Sermons from Second

05.20.18 Irrational Hope (Pentecost)

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In this podcast: 

1. Prayer for Illumination 

2. Epistle reading  Romans 8:22-27 

3. Gospel reading  John 15:26-27, 16:4b-15 

4. Anthem "Gracious Spirit, Dwell with Me"  (K. Lee Scott) 

5. New Testament reading  Acts 2:1-21 

6. Old Testament reading  Ezekiel 37:1-14 (from Eugene Peterson's "The Message" version of the Bible) 

7. Sermon  "Irrational Hope" 

 

Sermon excerpt: 

“I’ll breathe my life into you,” God says, “and you will live.”

God speaks this promise through Ezekiel to the valley of dry bones, and the lifeless bones are transformed into living, breathing bodies.

God speaks this promise through the Holy Spirit to the disciples, and the church – the body of Christ on earth – is born.  

And on this day of Pentecost, God again speaks this promise of the breath of life and irrational hope to us.

05.13.18 Power for a Fragile Community (Ascension)

 

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In this podcast: 

1. The Psalter  Psalm 47 

2. Anthem  "I Walked Today Where Jesus Walked"  (Words by Daniel S. Twohig; Music by Geoffrey O'Hara)
Dr. Stanley Workman, Jr., Tenor; Justin Wiget, Pianist 

3. New Testament Lesson  Acts 1:1-11 

4. Epistle  1 John 5:9-13

5. Sermon "Power for a Fragile Community 

 

Sermon excerpt 

Sometimes in midst of our fearfulness, when we are overwhelmed by how hard it is to be the church, we end up looking a lot like those disciples who stood there watching Jesus disappear into the clouds, I’m guessing with their mouths hanging open and a bewildered look on their faces.

For us, celebrating the Ascension means going from the “place where we gaze into the clouds to the places where the world needs Christ. We are called to be the hands, feet, eyes, and voice of Christ to the ends of the earth” as we witness to the good news of Jesus Christ, our risen and Ascended Lord, who is now our Advocate, Intercessor, and our biggest fan sitting at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.[1]

 

[1] Feasting on the Word, Year B, Volume 2. Acts 11, Pastoral Perspective, Peterson-Davis, Kindle Locations 17646-17655.

04.29.18 The Heart of Life (series on 1 John)

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In this podcast: 

1. Prayer of Illumination 

2. First reading  Acts 8:26-40 

3. The Psalter  Psalm 98 

4. Gospel reading  John 15:1-8 

5. Anthem "O Love" (Words: George Matheson, Musical setting: Elaine Hagenbert) 

6. Epistle  1 John 4:7-21

7. Sermon  "The Heart of Life" 

8. Offertory "Day by Day" sung by the Second Pres Choral Scholars (from the musical, "Godspell") 

 

Sermon excerpt 

It is easy for us to love those who love us in return. It is easy for us to love those who are like us: who value the same characteristics, who believe in the same principles, who like the same pizza toppings or flavors of Ben and Jerry’s that we do.

But we are commanded to love the one who is unloving, angry, and hurtful because that is who we were to God first.

Only when we love an unlovable person do we see for ourselves what God-as-love is really like. When the love of God flows through us and transforms another life, changing that unloving person into someone who also has been born anew of love, then we know God.[1]

Our love for others should follow the same pattern as God’s love for us. Like God, we are to love the one who is unlovely and unresponsive.

 

[1] Feasting on the Word, Year B, Volume 2, Kindle Locations 16390-16394.

04.22.18 What is Love? (series on 1 John)

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(NOTE: I had some technical issues so what you're about to listen to is a "Frankenstein" podcast: I re-recorded the sermon and added in the audio from the choir singing the anthem!) 

 

In this sermon podcast: 

1. Prayer of Illumination

2. New Testament reading  Acts 4:5-12

3. The Psalter & Anthem of the day: "Psalm 23 - The Lord is My Shepherd" (Howard Goodall)

4. Gospel reading  John 10:11-18

5. Epistle reading  1 John 3:16-24

6. Sermon "What is Love?" 

 

Sermon excerpt: 

In every age, with Christlike love, believers have gone where they did not have to go and suffered what they could have easily avoided.

"Laying down our lives is to lay aside our claim to our own lives for the sake of others. We lay down our lives when we put others first. We lay down our lives when we live for the good of others. We lay down our lives when we make time for others.[i]" 

To love others is to lay down our lives for them. When we lay down the completely normal human desire to live only for ourselves, and instead allow the love of God to reorient us toward the needs of others, we discover we are doing exactly what 1 John 3:16 is telling us to do without even thinking about it.  

[i] Feasting on the World, Year B, Volume 2, Kindle Locations 15555-15560.

04.15.18 What We Will Be (series on 1 John)

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In this podcast: 

1. Prayer for illumination

2. New Testament reading   Acts 3:12-19

3. The Psalter  Psalm 4:1-8 

4. Gospel reading  Luke 24:36b-48

5. The Anthem  "Alleluia, Alleluia! Give Thanks to the Risen Lord!" (Donald Fishell) 

6. Epistle  1 John 3:1-17

7. Sermon "What We Will Be" 

 

Sermon excerpt

In 1 John 3, the Elder begins, “¹See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are.”

I cannot grasp the depths of God’s love and compassion for us: lawless, rebellious children, born as captives to sin.

I cannot comprehend the sacrifice and pain God felt on the Friday which we call “good.” And on the silent Saturday that followed.

I cannot understand the risk God takes when he chooses to love us … because we have the power to break the Father’s heart over and over and over again.

And yet … he adopts us anyway. He loves us as his own flesh and blood. 

04.08.18 Walking in the Darkness (series on 1 John)

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Read along with 1 John 1:1-2:2. 

 

In this podcast: 

1. Prayer of illumination 

2. Reading from Acts 4:32-35 

3. The Psalter (Psalm 133) -- Stan taught us to sing in Hebrew!! 

4. Reading from John 20:19-31

5. Anthem of the day: "This Joyful Eastertide" (arr by William H. Harris) 

6. Reading from 1 John 1:1-2:2 

7. "Hiding in the Darkness" (first in a series on 1 John) 

8. Hymn "I Want to Walk as a Child in the Light" 

04.01.18 Easter Surprise

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Read along with John 20:1-18. 

 

This podcast includes the entirety of our Easter Sunday worship service celebrating Christ's resurrection, particularly: 

- Pastor Allison Bauer's sermon "Easter Surprise" based on John 20:1-18

- Dr. Stan Workman's leadership of the day's music by the Second Pres Chancel Choir and special brass, timpani, and glockenspiel. 

 

03.30.18 Good Friday

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Read along John 18-19. 

Held at the traditional hour of Jesus' death on Good Friday, Pastor Allison Bauer reads through the crucifixion story as found in John 18-19 while Dr. Stan Workman provides musical meditations in this tenebrae service.

 

03.25.18 The Palms and the Passion

   

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Read along with the story of Christ's passion in Mark 14-15.

This podcast contains the second half of our "The Palms and the Passion" Sunday from Sun, March 25. It alternates between readings from Mark's gospel and musical responses by the Second Pres Chancel Choir under the direction of Dr. Stan Workman. 

03.18.18 Covenant 5: Renewing Wedding Vows

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Read along with Jeremiah 31:31-34.  

 

Included in this podcast: 

1. Prayer for illumination

2. The Epistle reading - Hebrews 5:5-10 

3. The Psalter - Psalm 119:9-16 

4. The Gospel reading - John 12:20-33  

5. Anthem of the day: "Write Your Blessed Name" (Words: Thomas a Kempis/Music: K. Lee Scott) 

6. Old Testament reading - Jeremiah 31:31-34 

7. The Sermon 

8. Hymn "Long Ago God Reached in Love" 

9. Covenant Renewal Service: Renewing Wedding Vows" 

 

Sermon excerpt: 

Jeremiah portrays God as a spouse whose heart has been broken by an unfaithful partner. Though God was faithful to his part of the covenant, the people failed to live up to theirs and so the covenant is broken.

But God is not willing to abandon this broken relationship. Instead he decides recommit to the people he loves. God says, “I will be their God and they shall be my people.” It is God’s own resolve and love for the people that overrides the painful nullification of the covenant.[i] God yearns for an enduring relationship with “this recalcitrant and unresponsive people.”[ii]

 

[i] Texts for Preaching, p. 231.

[ii] Texts for Preaching, p. 231.