A few years ago, I was at a local gathering of Disciples (my denomination) in Minnesota. It was a good event overall, a time when our small tribe could gather to worship and fellowship. Somewhere early in the event, there was a slide that showed all of the Disciple congregations in Minnesota that no longer... Continue Reading →
Sermon: Follow the Leader
Start Play “Follow the Leader” | Work of Christmas Series | Matthew 16:24-17:8 | Transfiguration Sunday | February 15, 2014 | Dennis Sanders, preaching "The late German theologian Dietrich Bonheoffer is rumored to have said that when Jesus calls us to follow him, bids us to come and die." Read the sermon text.
With A Heavy Heart…
On January 31, I got the phone call that you always dread, at the what I've been dreading for nearly 10 years- that call at 4 in the morning. Long story short, I learned that my father had died. As Daniel and I got ready to fly from Minnesota to Michigan, I left a text... Continue Reading →
Sermon: It Could Be Worse.
First Christian Church Sermon Podcast for February 8, 2015.
Sermon: Out of the Saltshaker
Those of us who follow Jesus are called to leave the saltshakers of our own making and do good works for the glory of God in the wider world.
Marching for Sandwiches, Marcus Borg and Civility
How do we encounter and deal with people who have different beliefs? We all give lip service to being able to listen and welcoming opposing views, but in reality, we don't have much patience in our modern society for those that don't conform to whatever is the status quo in our world.
Why I Hate Job Hunting
As said earlier, I lost my full time position on December 23. This means that I have to look again for open positions. Some people are energized by the job hunt. Not me. It fills me with dread. You feel that the cards are stacked against you, no matter how hard you try. It's also... Continue Reading →
Irresistible Bliss
Start Play Work of Christmas Series | Matthew 4:1–17 | Second Sunday of Epiphany | January 18, 2015 | Dennis Sanders, preaching"...the message here today is not how we can resist temptation in three easy steps. I don’t think all you have to do is just say some Bible passages and the devil will flee.... Continue Reading →
Sermon: Irresistible Bliss
Work of Christmas Series | Matthew 4:1–17 | Second Sunday of Epiphany | January 18, 2015 | Dennis Sanders, preaching "...the message here today is not how we can resist temptation in three easy steps. I don’t think all you have to do is just say some Bible passages and the devil will flee. The... Continue Reading →
Sermon: All Is Calm
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 →