The John Knox Presbyterian Church Podcast

"On the Verge of Mercy"

Rev. Jimmy McPherson - Micah 6:6-8

In this sermon from Micah 6:6–8 in the On the Verge series, we explore the prophet’s call “to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God.” Speaking into a world where religious activity continued while justice and mercy were neglected, Micah reminds God’s people that what God desires is not more ritual, but lives shaped by faithful love. At the center of the message is the rich Hebrew word hesed — steadfast, covenant love — and the invitation to embody that same mercy in a world that desperately needs it, because as the song says, “we could use a little mercy now.”

Thank you for listening and for supporting the ministry of John Knox Presbyterian Church Seattle. To learn more about our life together and ministry, visit www.johnknox.church.

"On the Verge of Justice"

Marc Gronholz - Amos 5:18-24

In this message from Amos 5, we explore what it means to stand “on the verge of justice” in a world filled with competing definitions of fairness and righteousness. While Israel longed for the “Day of the Lord” as judgment on their enemies, Amos delivers a sobering warning: God’s justice begins with his own people, especially when worship is empty and the vulnerable are neglected. Through Amos’ bold words, we are reminded that justice is rooted in God’s character and flows through lives marked by mercy, humility, and action. Though ultimate justice awaits Christ’s return, we live on the verge of it now whenever we act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God.

Thank you for listening and for supporting the ministry of John Knox Presbyterian Church Seattle. To learn more about our life together and ministry, visit www.johnknox.church.

“On the Verge of Return”

Rev. Jimmy McPherson - Hosea 14:1-9

We love a comeback story — until it slips away at the last second. In this Lenten message, On the Verge of Return, we turn to Hosea 14 and discover that Israel’s greatest failure wasn’t on a field but in the heart: “you have stumbled because of your iniquity.” Through vivid imagery of broken covenant, misplaced trust, and relentless divine love, this sermon explores how we still manufacture modern idols and trust our own “horses.” Yet Hosea’s final word is not judgment but invitation: “Return.” Even more astonishing, God gives us the words to come home. In a season of confession and renewal, we stand on the verge — not of defeat, but of mercy — and are invited to return to the love that has been pursuing us all along.

Thank you for listening and for supporting the ministry of John Knox Presbyterian Church Seattle. To learn more about our life together and ministry, visit www.johnknox.church.

"More Than Desire"

Rev. Jimmy McPherson - 2 Samuel 11:1–5; 1 Corinthians 13:1–13

This sermon contrasts lust and love through David’s abuse of power in 2 Samuel 11 and Paul’s vision of the “more excellent way” in 1 Corinthians 13. It names how desire untethered from love leads to objectification and fracture, while Christ’s self-giving love reorders our hearts and restores dignity. The invitation is not repression but redemption — to move from grasping to communion and to discover in God’s love what it truly means to be fully alive.

Thank you for listening and for supporting the ministry of John Knox Presbyterian Church Seattle. To learn more about our life together and ministry, visit www.johnknox.church.

"Hungry For More"

Rev. Jimmy McPherson - Proverbs 23:19–21; Galatians 5:16–25

In “Hungry for More”, we explore how in-ordinate consumption — of food, entertainment, distraction, or escape — can quietly leave us absent. The hollow promise of “eat, drink, and be merry” is confronted by the even stronger promise we hear in Scripture’s deeper invitation: not less life, but more. Not denial, but freedom. Not numbing, but presence.

Thank you for listening and for supporting the ministry of John Knox Presbyterian Church Seattle. To learn more about our life together and ministry, visit www.johnknox.church.

"More Than Enough"

Rev. Jimmy McPherson - Luke 12:13–21; 2 Corinthians 9:6–15

In a culture that equates success with accumulation, this sermon names avarice for what it is: not just a love of money, but a way of life that hollows us out. Drawing on Jesus’ parable of the rich fool and Paul’s vision of joyful generosity, More Than Enough explores how greed trains our fears, tightens our grip, and reshapes our hearts. Yet the gospel does not leave us there. In Christ, grace interrupts our anxious striving, gratitude loosens our hold, and generosity becomes the pathway to life that is truly alive—life rich toward God and open to the world.

Thank you for listening and for supporting the ministry of John Knox Presbyterian Church Seattle. To learn more about our life together and ministry, visit www.johnknox.church.

"Wake Up”

Rev. Jimmy McPherson - Matthew 25:14–30; Romans 12:9–13

“Wake Up” reframes sloth not as simple laziness but as acedia — a quiet spiritual indifference that scatters our attention and tempts us to disengage from God, others, and our own vocation. Through Jesus’ parable of the talents, it exposes the danger of burying what has been entrusted to us out of fear, distraction, or resignation. Paul’s exhortation in Romans 12 then offers a vivid alternative: a life marked by genuine love, zeal, generosity, and hope. This message calls listeners to live awake and rooted — to choose participation over paralysis and to step into the joy of a life fully alive.

Thank you for listening and for supporting the ministry of John Knox Presbyterian Church Seattle. To learn more about our life together and ministry, visit www.johnknox.church.

"Breaking the Cycle"

Rev. Jimmy McPherson -  Matthew 5:21–26; Ephesians 4:25–32

“Breaking the Cycle” names anger as an ancient, powerful force that quietly corrodes relationships long before it erupts into visible harm. Drawing on Jesus’ words in Matthew 5 and Paul’s counsel in Ephesians 4, it explores how anger, when nursed and justified, fractures community, distorts worship, and disconnects us from one another. Yet Scripture does not simply condemn anger — it offers a way through it: reconciliation, forgiveness, and grace rooted in what God has already done for us in Christ. This message invites listeners to lay down the rule of wrath and discover the freedom of a life healed by grace rather than governed by rage.

Thank you for listening and for supporting the ministry of John Knox Presbyterian Church Seattle. To learn more about our life together and ministry, visit www.johnknox.church

"The Green-Eyed Lie"

Rev. Jimmy McPherson - Genesis 4:1–9; Philippians 4:10–13

“The Green-Eyed Lie” names envy as more than harmless comparison — it is a destructive force willing to harm both others and ourselves, vividly illustrated in the story of Cain and Abel. Drawing on voices from Scripture and contemporary reflection, we learn how envy thrives on comparison, scarcity, and wounded self-worth, quietly corroding love and community. Turning to Paul’s words in Philippians, the sermon lifts up contentment not as indifference but as a grace-rooted freedom grounded in dependence on Christ. Listeners are invited to adopt a different gaze — one shaped by God’s generous love—where comparison loosens its grip and gratitude becomes possible.

Thank you for listening and for supporting the ministry of John Knox Presbyterian Church Seattle. To learn more about our life together and ministry, visit www.johnknox.church

"The Empty Throne"

Rev. Jimmy McPherson - Luke 18:9–14; Philippians 2:5–11

“The Empty Throne” names pride as the quiet, corrosive force that elevates the self, erodes community, and subtly pushes God aside. Through Jesus’ parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector and Paul’s hymn to Christ’s self-emptying love in Philippians 2, we see a contrast between self-justification with humility rooted in grace. Pride is not merely confidence but a posture of grasping and comparison, while humility is truth-telling, trust, and release. Listeners are invited to leave the throne empty — making room for God’s mercy and discovering a more human, grace-shaped way of life.

Thank you for listening and for supporting the ministry of John Knox Presbyterian Church Seattle. To learn more about our life together and ministry, visit www.johnknox.church