Isaiah 52:7-10, Luke 2:1-20, John 1:1-18 | Christmas Eve | December 24, 2014 | Dennis Sanders,preaching "Christmas Eve of 1914 was a sign of God’s peace. No, it didn’t last long, but it showed what God intends for us for all of us, to be a peace, to be healed to become fellow messengers of... Continue Reading →
Sermon: One Bad Mother
Start Play Work of Christmas Series | Matthew 3:1-17 | First Sunday of Epiphany | January 11, 2015 | Dennis Sanders, preaching "...today’s passage reminds us that baptism isn’t all sweetness and light. God wants people to live changed lives and when John baptizes these people, they are saying they will live a changed life.... Continue Reading →
This Matters.
As Jesus and his disciples traveled along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” 58 Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and the birds in the sky have nests, but the Human One[a] has no place to lay his head.” 59 Then Jesus said to someone else, “Follow me.” He replied, “Lord,... Continue Reading →
Sermon: Make Me Wanna Holler
Habakkuk 1:1–4, 2:2–4 and 3:17–19 First Sunday in Advent November 30, 2014 First Christian Church Mahtomedi, MN My dad was always concerned whenever I did something with one my white female friends. I never really understood what was the deal. I had no interest in dating them, just hanging out with them. I went to... Continue Reading →
Volunteers Needed: Church Launch/Re-Launch Team
First Christian Church of St. Paul is looking for the curious, the energetic, the adventurous and others who are interested in relaunching this Mainline Protestant congregation as well as launching a preaching point somewhere in the St.Paul area. The Re-Launch/Launch Team is the group of people who are simply saying I want to be a... Continue Reading →
God Is A Concept.
When I was in journalism class in high school, I remember seeing a poster in the teacher's classroom that caught my attention. It was one of those posters that shows something like a big sky or the stars at night. At the bottom of the poster were these words: "God Is A Concept." I really... Continue Reading →
What’s Missing?
For the last few months, I've been following a blog called Via Media Methodists. The purpose of VMM is: 1."To offer an alternative beyond the current polarization in The United Methodist Church; 2. To raise the level of discourse within The United Methodist Church; and 3. To practice what we preach." After a few bit... Continue Reading →
Let Africa Be Africa
Recently, there was a report on National Public Radio about how China is coming into Africa and making deals in various nations. The story focused on Chinese business ventures in Zambia and Tanzania, but widens it's scope to the entire continent which will be come a market of 3 billion by the end of the... Continue Reading →
Why Being Nice to The Gays Won’t Save Your Church*
This past week, the Presbyterian Church (USA) meeting in Detroit, approved pastors being able to marry same sex partners in states where same sex marriage is legal. According to Presbyterian polity, it still has to get the approval of the majority of presbyteries (there are 172) before it becomes the law. Judging Facebook and Twitter... Continue Reading →
Work with a Church Rising from the Ashes in Minnesota
The following is something I wrote on the First Christian website. As some of you know, First-St. Paul is down to a few faithful members. We are starting to venture forth into the community, but it would by helpful if we had a few more people. Share this with your friends. To contact me, go... Continue Reading →
The Clockwork Pastor 