospital room and saying nothing becaus...
John 14:1-3
Sermon by Dr. George C. Anderson from All Saints' Sunday, November 2, 2025. "Jesus comforts his disciples with the promise that he goes to prepare a place for them—but even more, that his Spirit will dwell within them now. To be a resurrection people is to live in the current of that coming world— • to forgive, • to create, • to mend what is broken, trusting that God’s life is already flowing downstream through us. ...
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 ...
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