The Word from South Highland

September 14, 2025  |  Ephesians 2:11-22 - Dividing walls of hostility are everywhere in our world, and even in our churches, and they can seem insurmountable. What hope is there for genuine reconciliation? Rev. Cort Gatliff teaches us that the Lord God takes great delight in uniting together that which the world says must remain apart.

September 7, 2025  |  Ephesians 2:1-10 — Paul spends three verses in chapter 2 of Ephesians pointing out to us the utter darkness of the human condition apart from Jesus Christ. It's really quite bleak. Rev. Cort Gatliff teaches us that there is, of course, good news, and it's all fully contained in the first two words of verse four.

August 31, 2025  |  Ephesians 1:15-23 - Paul's prayer for the church in Ephesus is a prayer for all followers of Jesus Christ. Rev. Abby Gatliff teaches that the prayer is for us to have hope in Christ, receive the riches of God's inheritance in Christ, and understand the immense power that is ours as believers.

August 24, 2025  |  Ephesians 1:7-14 - The Apostle Paul writes that God's plan is to unite all things in Christ. Rev. Cort Gatliff teaches from Ephesians that God is a father who gets joy out of pouring out his blessing, his abundance, and the riches of his grace upon his children. 

August 17, 2025  |  Ephesians 1:3-6 - As Paul begins his letter to the church in Ephesus, he wastes no time reminding his readers of the unbridled blessings God has given them. Rev. Cort Gatliff teaches about how God has chosen us, called us, and adopted us as His own.

August 15, 2025  |  Romans 8:38-39 - In Paul's letter to the church in Rome, of all the things he lists that cannot separate us from the God's love in Jesus Christ, the first thing he mentions is death. For a crowded memorial service for Henry Gilchrist following his sudden death, Rev. Cort Gatliff teaches that, because of God's overwhelming love, Henry's life is not defined by his death.

August 10, 2025  |   Ephesians 1:1-2 - Paul's letter to the church in Ephesus has been called "the Grand Canyon of Scripture" and was reportedly Calvin's favorite book. Rev. Cort Gatliff teaches that even the first two verses succeed in laying the groundwork for the encouragement that Paul is going to give to a church that is in desperate need of encouragement.

August 3, 2025  |  1 Corinthians 1:18-25 — Like the early Christians in Corinth, our culture today is swamped by opinion and drowning in knowledge and information. Rev. Cort Gatliff teaches that, if you want to become truly wise, then you must first become a fool. 

July 27m, 2025  |  Selected Proverbs — Scripture has much to say about our speech, and Proverbs is no exception. Emily Knight teaches that the words we say can have eternal consquences, both for ourselves and for others, and that the Lord calls us to speak words of life.

July 20, 2025  |  Selected Proverbs - The book of Proverbs presents a holistic picture of our relationship with money. Rev. Abby Gatliff teaches that we need wisdom to be able to see the difference between what is pleasing in our own sight and our own eyes, versus what is pleasing in the sight of the Lord.

July 13, 2025  |  Selected Proverbs — When we have good friends and when we are good friends, finding God's wisdom for how to live the good life is just a little bit easier. Rev. Abby Gatliff teaches the book of Proverbs implies that as we help friends find God's vision and bring it to life, we may just stumble upon God's vision for the good life ourselves. 

July 6, 2025 | Selected Proverbs — Throughout the book of Proverbs are verses about accepting God's correction and discipline. Rev. Abby Gatliff teaches that this discipline is not just punishment but actually is the Lord's discipling.

June 29, 2025 | Proverbs 5:1-23, 6:27 — Rev. Cort Gatliff has a lesson for us about the Lord's gift of physical intimacy between man and woman. He teaches that at the heart of the the Christian vision of sex is the idea that sex is both far more dangerous and far more beautiful than we tend to imagine. And so, because that is true, we need wisdom. 

June 22, 2025 | Selected Proverbs — What is it about knowing God that propels us to look outside of ourselves and to care for the marginalized? Rev. Cort Gatliff teaches that justice should matter to us because justice matters deeply to God.

June 15, 2025 | Selected Proverbs — God's will for our life is not some sort of corn maze, with only one right way and lots of wrong turns. Rev. Cort Gatliff teaches about God's sovereign will and about being so immersed in God's word that HIs priorities begin to transform our hearts, and our decision making.

June 9, 2025 | Proverbs 9:1-6, 13-18 — In the book of Proverbs, the Ladies Wisdom and Folly issue identical invitations to the people passing by. Rev. Cort Gatliff teaches that, when we listen to Folly, the next voice we hear is from the Holy Spirit, that we are not alone, and that it's not to late to change our path.

June 1, 2025 | Proverbs 1:20-33 — In the early part of Proverbs, we find Lady Wisdom represented as a character crying out wherever she can be heard, imploring God's people to listen. Rev. Cort Gatliff teaches that Jesus worked the same way, that God is not hiding from us but rather is speaking to us all the time.

May 25, 2025 | Proverbs 1:1-7 — The whole of Scripture points us to Jesus and shows us how to live. But that goes beyond the do's and don'ts of the ten commandments. Rev. Cort Gatliff teaches about the Proverbs that their goal is deep character, straight thinking, and the transforming power of the Holy Spirit.

May 18, 2025 | Acts 22:1-22 — Paul was changed by Jesus on the road to Damascus, but the man he had been provided a foundation for that change. Rev. Abby Gatliff teaches that your background can be used by God for eternal purposes, but there are still significant ways we are changed by the risen Lord.