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

This Sunday is the Fifth Sunday of the Easter season. Today we explored Mary Magdalene’s experience of the risen Christ,  specifically how Jesus told her Do not cling to me. It is often important to let go.

Today is the Third Sunday of Easter. When Jesus met the two women by the empty tomb, he told them not to be afraid. The Bible tells us not to be afraid. Fear gives rise to anger.  It triggers a fight-or-flight response to the real or perceived threat. It limits our ability to respond creatively. How can we not be afraid when we face serious problems? The answer is presence. You are not alone.

The title of today’s reflection is “See for Yourself.” It is about seeing. Through the eyes of a child. With the heart. Goethe said, “Thinking is better than knowing but not as good as looking.”

Today is the Second Sunday in Lent. The basic theme of our reflection this morning was "Christianity--It's Not a Religion; It's a Relationship."  It's about what it means to be a Christian.

Today is the first Sunday in Lent. The theme of my reflections over the six Sundays in Lent will be on Jesus' life and teachings that immediately preceded his death and resurrection.  Today's reflection drew from the teachings of the prophet Joel who tells us that God calls us to "rend our hearts."  What does this mean?

 This really isn’t a sermon; it’s a story, perhaps a parable. It’s entitled “The Rabbi’s Gift.”

Greetings! This reflection is about how our identity as individuals, as a church, as a nation, and as a world is formed by our past but also by our vision of who or what we can be. The occasion is the celebration of our 160th annual meeting as a church! Blessings! Paul

This morning’s reflection focused on listening: as a kind of presence  as a creative energy in our relationship with other people in our relationship with ourselves  in our relationship with God God called Samuel by name. Is God calling you?

Jan 19, 2025 This morning, as we experienced a deep gratitude to the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. for his contributions to our nation, to both Blacks and Whites.  The theme of our reflections is stupidity.

This morning, we reflected on the theme of Epiphany.  It involves a search. It leads to a discovery, a realization. I read T. S. Eliot’s “Journey of the Magi,” which I like. I also include a quote on becoming seekers by Peter Matthiessen, who wrote “In Search of the Snow Leopard.” Are you a seeker? What (whom) do you seek?

The theme of today’s reflection was how to change the future.  I assume you think it needs changing. Are you curious?

 Today is the first Sunday of Advent. The theme of our reflections this morning is hope. The spiritual experience of hope is deeper than wishing. The opposite of hope is despair. We really need to receive the spiritual gift of hope in our nation and around the world this Christmas season!

 This sermon is about building - our self - our church - our nation - our world - with what we already have. It is entitled, "Building With Rubbish" (no offense) It is about building on rock, on The Rock.

This sermon is about The Widow’s Coins. It is also about an unusual experience I had many years ago.

Today, in our church, we observe a mixture of All Saints Day and All Souls Day. We remember those who have a profound impact upon our lives and our spiritual formation.  Then we remember that we, also, are called to be saints! 

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 to each other, Jesus invites us to a life of abundance, not in terms of material possessions but in care, compassion, love, and service.

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 talk about the four dimensions of our covenant as members and friends of our church.

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 begins to grapple with Baruch Spinoza's assertion that "this is the best of all possible worlds." Aren't you just a little curiou...

 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.)

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 listening now.  If you happen to think, as I do, that Carl G. Jung just might help us understand the spiritual life and its relationship to our religion from a...

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 teaching in the exchange, e.g., around the issue of sacred space, it seems to me that the most important part of what happened was the transition from second-hand relig...

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 gives to us or what Jesus asks of us.  It is about religious experience, specifically William James’s distinction between first hand and second hand religion.  It raises t...

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 at Jacob.  I took the liberty of reading the story of Jacob and Esau from the Children's Bible--I highly recommend it! Jacob, one of the central figures in the ear...

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 pray. I wonder what  John taught his disciples. We don’t know; there is not enough information. I’m just curious: would his teaching about prayer have been similar t...

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 believe more fully in the power of intercessory prayer, and will lead us to pray more constantly and more meaningfully in our daily life.