Sermons - The Rev. Meredith Kadet Sanderson

The power of God to raise up what is dead is the ground of the courage we need to apologize and make amends. Sermon for the Fifth Sunday in Lent, Year A (March 26, 2023). View the scripture readings and the Collect of the Day: Fifth Sunday in Lent (Year A) Preached at St. James’ Episcopal Church in Hyde Park, NY. A video of our whole 10 am service for the Fifth Sunday in Lent (March 26, 2023) is a...

When we suffer, we want to know why it’s happening. Jesus doesn’t offer answers, but he offers his presence. Sermon for the Fourth Sunday in Lent, Year A (March 19, 2023). View the scripture readings and the Collect of the Day: Fourth Sunday in Lent (Year A) Preached at St. James’ Episcopal Church in Hyde Park, NY. A video of our whole 10 am service for the Fourth Sunday in Lent (March 19, 2023) i...

A second encounter, a second transformation: St. Photini meets Jesus, and moves from isolation to proclamation. Sermon for the Third Sunday in Lent, Year A (March 12, 2023). View the scripture readings and the Collect of the Day: Third Sunday in Lent (Year A) Preached at St. James’ Episcopal Church in Hyde Park, NY. A video of our whole 10 am service for the Third Sunday in Lent (March 12, 2023) i...

Four remaining Sundays in Lent, four encounters with Jesus. On the second Sunday in Lent, we meet Nicodemus, a man transformed thanks to his own curiosity. Sermon for the Second Sunday in Lent, Year A (March 5, 2023). View the scripture readings and the Collect of the Day: Second Sunday in Lent (Year A) Preached at St. James’ Episcopal Church in Hyde Park, NY. A video of our whole 10 am service fo...

On how Jesus teaches us to take a pause between inspiration and initiation. There's so many things we're tempted to say "Yes" to, but what if what we need (sometimes) is a long pause? Sermon for the First Sunday in Lent, Year A (February 26, 2023). View the scripture readings and the Collect of the Day: First Sunday in Lent (Year A) Preached at St. James’ Episcopal Church in Hyde Park, NY. A video...

At the corner of Fourth and Walnut in Louisville, the monk and mystic Thomas Merton famously had a vision of the glory of God hidden in ordinary people. Afterwards he wrote, “the gate of heaven is everywhere.” Sermon for the Last Sunday after the Epiphany, Year A (February 19, 2023). View the scripture readings and the Collect of the Day: Last Sunday after the Epiphany Preached at St. James’ Episc...

What are we supposed to make of Jesus' words in Matthew 5, calling us to an impossible standard for our actions and our intentions? Sermon for the Sixth Sunday after the Epiphany, Year A (February 12, 2023). View the scripture readings and the Collect of the Day: Sixth Sunday after the Epiphany Preached at St. James’ Episcopal Church in Hyde Park, NY. A video of our whole 10 am service for the Six...

Nobody hides their light under a bushel—unless to protect it! Sermon for the Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany, Year A (February 5, 2023). View the scripture readings and the Collect of the Day: Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany Preached at St. James’ Episcopal Church in Hyde Park, NY. A video of our whole 10 am service for the Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany (February 5th) is available here .

There are two parts to the beatitudes: A longing (that’s ours) and a promise (that’s God’s). Sermon for the Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany, Year A (January 29, 2023). View the scripture readings and the Collect of the Day: Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany Preached at St. James’ Episcopal Church in Hyde Park, NY. A video of our whole 9 am service for the Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany (Jan 29th...

My five-year-old's current favorite book reminds us (every night!) that dreams "are meant to make you seem as if you don't know up from down." That's right—because the Gospel Jesus gave us is God's dream, turning the world on its head. Sermon for the Third Sunday after the Epiphany, Year A (January 22, 2023). View the scripture readings and the Collect of the Day: Third Sunday after the Epiphany P...

What are you looking for? This question Jesus asks is a question to hold on to, and to ask ourselves again and again, in this season after the Epiphany when we learn what it means to follow Jesus. Sermon for the Second Sunday after the Epiphany, Year A (January 15, 2023). View the scripture readings and the Collect of the Day: Second Sunday after the Epiphany Preached at St. James’ Episcopal Churc...

The Dutch theologian Henry Nouwen has written that there are three lies about our identity that most of us will take on over the course of our lives: I am what I have, I am what I do, and I am who others say I am. But our true identity is found in baptism. Sermon for the First Sunday after the Epiphany, the Baptism of Our Lord, Year A (January 8, 2023). View the scripture readings and the Collect...

As you begin this new year, know that you are held in the arms of God, and that you are named beloved of God, and member of the body of Christ. Sermon for the feast of the Holy Name of Jesus (January 1, 2023). View the scripture readings and the Collect of the Day: The Holy Name Preached at St. James’ Episcopal Church in Hyde Park, NY. A video of our whole 10 am service for the Feast of the Holy N...

This is the story of how God came into the world to live among us, to live as one of us. And it's worth noting that God chose to come into the world in a very particular time and place and way—and not in some other way. God came into the world where there was just a little bit of room for God. And that was enough. Sermon for Christmas (December 25, 2022) View the scripture readings and the Collect...

Joseph had a plan—a good, righteous plan—to quietly send Mary and baby Jesus away. And then God showed up. On the fourth Sunday of Advent, we contemplate in Joseph’s story a God who keeps coming back to us until we say our fullest “Yes” to God’s call. Sermon for the Fourth Sunday of Advent (December 18, 2022) View the scripture readings and the Collect of the Day: Fourth Sunday of Advent, Year A P...

If even John the Baptist has questions about Jesus, then we, too, can accept our seasons of doubt and uncertainty. Also! The difference between joy and happiness. Sermon for the Third Sunday of Advent (December 11, 2022) View the scripture readings and the Collect of the Day: Third Sunday of Advent, Year A Preached at St. James’ Episcopal Church in Hyde Park, NY. A video of our whole 10 am service...

In the Advent season of preparation, we separate what is necessary and nourishing from what is not needed. Sermon for the Second Sunday of Advent (December 4, 2022) View the scripture readings and the Collect of the Day: Second Sunday of Advent, Year A Preached at St. James’ Episcopal Church in Hyde Park, NY. A video of our whole 10 am service is available here .

In Advent, "We begin in the deepest dark, in quiet and peace, with that attention to what burns unceasingly within us. And in that quiet, we let it grow, and we grow and it grows...until on the holy night of Christmas, it's enough to light us all up and set us all on fire." Sermon for the First Sunday of Advent (November 27, 2022) View the scripture readings and the Collect of the Day: First Sunda...

On seeing the kingdom of God in the most broken and desolate places. Sermon for the Last Sunday after Pentecost, Christ the King (November 20, 2022) View the scripture readings and the Collect of the Day: Last Sunday after Pentecost, Christ the King, Proper 29, Year C Preached at St. James’ Episcopal Church in Hyde Park, NY. A video of our whole 10 am service is available here .

Jesus Christ is the bridge from nightmare to dream, and we are his Body. Sermon for the 23rd Sunday after Pentecost (November 13, 2022) View the scripture readings and the Collect of the Day: 23rd Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 28, Year C Preached at St. James’ Episcopal Church in Hyde Park, NY. A video of our whole 10 am service is available here .

Our ministry here and now is knit by God into the vast and eternal fabric of the Body of Christ.

Pause and give thanks for the gifts God has placed in our hands, even just for a time.

Forgiveness is the basic move of Christianity. But we can't do it on our own.

The parable of the unjust steward is the fourth in a series of parables that praise “bad stewardship”—letting go of what we think we need to hang on to.

There are so many hymns about being lost and getting found. We sing some of them in this week's sermon on the parable of the lost sheep (Luke 15:1-10). And we reflect on how God is better at finding than we are at getting lost.