Beauty – The Divine Embrace
January 13, 2019 — Rev. Nancy Parent Bancroft Readings: Isaiah 42:1-4, 6-7. Luke 3:15-16, 21-22 Irish poet, author, priest, and philosopher John O’Donohue once wrote, “We live between the act of awakening and the act surrender. Each morning we awaken to the light and the invitation to a new day in the world of time; each…
Illuminating Presence
January 6, 2019 — Rev. Paula Norbert Happy New Year to everyone! Today, as many of you know, is the Epiphany, January 6th, the date by which we mark the visit of the 3 Wise Men, the Magi to the newborn King, Jesus. This is typically the final story in the birth narratives which are…
Christmas Eve Message
December 24, 2018 — Rev. Paula Norbert Not so very long ago in the great history of humankind, and yet for us, a very long time indeed, a child was born in a little town called Bethlehem. And we know that he didn’t grow up to be a King or a great leader in terms…
Reflections on Hope Before Christmas
December 23, 2018 — Rev. Paula Norbert The last verse of Silent Night invites us to raise our voices in alleluia’s to the one who is “King.” This descriptor was more radical for the people of Jesus’ time as it resisted the powers of empire that threatened “the least of these” that Jesus came to serve….
Love’s Pure Light
December 16, 2018 — Rev. Paula Norbert “Silent night, holy night, Son of God, love’s pure light, Radiant beams from Thy holy face, With the dawn of redeeming grace, Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth, Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth” – vs. 3 We gather today on this third Sunday in Advent as we move ever…
Unexpected Joy
December 9, 2018 — Rev. Paula Norbert As we move through these weeks of Advent this year, we are reflecting on the themes in a different order than we usually find them, but sometimes, I like to take things out of order because it draws our attention to them in a new way. It wakes…
Reflecting God’s Light and True Peace
December 2, 2018 — Rev. Paula Norbert Today, we begin our journey to Christmas as we observe this first Sunday in Advent. We read the texts from Isaiah so that we may revisit the prophetic vision of peace that would have been familiar to the Jewish people in the time of Jesus. As we hear…
Reign of Christ
November 25, 2018 — Rev. Paula Norbert Today we celebrate what we call the Feast of Christ the King. It is always observed on the last Sunday of the liturgical year and next week, we begin again with the first Sunday in Advent. Throughout the year, we hear royal language to describe the leadership…
Sharing Our Gifts With Gratitude
November 18, 2018 — Rev. Paula Norbert We have an early Thanksgiving this year. I believe it is always held on the 4th Thursday of November and since the first of November fell on a Thursday, this is the earliest date that this national holiday falls. We know the story of that first Thanksgiving, or…
Gentle Among You
November 11, 2018 — Rev. Paula Norbert We gather today on this Veteran’s Day as we honor those among us who have served. We are also in the midst of November when we are mindful of Thanksgiving fast approaching and the many blessings of our lives. Last Sunday, we had the opportunity to remember and…