Sermons from First Presbyterian Church Palo Alto, CA

Isaiah Chapter 6 is well known. In fact even if you have never read the Bible or been to church you may have heard it quoted recently by no-other than Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth! This week, in his sermon, Rev. Harris critiques Mr. Hegseth’s use of this verse for his nationalist military agenda. Rev. Harris presents a careful reading of the text that shows it is quite the opposite. The message is anti-nationalist and it is a message of judgement not against other people but against our own people. Let all who have ears listen! 

In this week’s sermon, Rev. Harris introduces the Book of Isaiah. It is a prophetic book that spans several generations of Israelite history. It is also a book beloved by early Christian and Gospel writers who quote it more than any other Old Testament Book. After this introduction, Rev. Harris reflects on the morning’s passage from chapter 1. It is a bold and audacious critique of the failure of religious people to do justice and care for the most vulnerable. If God really does “hate” our worship when we fail to care for the needy, where does that leave us? Listen to find out.

This week’s sermon is inspired by Isaiah 7, which is often read at Christmas time, but Rev. Harris has included it in this new Fall sermon series on the Book of Isaiah. He explains that in its original context this passage was not a prophecy about a coming Messiah. The child that is born is only a marker of time until a threat will be taken away. But then things get complicated when the prophet predicts even greater danger further in the future. Rev. Harris suggests that these two prophecies when taken together encourage us to limit the scope of our hope; to focus less and our fears of a distant future and more on smaller scale hopes.

This week’s sermon is the conclusion of the summer sermon series on the Ten Requirements (aka the Ten Commandments). Today’s verse is Exodus 20:17 “Do not covet.” Rev. Harris shares some of the limitations of the outdated examples given in the verse, but suggests that it still has rich meaning for us if we apply it more broadly. In this sermon, Rev. Harris showed two movie clips. One is from The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King when Frodo dangles the ring of power over the lava and then refuses to let it go. The other is the ending of It’s a Wonderful Life, when the town comes together to help George Bailey. The first is an example of someone coveting one thing. The second is an example of someone who has let go of coveting a future he wanted and accepting the goodness of the life he has. For copyright reasons, the video and audio of the film clips have been edited out. 

In this sermon from his series on the Ten Requirements Rev. Harris reflects on the Ninth Requirement, “Do not bear false witness against your neighbor.” He points out that there are two slightly different versions of this requirement. In Deuteronomy’s version the word translated “false” has the connotation of “empty.” He points out that sometimes our words can be factually accurate but be empty of values, meaning, and purpose. So in a world where many powerful people effectively communicate their hateful values, how can we, as people of faith, learn to testify to our values of love and care for one another and the world? 

In this sermon, Rev. Harris asks the question “What does it mean to prohibit stealing in a world where everything has already been stolen?” He explains how “Do not steal” is really focused on the prohibition of the wealthy and powerful stealing from the community. He shares how the story of King Ahaz killing Naboth and stealing his vineyard is an example of how the Bible is especially concerned with the way the powerful abuse their power. But then how do we respond? How do we honor this requirement? Stay tuned for the answer. 

In this sermon, after three weeks away, Rev. Harris continues his sermon series on the Ten Requirements. Today’s requirement is “Do not commit adultery.” Rev. Harris suggests that the meaning of this requirement meant something very different when it was written. It was related to men protecting exclusive sexual access to their property. That is a concept that is truly irredeemable. If we are going to find meaning in the complicated world of modern day relationships we need to reset this requirement in new words. Rev. Harris suggests “Honor intimate commitments,” and reflects on what it means to do that and what it means when we fail to do that.

Sermon from The Rev. Karen Peterson-Iyer, on Sunday August 9th, 2026. Sermon titled “The Way of Fear and the Way of Possibility”.

The Rev. Byron Bland will reflect on the Lord’s Prayer and how its meaning has changed for him using the scripture Luke 11:1-4.

What is the story of the events in the Garden of Eden really about? Is Eve as bad as many of us have been taught? Is the story about original sin? Or could it be a wisdom tale?In this participatory sermon from July 26, 2026, Rev. Diana Gibson, Pastor Emerita, invites us to examine Genesis 2 and 3 more closely, and have some fun with it. She offers insights from feminist and queer biblical theologians, and prompts the congregation to contribute.Looking at some Hebrew words, we discover that the word to describe Eve (frequently translated “helper”) is also used to describe God. From a queer reading we notice that when searching for a suitable partner for the first human, God creates, and let’s the human decide who their appropriate companion is. There are also good reasons to challenge the traditional notion that this story is about sin. With new perspectives on the story, Gibson suggests that Eve can help us face the losses and endings in our personal and political lives. Eve’s models the gospel song, “Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me ‘Round.”