Sermons From Fcc- St. Paul

Sixth Sunday After Pentecost |Romans 7:15-25 and Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30 | July 9, 2023 | Dennis Sanders, preaching "We all carry the burdens of life and sometimes they can be too much to bear. So we escape at times into other things in order to take the load off: sex, drugs, food, what have you. All the while Jesus stands there with arms wide open calling for you and me to come to him and he will take our burdens and give us rest." Learn more about First Christian: ⁠⁠https://fccsaintpaul.org/⁠⁠ Watch the video version: https://youtu.be/HN2mnJC0Y44 First Christian Church of St. Paul is a small, open and affirming, and multicultural church located near St. Paul, MN in Roseville. We are a local expression of the ⁠⁠Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)⁠⁠. Visit us for worship in person Sundays at Roseville Lutheran Church at 11:00 AM.

Fifth Sunday After Pentecost |Matthew 10:40-42 and Romans 6:12-23 | July 2, 2023 | Dennis Sanders, preaching Learn more about First Christian: ⁠⁠https://fccsaintpaul.org/⁠⁠ First Christian Church of St. Paul is a small, open and affirming, and multicultural church located near St. Paul, MN in Roseville. We are a local expression of the ⁠⁠Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)⁠⁠. Visit us for worship in person Sundays at Roseville Lutheran Church at 11:00 AM.

Fourth Sunday After Pentecost |Matthew 10:24-39 and Genesis 21:8-21 | June 25, 2023 | Dennis Sanders, preaching Learn more about First Christian: ⁠⁠⁠https://fccsaintpaul.org/⁠⁠⁠ First Christian Church of St. Paul is an open and affirming, and multicultural church located near St. Paul, MN in Roseville. We are a local expression of the ⁠⁠Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)⁠⁠. Visit us for worship in person Sundays at Roseville Lutheran Church at 11:00 AM.

Third Sunday After Pentecost |Matthew 9:35-10:8 and Romans 5:1-8 | June 18, 2023 | Dennis Sanders, preaching Learn more about First Christian: ⁠⁠https://fccsaintpaul.org/⁠⁠ First Christian Church of St. Paul is a small, open and affirming, and multicultural church located near St. Paul, MN in Roseville. We are a local expression of the ⁠⁠Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)⁠⁠. Visit us for worship in person Sundays at Roseville Lutheran Church at 11:00 AM.

Second Sunday After Pentecost |Genesis 12:1-9 and Matthew 9:9-13, 18-26 | June 11, 2023 | Dennis Sanders, preaching Learn more about First Christian: ⁠⁠https://fccsaintpaul.org/⁠⁠ First Christian Church of St. Paul is a small, open and affirming, and multicultural church located near St. Paul, MN in Roseville. We are a local expression of the ⁠⁠Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)⁠⁠. Visit us for worship in person Sundays at Roseville Lutheran Church at 11:00 AM.

Trinity Sunday |Matthew 28:16-20 | June 4, 2023 | Robert Hamilton, preaching Learn more about First Christian: ⁠⁠https://fccsaintpaul.org/⁠⁠ First Christian Church of St. Paul is a small, open and affirming, and multicultural church located near St. Paul, MN in Roseville. We are a local expression of the ⁠⁠Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)⁠⁠. Visit us for worship in person Sundays at Roseville Lutheran Church at 11:00 AM.

Pentecost Sunday | Acts 2:1-21 | May 28, 2023 | Dennis Sanders, preaching "Wind and fire are powerful.  When we think about what that Pentecost found in Acts we might want to think of what seemed like wind and fire as something that was disruptive, because it was.  The disciples' life would never be the same ever again." Learn more about First Christian: ⁠https://fccsaintpaul.org/⁠ First Christian Church of St. Paul is a small, open and affirming, and multicultural church located near St. Paul, MN in Roseville. We are a local expression of the ⁠Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)⁠. Visit us for worship in person Sundays at Roseville Lutheran Church at 11:00 AM.

Ascension Sunday | Acts 1:6-14 | May 21, 2023 | Dennis Sanders, preaching "Jesus doesn’t remove our anxiety. Jesus didn’t remove the disciples' anxiety, so don’t think Jesus is going to magically get rid of the knots in our stomachs. To be anxious is to be human. The trick is how we respond to it. What this passage tells us is that Jesus brings hope." Learn more about First Christian: https://fccsaintpaul.org/ First Christian Church of St. Paul is a small, open and affirming, and multicultural church located near St. Paul, MN in Roseville. We are a local expression of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). Visit us for worship in person Sundays at Roseville Lutheran Church at 11:00 AM.

Sixth Sunday of Easter | John 14:15-21 | May 14, 2023 | Amy Bertschausen, preaching " In the gospel reading today, John is trying to make something abundantly clear. All Jesus asks all he asks, is that we recognize and accept his love, the love he has received from God, the love he has lived among us, the love that will remain with us through the Holy Spirit. " First Christian Church of St. Paul is a small, open and affirming, and multicultural church located near St. Paul, MN in Roseville. We are a local expression of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). Join us for worship Sundays at 11:00 AM. Watch the video: https://youtu.be/NxEINYRCYkA Learn more about First Christian: https://fccsaintpaul.org/

Fifth Sunday of Easter | John 14:1-14 and Acts 7:54-60 | May 7, 2023 | Dennis Sanders, preaching " ...we worship the Risen Christ that defeated death and has created space for us heart of God in heaven. The hope in the resurrection, the aiming for heaven is what empowers the church to bring some of heaven into our world. " Watch the video: https://youtu.be/5LXkb25Q9no First Christian Church of St. Paul is a small, open and affirming, and multicultural church located near St. Paul, MN in Roseville. We are a local expression of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). Join us for worship Sundays at 11:00 AM. Learn more about First Christian: https://fccsaintpaul.org/

Fourth Sunday of Easter | Acts 2:42-47 | April 30, 2023 | Dennis Sanders, preaching "Churches are places where those “bonds of affection” can be built up. That is the social benefit of churches. The spiritual one is that it is in community with other people that we learn how to be followers of Jesus, where people learn to see God at work in each other’s lives and to see God in the face of strangers we meet in our day-to-day lives." Learn more about First Christian: https://fccsaintpaul.org/ Watch the worship live stream for April 30: ⁠https://youtube.com/live/1v8J0ieN-FQ?feature=share

Third Sunday of Easter | Luke 24:13-35 | April 23, 2023 | Dennis Sanders, preaching "Jesus gathers us and the scriptures are opened to us. We are reminded of the work of God in the world. God is active in our lives and in the lives of others. Then we come to the Table and the bread is broken and wine is poured we see God in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. Finally, we are then sent to tell the good news that Jesus is Risen, that hope is alive. Learn more about First Christian: fccsaintpaul.org Watch the worship live stream for April 23: https://youtube.com/live/tVoVIckw8hI?feature=share

Easter Sunday | Matthew 28:1-10 | April 9, 2023 | Dennis Sanders, preaching "The resurrection is about a sense of hope. Remember I talked about the Iron Curtain and apartheid and Jim Crow? All of those things are gone. Resurrection means death doesn’t win. " Learn more about First Christian: https://fccsaintpaul.org/https://fccsaintpaul.org/ Watch the worship live stream for April 9: https://youtube.com/live/25kftOxRCZE?feature=share First Christian Church of St. Paul is a small, open and affirming, and multicultural church located near St. Paul, MN in Roseville. We are a local expression of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).

Third Sunday in Lent |  John 4:5-42 | March 12, 2023 | Dennis Sanders, preaching     "We are called by God to go out of the walls of the church and connect with the world around us.  The church is the gathered community that comes together to learn to be disciples of Jesus and then we go out and carry God’s message of love to LGBTQ people and to everyone- gay, straight, liberal, conservative, Bernie Bro, Trump supporter."  Learn more about First Christian: fccsaintpaul.org  Watch the worship live stream for March 12: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fG0Yq7fXZYA  First Christian Church of St. Paul is a small, open and affirming, and multicultural church located near St. Paul, MN in Roseville. We are a local expression of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).

Second Sunday in Lent |  John 3:1-17 | March 5, 2023 | Rob Hamilton, preaching   "Ultimately, at the end of the day, as we go through Lent, that is the journey that we must be about, asking the questions about where is God in this moment, how we understand God, and how do we practice that faith in a wider community. Ultimately, as we develop that discipline, we can come to see Christ more clearly in our lives. And that's what I hope for each one of us now, and for all the days coming forward."    Learn more about First Christian: fccsaintpaul.org  Watch the worship live stream for March 5: https://youtube.com/live/dvkaRpg2yn8?feature=share  First Christian Church of St. Paul is a small, open and affirming, and multicultural church located near St. Paul, MN in Roseville. We are a local expression of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).

First Sunday in Lent |  Matthew 4:1-11 | February 26, 2023 | Dennis Sanders, preaching   "In our day-to-day lives, we are called to live out our values as Christians which is a fancy way of saying that we are always tempted to betray our values.  In our own baptisms, we are claimed by God.  For Jesus, knowing who he was helped him when the time of testing came.  As followers of Jesus it is always vital to remind ourselves that we are children of God and that as Christ was led by the Spirit, so are we led by the Spirit which reminds us we don’t walk this walk of life alone." Learn more about First Christian: fccsaintpaul.org First Christian Church of St. Paul is a small, open and affirming, and multicultural church located near St. Paul, MN in Roseville. We are a local expression of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). Join us for worship Sundays in-person or online at 11:00 AM. Watch the live stream

Transfiguration Sunday |  Exodus 24:12-18; Matthew 17:1-9 | February 19, 2023 | Michael LeBuhn, preaching     "As we head into the Lenten season today, we reflect on the transfiguration of Jesus, the opening of the eyes of His disciples... This new knowledge that changes the way we see God and changes the way we see ourselves, it must not stay in our churches. It must not stay in our minds. It must come with us when we descend from the mountaintop and with us as we travel back to our homes, places of business, communities, and the goings on of our lives." Learn more about First Christian: fccsaintpaul.org First Christian Church of St. Paul is a small, open and affirming, and multicultural church located near St. Paul, MN in Roseville. We are a local expression of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). Join us for worship Sundays in-person or online at 11:00 AM. Watch the live stream

Fifth Sunday After Epiphany |  Isaiah 58:1-9a (9b-12) and Matthew 5:13-20 | February 5, 2023 | Amy Bertschausen, preaching   "Faithfulness to God is not a checklist of things to do in order to be righteous. Faithfulness to God is faithfulness to each other, to all people, especially those afflicted by poverty and injustice, illness and loss. No amount of Bible studies will suffice unless we are in right relationship with each other. "   Learn more about First Christian: fccsaintpaul.org  Watch the worship live stream for February 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ij4Hrt86R3c

Fourth Sunday After Epiphany | Micah 6:1-18 and Matthew 5:1-12 | January 29, 2023 | Dennis Sanders, preaching   "When Jesus tells the disciples and the crowd what God favors he is saying that God doesn’t want our curated lives.  God doesn’t want people that look good, but are ugly on the inside or think highly of themselves.  Instead, God wants people who are humble, who are merciful and who treat people justly. "   Learn more about First Christian: fccsaintpaul.org

Lectionary Q is a resource for clergy and the laity to get ready for the upcoming Sunday using a text from the Revised Common Lectionary.  This week's texts are from Matthew 2:1-12 and Micah 6:1-8. What are your answers? What are your questions? Send them to lectionaryq@substack.com. Here are the questions for this week’s passage: This passage is usually called the Beatitudes.  This work comes from Greek which can mean blessed or happy.  Is there a difference between being blessed and being happy? How would you describe the people Jesus called blessed? What do the beatitudes say about following Jesus?  Is following risky or easy? What do the Beatitudes have to say about the state of the world? Let’s ask some questions from Micah: The first part of the passage has the prophet speaking for God.  How would you describe God’s feelings? Why was God not interested in the response from people? In verse 8 it says, “He has told you, O mortal, what is good,” which seems to be the