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Worship

Sermons

We are pleased to offer recordings of sermons delivered at Saint Francis. Sermons are generally posted within a few days after the Sunday they were preached. To hear the sermon, click on the date it was preached.

Filled with the Holy Spirit
May 11, 2008 Pentecost Sunday [at the 11:15]
The Rev. William Munro Shand, III

Welcome to the Family
May 11, 2008 Pentecost Sunday [at the 9 o'clock]
The Rev. William Munro Shand, III

That We May Also Thither Ascend
The Rev. Phillip Channing Ellsworth, Jr.

The Difference The Resurrection Makes
The Rev. Phillip Channing Ellsworth, Jr.

That Where I Am, You May be Also
The Rev. Phillip Channing Ellsworth, Jr.

Do Not Let Your Heart Be Troubled
The Rev. William Munro Shand, III

How Dear to Me Is Your Dwelling
At the Burial Office for John Mengers
The Rev. William Munro Shand, III

Jesus the Good Shepherd
The Rev. William Munro Shand, III

Down the Road from Emmaus
The Rev. William Munro Shand, III

Of Faith and Fiction
The Rev. Phillip Channing Ellsworth, Jr.

Easter, and Not Too Early
The Rev. William Munro Shand, III

Good Friday, The Seven Words from the Cross
  March 21, 2008 Introductory address
  The Rev. William Munro Shand, III

  March 21 2008  Father, forgive them . . .
  The Rev. William Munro Shand, III

  March 21, 2008 Today . . . with me in paradise.
  The Rev. Phillip Channing Ellsworth, Jr.

  March 21, 2008 Woman, behold your son.
  The Rev. William Munro Shand, III

  March 21, 2008 Why have you forsaken me?
  The Rev. Phillip Channing Ellsworth, Jr.

  March 21, 2008 I thirst.              
  The Rev. William Munro Shand, III

  March 21, 2008 Into your hands
  The Rev. William Munro Shand, III

  March 21, 2008 It is finished.
  The Rev. Phillip Channing Ellsworth, Jr.

  Ms. Julie Keim, soprano, Saint Francis Choir

Jesus Loved Them to the End
March 20, 2008 Maundy Thursday
The Rev. William Munro Shand, III

The Passion of Our Lord
March 16, 2008 Palm Sunday/Sunday of the Passion
The Rev. Phillip Channing Ellsworth, Jr.

That Our Hearts May Surely There Be Fixed
The Rev. Phillip Channing Ellsworth, Jr.

That's How I See Things
The Rev. William Munro Shand, III

What God Loves in the Incompetent
February 24, 2008 
The Rev. Phillip Channing Ellsworth, Jr.

You Never Can Tell
The Rev. William Munro Shand, III

He is Building a House For You
February 10, 2008 The First Sunday in Lent
The Rev. Phillip Channing Ellsworth, Jr.

The Kind of Person God Can Use: Moses
February 3, 2008 The Last Sunday of Epiphany
The Rev. Phillip Channing Ellsworth, Jr.

What Is In Your Hand?
January 27, 2008
The Rev. William Munro Shand, III

First Sentences and Jesus Christ
January 20, 2008 
The Rev. William Munro Shand, III

Whose Voice Are You Listening To?
January 13, 2008 
The Rev. Phillip Channing Ellsworth, Jr.

Who Is This Jesus?
January 6, 2008 The Feast of the Holy Epiphany
The Rev. William Munro Shand, III

The Word Made Flesh
December 30, 2007 
The Rev. Phillip Channing Ellsworth, Jr.

Eve, Mary, and The Obstetrics of Redemption
December 25, 2007 Christmas Day
The Rev. Phillip Channing Ellsworth, Jr.

In the Still of the Night
December 24, 2007 The Feast of the Holy Nativity of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ
The Rev. William Munro Shand, III

The Kind of Person God Can Use: Saint Joseph
December 23, 2007 The Fourth Sunday of Advent
The Rev. Phillip Channing Ellsworth, Jr.

Speaking Truth About Power
December 16, 2007 The Third Sunday of Advent
The Rev. William Munro Shand, III

More and More, Less and Less
December 9, 2007 The Second Sunday of Advent
The Rev. Phillip Channing Ellsworth, Jr.

Our Sacred Past and Our Sacred Future
December 2, 2007 The First Sunday of Advent
The Rev. William Munro Shand, III

Where Everything Ends Christ the King
November 25, 2007
The Rev. Phillip Channing Ellsworth, Jr.

The Leaves are Rustling
November 18, 2007
The Rev. William Munro Shand, III

Job, Prayer, and Complaining to God
November 11, 2007
The Rev. Phillip Channing Ellsworth, Jr.

The Encouragement of the Saints
November 4, 2007 The Feast of All Saints
The Rev. William Munro Shand, III

Whose Service is Perfect Freedom
October 28, 2007
The Rev. William Munro Shand, III

The Blessing of Struggling With God
October 21, 2007
The Rev. Phillip Channing Ellsworth, Jr.

The God of Unfavorable Circumstances
October 14, 2007
The Rev. Phillip Channing Ellsworth, Jr.

Zeal For Your House Has Consumed Me
October 7, 2007
The Rev. William Munro Shand, III

How Do I Love Thee?
September 30, 2007
The Rev. William Munro Shand, III

Two Prophets and Three Important Things
September 23, 2007
The Rev. Phillip Channing Ellsworth, Jr.

In Sure and Certain Hope
September 16, 2007
The Rev. William Munro Shand, III

That Light Might Dawn Upon Them                     September 9, 2007
The Rev. William Munro Shand, III

The Decision We Ask Students to Make                   September 2, 2007
Mr. David Hirsch, Director of Student Ministries             

Two Roads                                                            August 26, 2007
The Rev. Phillip Channing Ellsworth, Jr.

Today Is Mine
August 19, 2007
The Rev. Andrew J. Tibus

Abraham, Sarah, and A Safe Place to Be
August 12, 2007
The Rev., Dr. Ruth Correll

The Parable of the Rich Fool
August 5, 2007
The Rev. Andrew J. Tibus

Lose Not the Things Eternal
July 29, 2007
The Rev. William Munro Shand, III

The Feast of Saint Mary Magdalene
July 22, 2007
The Rev. William Munro Shand, III

Children Go Away
July 15, 2007
The Rev. Phillip Channing Ellsworth, Jr. 

Real Life Missionaries
July 8, 2007
The Rev. William Munro Shand, III

That Our Longing May Be As Theirs
July 1, 2007
The Rev. Phillip Channing Ellsworth, Jr.

[Recordings of June 17 and 24 sermons are unavailable.]

Elijah and the God of Compassion
June 10, 2007
The Rev., Dr. Ruth Correll

Bringing Joy to the Most High
June 8, 2007
Baccalaureate, St. Andrew's Episcopal School
The Rev. Phillip Channing Ellsworth, Jr.

Finding Christ and a Home at St. Francis
June 3, 2007 [Youth Sunday]
Ms. Alexandra Heywood, St. Andrew's '07, Dartmouth '11

Pray Hard, Play Hard
June 3, 2007 [Youth Sunday]
Mr. Gabriel Ellsworth, St. Andrew's '07, Yale '11

Pentecost, Baptism, and Lives Laid Down
May 27, 2007 The Feast of Pentecost
The Rev. William Munro Shand, III

The Ministry We Share in Jesus Christ
May 20, 2007
The Right Rev. John Bryson Chane, Bishop of Washington 

God Works His Purposes Out
May 13, 2007
The Rev. Brian E. Smith

Paul, Barnabas and Encouraging One Another
May 6, 2007
The Rev. William Munro Shand, III

Belonging Before Believing
April 29, 2007
The Rev. James Almasi

Prometheus, Faust, And the Slain Lamb
April 22, 2007
The Rev. Phillip Channing Ellsworth, Jr.

Disbelieving, And Keeping Contact with Believers
April 15, 2007
The Rev., Dr. Ruth Correll

Where Do You Look for Jesus Now?
April 8, 2007 The Resurrection of Our Lord
The Rev. William Munro Shand, III

Good Friday, The Seven Words from the Cross

  April 6, 2007 Father, forgive them . . .                   The Rev., Dr. Ruth Correll

  April 6, 2007 Today . . . with me in paradise.
  The Rev. James Almasi

  April 6, 2007 Woman, behold thy son.
  The Rev. Phillip Channing Ellsworth, Jr.

  April 6, 2007 My God, why hast thou forsaken me?
  The Rev. Brian E. Smith

  April 6, 2007 Into thy hands, I commend my spirit.
  The Rev. Andrew J. Tibus

  April 6, 2007 I thirst.
  The Rev. Phillip Channing Ellsworth, Jr.

  April 6, 2007 It is finished.
  The Rev. William Munro Shand, III

Is This the Kind of God You Believe In?
April 1, 2007 Palm Sunday/Sunday of the Passion
The Rev. Phillip Channing Ellsworth, Jr.

Remembering God in Maryland History
March 25, 2007 [Maryland Day]
The Rev. William Munro Shand, III

The God of The Lost and Found
March 18, 2007
The Rev. Phillip Channing Ellsworth, Jr.







































 
































  




 

 





 

                                          

                                                          

 

                        

 

 

 

   

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    














































































Great Falls National Park

"For the sake, as he sees it, of the ones he preaches to, the preacher is apt to preach the Gospel with the high magic taken out, the
deep mystery reduced to a manageable size.
'Ask and it will be given you; seek and you will
find; knock, and it will be opened to you.' 'Truly, I say to you, if you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Remove hence to yonder place,' and it will be moved and nothing will be impossible to you' (Matt. 17: 20). 'Come, O blessed of my Father, and inherit the kingdom prepared for
you from the foundation
of the world' (Matt. 35:24).
'He who believes in me,
though he die, yet shall
he live' (John 11:25). 

The wild and joyful promise of the Gospel is reduced to promises more easily kept. The peace that passeth all understanding is reduced
to peace that anybody
can understand. The faith that can move mountains and raise the dead becomes faith that can help make life bearable until death ends it. Eternal life becomes a metaphor for the way the good a man does lives after him. 'Blessed is he who takes no offense at me' (Matt. 11:6), Jesus says, and the preacher is apt to seek to remove the offense by removing from the Gospel all that he believes we find offensive. . . . 

The joke of it is that often it is the preacher who as steward of the wildest mystery of them all is the one who hangs back, prudent, cautious, hopelessly mature and wise
to the last when no less
than Saint Paul tells him
to be a fool for Christ's sake, no less than Christ tells him to be a child
for his own and the kingdom's sake. . . . Let the preacher tell the truth."

Frederick Buechner, 
 Telling the Truth:
 The Gospel as Tragedy,
 Comedy & Fairy Tale,  
      Harper & Row, 1977.

Finding Your Way to Saint Francis (click here for a map). Need more help? Contact the church office at (301)365-2055.

And I can teach thee, coz,  to shame the devil/By telling truth: tell the truth and shame the devil./If thou have power to raise him, bring him hither,/And I'll be sworn I have power to shame him hence./O, while you live, tell the truth and shame the devil! 

    —William Shakespeare
     Henry IV. Part I, 1597