Category: Easter

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Sermon: Eucatastrophe!

Dennis

Luke 24:1-12 Easter Sunday April 16, 2017 First Christian Church Mahtomedi, MN Listen to the sermon. I think people have a hard time accepting Easter.   People can get Good Friday.  We can get that good people get executed by the State, by religious leaders.  We’ve seen social reformers like Martin Luther King and Dietrich Bonhoeffer who challenge the status quo and meet a horrible end.     We know how the world works.  People rise up to challenge the system, people who preach peace and equality.  The ruling authorities and their backers are scared to death of such change … Continue reading Sermon: Eucatastrophe!

church, church life, church planting, church renewal, Disciples, disciples of christ, Easter, Uncategorized3 Comments

Questions on the Disciples and the Local Church

Dennis

Disclaimer: I have to start this blog post off by saying that the following criticism is not directed at any one person.  It is NOT a personal attack on anybody.  This is a critique of a larger system that people might be a part of, but again my beef is with the system and not any person. I think congregations in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) are in trouble and parts of the  General and Regional Church bodies are not prepared to deal with it. They aren’t ready because they are not geared towards helping congregations as they are focused … Continue reading Questions on the Disciples and the Local Church

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Sermon: “In the Meantime”

Dennis

Acts 1:1-14 Second Sunday of Easter April 3, 2016 First Christian Church Mahtomedi, MN Listen to the sermon. When I was about seven or eight I would start to think about the year 2000 and what life would be like then.  I remember figuring out how old I and my parents would be when we entered the 21st century. I was going to be 30 years old.  Looking from the late 1970s and early 80s, that seemed so long away.  I couldn’t imagine being an adult, especially an adult of such an age. Of course I am speaking to you … Continue reading Sermon: “In the Meantime”

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Sermon: What If?

Dennis

Start Play Matthew 28:1–10 | Easter Sunday | April 5, 2015 | First Christian Church |Mahtomedi, MN | Dennis Sanders, preaching “As we carry our own Good Friday crosses here to church this morning, we can have hope that these crosses, death, loss, sadness, none of these things have the last word. God will show up in the most unexpected time and give us hope of a better day.” Read the sermon text. Continue reading Sermon: What If?

Easter, ecclesiology, faith, fellowship, lectionary, sermonsLeave a comment

Sermon: “The Interactive Church”

Dennis

I preached this on the Fourth Sunday of Easter in 2008, which is also called Good Shepherd Sunday. Acts 2:42-47, John 10:1-10 April 13, 2008 (Good Shepherd Sunday) Lake Harriet Christian Church Minneapolis, MN I’ll admit it; I’m a geek. Some of you know I wrote the main article in this month’s church newsletter. It’s called “Church 2.0.” I talked about how my job as a communications specialist for the Presbytery of the Twin Cities Area has used my knowledge of blogs, social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace has changed how we communicate with each other. I’ve been working … Continue reading Sermon: “The Interactive Church”

church, church life, communion, community, Dennis Sanders, depression, disciples of christ, Easter, faith, fellowship, Methodist, ministry, sermonsLeave a comment

Sermon: “But We Had Hoped…”

Dennis

Luke 24:13-35 Third Sunday of Easter May 4, 2014 First Christian Church Mahtomedi, MN   In the evening I went very unwillingly to a society in Aldersgate Street, where one was reading Luther’s preface to the Epistle to the Romans. About a quarter before nine, while the leader was describing the change which God works in the heart through faith in Christ, I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ alone for salvation; and an assurance was given me that He had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of … Continue reading Sermon: “But We Had Hoped…”

Dennis Sanders, Disciples, disciples of christ, Easter, inclusion, Jesus, justice, LGBT, liberal christianity, liberal protestantism, mainline church, mainline churches, sermons2 Comments

Sermon: “The Healing Power of Collard Greens”

Dennis

This is a sermon I preached on Easter evening in 2005.  It is the text I will be preaching on this Sunday for the Third Sunday in Easter. Luke 24:13-35 April 10, 2005 Community of Grace Christian Church St. Paul, MN I love good food, and it probably shows. I consider myself lucky to be born in the family that I’m in, because I grew up with two wonderful cooking traditions. On my father’s side is the African American tradition of the Deep South. It’s a tradition of fried chicken, collard greens, mac and cheese, cornbread stuffing and sweet potato … Continue reading Sermon: “The Healing Power of Collard Greens”

civility, culture wars, Easter, gay, gay rights2 Comments

A More Excellent Way

Dennis

And I’m going to show you an even better way. -I Corinthians 12:31 I remember several years ago reading a newsstory about the same-sex marriage debate taking place in the Canadian province of Alberta.  Two men who wanted to get married took the province to court and won.  When asked about the verdict, one of the men responded with a snarky comment to the other side.   I remember being rather bothered by the reaction.  Why the man using this experience to taunt his opponents?  This was a moment of celebration, of building up and not tearing down. That event … Continue reading A More Excellent Way

children's sermons, Easter, lectionary, Year C1 Comment

Children’s Sermon: “Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark!”

Dennis

“Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark!” Revelation 21:10-22:5 Sixth Sunday of Easter May 5, 2013 First Christian Church Minneapolis, MN Morning, guys.  So, I wanted to ask you all: are you afraid of the dark?  When I was your age, my Mom and Dad had a nighlight in my room, because I was scared of the dark.  Actually, the dark still kind of scares me.  When I would visit my relatives in Louisiana, they lived in the country, far away from street lights and the roads could get really dark and scary. So there was this guy named John who … Continue reading Children’s Sermon: “Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark!”