Sermons by - Rev. Paul Sanderson from First Community Church of Southborough, MA
If you would like to comment on this, or any of the sermons, please email Rev. Sanderson at: psandersonphd@gmail.com.
Text (PDF) copies of the sermons are available on our web site: firstcommunitychurch.com.
Episodes
91 episodes
The Great Invitation!
This morning, on a communion Sunday, we think about the different calls, the different invitations that are extended to us by John the Baptist and by Jesus, though they may be two sides of the same coin.In inviting us to be yoked to him and...
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19:56
Renewing Our Covenants
This morning our church renewed the covenant between pastor and parishioner that we first shared October 7, 1997. The renewal of our covenant marked the 27th anniversary of my call to be the settled pastor of First Community Church. I tal...
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22:30
Just As I Am? Really?!
In today's sermon we look at how Taoism and Buddhism can help us understand Jesus' relationship with the woman who was a "sinner."Once again, I believe the gospel lesson is not about forgiveness; it is about love.This reflection b...
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35:04
The Way To Heaven ...
The title of this sermon is “The Way to Heaven.”If you have ever despaired of qualifying, take heart!You may already be there!(I know, it doesn’t always feel that way. But just listen.)
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22:05
People - The Elder Son In The Parable Of The Prodigal Son
This sermon, which focuses on the elder brother in Jesus' Parable of the Prodigal Son, looks at the parable from a Jungian psychological perspective.If you happen to be Freudian (or are so inclined for any other reason), you may stop li...
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32:10
Communion - Sacrement Of Presence
I would like to continue the exploration we began last week of Jesus’ encounter with the unnamed Samaritan woman by the side of Jacob’s well. The woman’s life was radically changed through this encounter. Even though there is some t...
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19:51
People Of The Bible - The Samaritan Woman At the Well
This reflection, the third in my summer series sermons about little known people in the Bible, is about Jesus’ encounter with the unnamed Samaritan woman at the well.It raises the question of which is more important: what Jesus gi...
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32:50
People Of The Bible - Jacob
This sermon is part of a series that Charley Eastman of Pilgrim Church and I have been preaching in our two churches this summer. It is about some of the little-known or lesser-known people in the Bible.Today we are taking a look ...
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34:05
The Power Of Prayer VI - Prayer From The Heart
In our scripture lesson this morning from the Gospel according to Luke, Jesus’ disciples ask him to teach them to pray--just like John the Baptist taught his disciples. The disciples’ question implies that John taught his disciples to pr...
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33:10
The Powerw Of Prayer V -- What Did You Expect?
This morning, we are continuing our reflections on the power of prayer. I hope our reflections during this Easter season and beyond have begun to lead us into a deeper understanding of the meaning and power of prayer, have led us to belie...
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26:34
The Power Of Prayer IV - The Hundreth Monkey
Last week, in my sermon on the theology of the Trinity, I touched on one way of understanding intercessory prayer, prayers that I/we offer to someone in need. Today I would like to say a little more about this understanding and wh...
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25:28
The Tinity - God's Crazy Math
Today is Trinity Sunday. The sermon title is "The Trinity--God's Crazy Math!"In this reflection, we explore the richness of a trinitarial theology, how it might help us pray by deepening our understanding of God and also our relations...
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34:11
Where Is Jesus? - Ascension Sunday
Today is the sixth Sunday of the Easter season. The fifty days between Easter and Pentecost is a special time in our church year. It is a time that we set aside to reflect on what happened to Jesus following his crucifixion. O...
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33:59
Baptisim Is The Beginning Of The Spiritual Journey
We had a baptism in our sanctuary this morning during the worship service. My reflection, which focuses on the way our sanctuary is set up architecturally and on the relationship of form and function, is a reminder that baptism is...
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27:23
Don't Try To Hold On (The Fourth Sunday of Easter)
This reflection, the fourth Sunday of the Easter season, is entitled "Don't Try to Hold On." It could just as easily have been named, "Don't Touch Me," "Don't Cling to Me," or "Don't Hold Me," depending upon which translation of the passa...
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29:29
Believing Helps Us See - The Second Sunday In Easter
The liturgical season of Easter is one of my favorite times of the Christian year. It is a time when we read the gospel accounts of how the disciples encounter Jesus, encounter their risen Lord, or are encountered by him. Their expe...
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27:39
The Triumph Of Easter
In our observance of Holy Week, we move from Palm Sunday, a day of triumph, to Easter Sunday, another day of triumph, without passing through the dark night of the soul that is a central part of Holy Week. It is tempting to think we can h...
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27:02
The Paradox Of Palm Sunday
Today is Palm Sunday, a day of celebration! Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem marks the beginning of Holy Week, one of the most profound and deeply symbolic weeks in human history.Churches distribute palms to their communicants on this ...
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35:53
The Power Of Prayer - 3
This morning, the fifth Sunday in Lent, we are continuing our reflections on the power ofprayer. I hope our reflections will lead us to a deeper understanding of the meaning and power of prayer, will lead us to believe more fully in the pow...
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30:23
The Power Of Prayer - I
This morning, on communion Sunday, we are belatedly beginning our Lenten series of reflections on the power of prayer. I hope our reflections over the next few weeks, and probably after Easter as well, will lead us to a deeper understandi...
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29:05
The Healing Power Of Community
Last week we thought about solitude, a theme to which we will be returning during our reflections on prayer, and the importance of touch, of breaking down or setting aside, or reaching past the boundaries that separate us from each other....
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35:41