The following is a short message by Rev. Harris on May 3rd about where the First Presbyterian congregation is called in the future. This was offered in the context of our annual meeting and celebration of ministry. Rev. Harris shares the key activities and qualities of the church now and where we might be called…

The following sermon is by Rev. Dr. Bryson White who was our guest preacher on April 26th at 10 a.m. Dr. White is a Professor of Religious Studies at Santa Clara University. Dr. White conducts research in the areas of theology, black studies, carceral studies, visual studies, critical geography, and Tupac Shakur. White’s current research…

Welcome to Sermons from First Presbyterian Church Palo Alto. Each week we share a recording of the Sunday sermon, offering theologically progressive, social justice–oriented reflections grounded in Scripture and what’s happening in our lives and in the world. Most weeks the sermon is preached by our pastor, the Rev. Tom Harris, and from time to…

The following sermon is from the 10 a.m. service on Easter Sunday, April 5th, 2026. Rev. Harris reflects on the way Mary Magdalene shows us the way to what Nikki Giovanni calls a “natural revolution.” In so many ways, on that Easter morning she showed us what it means to be human, humane, and natural.…