Sermons by - Rev. Paul Sanderson from First Community Church of Southborough, MA

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 what it teaches about the importance of your prayer.

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 relationship with God. It also points to a direction that we may need to go theologically and in our prayer--the evolution of the Trinity into a Quarternity....

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.  On Easter Sunday, we focus our attention on the miracle of Jesus’ resurrection, on the empty tomb, the cornerstone of our faith.  In the seven weeks that follow, we focus o...

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 only the beginning of our spiritual. journey.   I think you might find it at least informative. (At least I hope you will.)

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 passage in John you read. It is about the suffering that arises from our attachments, from our grasping, w...

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 experiences of rediscovering the One whom they felt they had lost can guide us in our own experiences of our risen Lord, can guide us in the deepening of our relationship...

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 have a resurrection without a crucifixion, without a sacrifice, without a death, either in Jesus’ life or in our lives.  This is why so few churches, and so few C...

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 day, sometimes as palm branches, sometimes in other forms. This morning, We reflect on the symbolism of the palm cross that graces our altar--its meaning for J...

This morning, the fifth Sunday in Lent, we are continuing our reflections on the power of prayer. 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 power of intercessory prayer, and will lead us to pray more constantly and more meaningfully in our daily life.

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 understanding of the meaning and power of prayer, will lead us to believe more fully in the power of intercessory prayer, and will lead us to pray more constantly and more...

 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.  This morning, let’s build on what we began last week by reflecting on community, on our community, and on the healing power of community, because this is an im...

For one more week, I would like us to remain with the theme that we began several weeks ago, the theme of healing as illustrated in the healing miracles that are described in the Bible.  In previous weeks, we have attempted to discern what these healing miracles have in common (if, indeed, they have anything in common).  We have attempted to identify the factors within us that enable us to open ou...

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.

Sermon delivered Nov 26,2023 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.

Sermon presented Nov. 26, 2023 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.

We apologize for the delay in posting this sermon. We had technical problems with the original file and had to re-record it.