I Will Not Leave You Orphans
May 21, 2017 — Nancy Bancroft Readings: Excerpts from Psalm 104; John 14:15-21 I will not leave you orphaned Paula Norbert and I had a long lunch together this week. I had spoken with her on several occasions, but this meeting was 1) a real get-acquainted meeting and 2) a sharing with her about how […]
Who Do You Say That I Am
May 14, 2017 — Nancy Bancroft Readings: Exodus 3:13-15; Matthew 16: 13-18 A young woman brought her fiancé home to meet her parents. After dinner, her mother told her father to find out about the young man. The father invited the fiancé to the den for a talk. “So what are your plans?” the father […]
Living Hope
April 30, 2017 — Nancy Bancroft Readings: Psalm 27; 1 Peter 1:3-9; 13 Hope, joy, optimism and exuberance characterize the epistle of First Peter that Tom read this morning. The recipients of this letter are known as the diaspora; those Jew and Gentile Christians who made their homes in the extreme northern reaches of Asia […]
Sing a New Song to the Lord!
April 16, 2017 — Nancy Bancroft Readings: Psalm 96; Matthew 28:1-10 Have you ever got a song stuck in your head? Even a good tune that goes on and on and on eventually drives most of us a little crazy. When our children were young they took music lessons and we were glad of it […]
The World is Waiting for the Sunrise
April 16,2017 — Nancy Bancroft Easter Sunrise Sermon Why Are We Here? We got up and going very early this morning. It was dark when we left our warm beds, and our homes. It was dark when we got here. Why did we come? In the 1950s the husband-and-wife musical team Les Paul and Mary […]
Tat Twam Asi
April 9, 2017 — Nancy Bancroft Readings: Matthew 21: 1-11; Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29 Many of you know that I am a well-organized planner. It seems to be the only way I function. I have a lot of interests and the way I can accomplish a lot is organizing myself and starting things early. So I […]
A Prayer for Compassion
April 2, 2017 — Nancy Bancroft Reading: John 11: 1-44 Okay, a sermonette it is. I can take a hint. And yes, as Jim sang so beautifully, it is about love; as it always is. God is love. And we are created in God’s image. We are truly ourselves; we live most fully when we love […]
What Am I Doing Here?
March 5, 2017 — Nancy Bancroft Readings: 1 Kings 19:8- 13; Matthew 4:1-11 There’s a story of three women who were having lunch together. One said to the other two, “I don’t know what’s happening to my memory! I go to the refrigerator to get something and when I open the door, I’ve forgotten what […]
Dare We Lament?
February 19, 2017 — Nancy Bancroft Readings: Exodus 3:7-12 and 16-21; Colossians 3:16-17 In today’s second reading, St. Paul, in his letter to the Colossians gives advice about how to live as members of a spiritual community. First he says, let the messages of Christ, in his words and actions really become a part of […]
The Best Valentine’s Day Ever
February 12, 2017 — Nancy Bancroft Readings: Psalm 100; John 13: 34-35 A young, nervous boy asked the girl, “Do you have a date for Valentine’s Day?” Hoping to be helpful she answered, “Yes, February 14th.” Well, this is not February 14th, but my hope is that today’s message will help you to have the […]