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.Rev. Dr. Paul Sanderson

A lecture given at L’Abri Fellowship in Southborough, Massachusetts. For more information, visit https://southboroughlabri.org/ by Joshua Chestnut Being a man or woman, relating to oneself, and relating to the opposite sex are not uncomplicated matters in 2024. In this lecture, I will look at the writings of a few contemporary feminists who loosely…

A lecture given at L’Abri Fellowship in Southborough, Massachusetts. For more information, visit https://southboroughlabri.org/ by Esther Dalton "Glory" is a common theme in the Bible, but what is it and why does it matter? What does it imply when the angels say the earth is full of God's glory? In this lecture, I want to be curious about glory and…

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

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!Rev. Dr. Paul Sanderson

A lecture given at L’Abri Fellowship in Southborough, Massachusetts. For more information, visit https://southboroughlabri.org/ by Dick Keyes We will be looking at Christian Nationalism, issues from the current election, and what they might mean for the future of church and country. The Copyright for all material on the podcast is held by L'Abri Fe…

A lecture given at L’Abri Fellowship in Southborough, Massachusetts. For more information, visit https://southboroughlabri.org/ by Scott Walker, of Life/Work Direction The third lecture from our Fall 2024 Theme Weekend Vocation: Participating with God's Work in the World. The Copyright for all material on the podcast is held by L'Abri Fellowship. W…

A lecture given at L’Abri Fellowship in Southborough, Massachusetts. For more information, visit https://southboroughlabri.org/ by Sarah Chestnut The second lecture and discussion from our Fall 2024 Theme Weekend Vocation: Participating with God's Work in the World. The Copyright for all material on the podcast is held by L'Abri Fellowship. We ask …

A lecture given at L’Abri Fellowship in Southborough, Massachusetts. For more information, visit https://southboroughlabri.org/ by Karen Kupelian, Physical Therapist, Nashville, TN The opening lecture and discussion from our fall 2024 theme weekend Vocation: Participating with God's Work in the World. The Copyright for all material on the podcast i…

A lecture given at L’Abri Fellowship in Southborough, Massachusetts. For more information, visit https://southboroughlabri.org/ by Ben Keyes Other than its ability to fly, one of the most noticeable things about a bird is all the noise it makes! Birds make a huge variety of vocalizations, many of which serve specific practical purposes. This third …

A lecture given at L’Abri Fellowship in Southborough, Massachusetts. For more information, visit https://southboroughlabri.org/ by Esther Dalton The account of Jesus being led out into the wilderness to be tested by the devil is familiar and is found in all three Synoptic Gospels. Like tests in school, the question behind the challenges Jesus faces…

A lecture given at L’Abri Fellowship in Southborough, Massachusetts. For more information, visit https://southboroughlabri.org/ by Marta Crilly Discussions about America's past and how we remember (or forget) it have spurred some of the most charged debates both inside and outside of the United States. Our understanding of our personal, family, and…

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, co…

A lecture given at L’Abri Fellowship in Southborough, Massachusetts. For more information, visit https://southboroughlabri.org/ by Joshua Chestnut While we may intuitively think of a life of lazy resignation as being diametrically opposed to a life of hyperactive busyness, our ancestors in the faith may have seen things differently and understood t…

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.…

A lecture given at L’Abri Fellowship in Southborough, Massachusetts. For more information, visit https://southboroughlabri.org/ by Ben Keyes When we think about the role that faith plays in the life of the Christian, we often (rightly) think of Paul's theology of salvation: we are saved by grace, through faith, to do good works (Ephesians 2:8-10). …

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 lit…

A lecture given at L’Abri Fellowship in Southborough, Massachusetts. For more information, visit https://southboroughlabri.org/ by Mary Frances Giles The 2023 blockbuster film Barbie has been both praised and censured by critics and moviegoers alike. One reviewer referred to it as "joyous from minute to minute," while another claimed it is "very pr…

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.)Rev. Dr. Paul Sanderson

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 …

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 h…

A lecture given at L’Abri Fellowship in Southborough, Massachusetts. For more information, visit https://southboroughlabri.org/ by Ben Keyes This lecture explores two fundamental human desires: the longing to seek new experiences and the longing to come home. Drawing on examples from literature, we will explore the nature of these two longings and …

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 …

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! J…

A lecture given at L’Abri Fellowship in Southborough, Massachusetts. For more information, visit https://southboroughlabri.org/ by Esther Dalton In his sermon, "No Little People, No Little Places," Francis Schaeffer demonstrates how becoming infected with our culture's "syndrome of size" causes all kinds of problems for us regarding our identity an…

A lecture given at L’Abri Fellowship in Southborough, Massachusetts. For more information, visit https://southboroughlabri.org/ by Ben Keyes The Copyright for all material on the podcast is held by L'Abri Fellowship. We ask that you respect this by not publishing the material in full or in part in any format or post it on a website without seeking …

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: wo…

A lecture given at L’Abri Fellowship in Southborough, Massachusetts. For more information, visit https://southboroughlabri.org/ by Sarah Chestnut In this lecture, we will consider how remembering, creating and praising are central to our humanity, and how Christian spirituality has everything to do with the recovery of and growth in these human pra…

A lecture given at L’Abri Fellowship in Southborough, Massachusetts. For more information, visit https://southboroughlabri.org/ by Mary Frances Giles In our modern culture, we have a complicated relationship with the idea of "home." Our TVs are flooded with home makeover shows, and we spend billions of dollars a year buying real estate and home dec…

A lecture given at L’Abri Fellowship in Southborough, Massachusetts. For more information, visit https://southboroughlabri.org/ by Adam Kurihara Lex Orandi, Lex Credendi, the ancient rule of Christian worship, can be loosely translated "the law of prayer is the law of belief." How doe our liturgies and practices (a "law of prayer") shape not only w…

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 meaningfull…

A lecture given at L’Abri Fellowship in Southborough, Massachusetts. For more information, visit https://southboroughlabri.org/ by Ryan Fields Churches across the globe and through the centuries have taken up the language of the Nicene Creed in confessing the church as "one, holy, catholic, and apostolic." But this raises an important question: wha…

Last week, in my sermon on the theology of the Trinity, I touched on one way of understanding intercessory prayer, prayers that I/we offer to someone in need. Today I would like to say a little more about this understanding and what it teaches about the importance of your prayer.Rev. Dr. Paul Sanderson

A lecture given at L’Abri Fellowship in Southborough, Massachusetts. For more information, visit https://southboroughlabri.org/ by Joshua Chestnut The Copyright for all material on the podcast is held by L'Abri Fellowship. We ask that you respect this by not publishing the material in full or in part in any format or post it on a website without se…

Today is Trinity Sunday. The sermon title is "The Trinity--God's Crazy Math!" In this reflection, we explore the richness of a trinitarial theology, how it might help us pray by deepening our understanding of God and also our relationship with God. It also points to a direction that we may need to go theologically and in our prayer--the evolution o…

A lecture given at L’Abri Fellowship in Southborough, Massachusetts. For more information, visit https://southboroughlabri.org/ by Ben Keyes This lecture is the third and last in a series on C.S. Lewis's book The Screwtape Letters. We will trace one of Lewis's main themes in the letters: Screwtape's refusal to accept the possibility of self-giving …

Today is the sixth Sunday of the Easter season. The fifty days between Easter and Pentecost is a special time in our church year. It is a time that we set aside to reflect on what happened to Jesus following his crucifixion. On Easter Sunday, we focus our attention on the miracle of Jesus’ resurrection, on the empty tomb, the cornerstone of our fai…

We had a baptism in our sanctuary this morning during the worship service. My reflection, which focuses on the way our sanctuary is set up architecturally and on the relationship of form and function, is a reminder that baptism is only the beginning of our spiritual. journey. I think you might find it at least informative. (At least I hope you will…

This reflection, the fourth Sunday of the Easter season, is entitled "Don't Try to Hold On." It could just as easily have been named, "Don't Touch Me," "Don't Cling to Me," or "Don't Hold Me," depending upon which translation of the passage in John you read. It is about the suffering that arises from our attachments, from our grasping, whether it i…

The liturgical season of Easter is one of my favorite times of the Christian year. It is a time when we read the gospel accounts of how the disciples encounter Jesus, encounter their risen Lord, or are encountered by him. Their experiences of rediscovering the One whom they felt they had lost can guide us in our own experiences of our risen Lord, c…

In our observance of Holy Week, we move from Palm Sunday, a day of triumph, to Easter Sunday, another day of triumph, without passing through the dark night of the soul that is a central part of Holy Week. It is tempting to think we can have a resurrection without a crucifixion, without a sacrifice, without a death, either in Jesus’ life or in our …

Today is Palm Sunday, a day of celebration! Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem marks the beginning of Holy Week, one of the most profound and deeply symbolic weeks in human history. Churches distribute palms to their communicants on this day, sometimes as palm branches, sometimes in other forms. This morning, We reflect on the symbolism of the p…

This morning, the fifth Sunday in Lent, we are continuing our reflections on the power of prayer. I hope our reflections will lead us to a deeper understanding of the meaning and power of prayer, will lead 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.…

A lecture given at L’Abri Fellowship in Southborough, Massachusetts. For more information, visit https://southboroughlabri.org/ by Ben Keyes Bird migration is one of the the greatest marvels in God's creation. Every year, billions of birds take flight and travel from their wintering grounds to their breeding grounds and back, some flying thousands …

A lecture given at L’Abri Fellowship in Southborough, Massachusetts. For more information, visit https://southboroughlabri.org/ by Joshua Chestnut Few books in the Bible are more disorienting and demanding than the book of Job. This lecture will consider what this collection of ancient Hebrew lament poetry has to offer those of us wanting to wrestl…

A lecture given at L’Abri Fellowship in Southborough, Massachusetts. For more information, visit https://southboroughlabri.org/ by Dr. Donna Petter What is going on in the book of Ezekiel? Does the Old Testament speak about Trump, Putin, and UFOs? Some say that the book of Ezekiel does! But what is going on in this book? This lecture seeks to help …

Rev. Dr. Paul Sanderson

This morning, on communion Sunday, we are belatedly beginning our Lenten series of reflections on the power of prayer. I hope our reflections over the next few weeks, and probably after Easter as well, will lead us to a deeper understanding of the meaning and power of prayer, will lead us to believe more fully in the power of intercessory prayer, a…

A lecture given at L’Abri Fellowship in Southborough, Massachusetts. For more information, visit https://southboroughlabri.org/ by Esther Dalton If you know what FOMO, FOBO and "Allergic to Commitment" mean, you probably have a sense of or have experienced yourself the increasing anxiety in our culture around making decisions and commitments, from …

Last week we thought about solitude, a theme to which we will be returning during our reflections on prayer, and the importance of touch, of breaking down or setting aside, or reaching past the boundaries that separate us from each other. This morning, let’s build on what we began last week by reflecting on community, on our community, and on the h…