Old Pine Street Presbyterian Church

Rev. Ferris creates a midrash about the life of the innkeeper in Bethlehem. Luke 2:1-7.

Rev. Ferris preaches on Mary's song of praise from Luke 1: 39-56.

This week, we look at the incarnation in the Gospel of Matthew. Rev. Ferris preaches on Joseph's dream from Matthew 1: 18-23. 

We begin a four-week Advent series on the incarnation. Today Rev. Ferris preaches on the wonderful story of Jesus healing the paralytic from Mark 2: 1-12. 

In this week's sermon, Rev. Blake explores the significance of the inclusion of five women in the long genealogy of Jesus in Matthew 1:1-17. She suggests that the stories of Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Bathsheba shaped the life and ministry of Jesus in profound ways, which has implications for us today.

Rev. Blake preaches on the fruit of faithfulness, using the story of Jesus and Peter from John 21: 15-19. 

In the conclusion of our 10-week series on the Fruit of the Spirit, Rev. Ferris looks at the fruit of generosity. The sermon was preached on Consecration Sunday, 2025, when Old Pine members made their annual financial pledges to the church budget. Rev. Ferris explored Matthew 6:19-21, in which Jesus advises us not to store up treasures on earth, but to store up treasures in heaven.

In this week's sermon, Rev. Ferris explores the fruit of "temperance" or "self-control," from Paul's letter to the Galatians. He incorporates the temptation of Christ in Gethsemane, from Luke 22:39-46.

We continued our series on the fruit of the Spirit from Galatians 5. Today Rev. Ferris explores "gentleness," by looking at Ephesians 4:1-6. He uses two stories to illustrate the gentleness of Jesus: one from a Bill Withers song, the other from Dr. Paul Brand.

Rev. Ferris continues our series on the "Fruit of the Spirit." He uses Philippians 2:1-11 as a way of exploring kindness as practiced by the early Christians.

Rev. Ferris preaches on Paul's statement on peace, written from prison, found in Philippians 4: 4-7, 10-13. Using Jane Goodall's research on chimpanzees as a metaphor, he explores Paul's understanding of peace: that we were once enemies of God, but through the cross we have peace with Him.

In today's sermon, the third week of the fruit of the spirit series, Rev. Blake explores the depth of meaning contained in the word "joy," as well as understanding the fruit of the spirit as gifts when it comes to discernment. This is paired with the story of the Magnificat, the joy-filled and layered song sung by Mary, the mother of Jesus, in Luke 1. Galatians 5:16-26.

We continue our series on the fruit of the spirit. Today, Rev. Ferris explores Paul's powerful vision of agape love, suggesting that it alone offers hope for our churches and our deeply divided nation. Galatians 5:16-26.

We begin a 10-week series on the Fruit of the Spirit. Today, Rev. Ferris begins by exploring Paul's distinction between "flesh" and "spirit" while distinguishing Plato's dualistic view of the body with Paul's embodied view of body and spirit as one.

We conclude our series on the Lord's Prayer by exploring the last line: "Rescue us from the evil one." Rev. Ferris explores the prominent role the devil has in the New Testament and how our secular culture has largely lost the language to confront this evil. Matthew 6:9-13.

What did Jesus mean when he said to pray, "Lead us not into the time of trial"? This short phrase opens an entire world of theological reflection about suffering and the nature of God's presence in our lives. Rev. Ferris preaches on Matthew 6:9-13.

Today we come to the central message of the Lord's Prayer: Forgiveness. Rev. Ferris explores Jesus' revolutionary insight that our debts are forgiven as we forgive the debts of others. Matthew 6: 9-13.

In this week's sermon, Rev. Rebecca Blake invites us to do a deep dive on one simple line of the Lord's Prayer as recorded in Matthew 6:9-13: "Give us this day our daily bread." With those few words, Jesus made a profound connection to the story of God providing manna and quail for the Israelites in the wilderness after their exodus from Egypt, a connection that continues to ha...

We continue our sermon series this week with Rev. Rebecca Blake preaching on Matthew 6:8-15, specifically focusing on verses 9-10. She explores how adding some nuance to the familiar words of "hallowed" (or holy), "heaven," and "God's will," might deepen our understanding of how God relates to us through prayer.

Rev. Ferris explores the first two words of the Lord's Prayer, "Our father." He talks about potential objections to male-coded language for God, showing that Scripture itself offers an array of both feminine and masculine imagery for the Creator. He then discussed Jesus' vision of God using the term "Abba" and how this allows for a uniquely intimate relationship with...

We begin a new 7-week series on the Lord's Prayer. Today Rev. Ferris introduces this remarkable prayer by outlining three things that Jesus hoped to cultivate in his followers: integrity, authenticity, and community. Matthew 6:5-13.

In this sermon on Luke 10:38-42, Rev. Blake preaches on the familiar story of Mary and Martha's encounter with Jesus. The compassionate response of Jesus to Martha's question, "do you not care?" has significant implications for how to discern when to push through in service to others and when to rest in the presence of God. 

Guest preacher Rev. Rob Erickson reflects on Luke 10:25-37, a passage most often known as "The Parable of the Good Samaritan." What does it look like to give of ourselves to others, and what does it look like to receive? The parable is multi-layered with meaning for us today as people trying to live out their faith.

Rev. Ferris explores the story of Jesus sending 72 disciples into villages without food, money, or sandals. He asks what it might mean to travel lightly through life, giving and receiving in community. Luke 10:1-11, 17.

In this sermon on Luke 9:51-62, Rev. Blake explores what different seasons of discipleship might look like. When so many situations in our lives feel urgent and important, how do we know which one God is calling us to invest our time, energy, and love?