Sermon Lent 2—B February 25, 2018 William Bradbury Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16, Psalm 22:22-30, Romans 4:13-25, Mark 8:31-38 Several summers ago in Maine, the adults in our family are sitting around the table after dinner when Stephanie and my daughter in law Kristin start sharing their stories about what it was like to give...

Sermon Lent 1—Year B February 18, 2018 William Bradbury Genesis 9:8-17, Psalm 25:1-9, 1 Peter 3:18-22, Mark 1:9-15 The first letter of John offers this truth: “Whoever does not love abides in death.” But as a species we know how to deal with such truths, don’t we! We turn love into a feeling, even...

       Sermon Ash Wednesday February 14, 2018 William Bradbury Joel 2:1-2,12-17, or Isaiah 58:1-12, Psalm 103:8-14, 2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10, Matthew 6:1-6,16-21 Every year The Episcopal Church Pension Fund puts out a calendar with a different cartoon for each month. Usually it’s something funny about life in an Episcopal parish. For February its reads: “Ash...

Sermon Last Epiphany February 11, 2018 William Bradbury 2 Kings 2:1-12, Psalm 50:1-6, 2 Corinthians 4:3-6, Mark 9:2-9 My granddaughter Eleanor who is in second grade had a small Ah-Ha moment last Sunday. Stephanie was reading a book to her about Eleanor of Aquitaine, a 12th century Queen of France and England, when...

Sermon 5 Epiphany—B February 4, 2018 William Bradbury Isaiah 40:21-31, Psalm 147:1-12, 21c, 1 Corinthians 9:16-23, Mark 1:29-39 Back in the day clergy were told that we should have the New York Times in one hand and the Bible in the other as we write our sermons. For this sermon I have Boston...

Sermon 4 Epiphany—B January 28, 2018 William Bradbury Deuteronomy 18:15-20, Psalm 111, 1 Corinthians 8:1-13, Mark 1:21-28 The teaching method of rabbis, at the time of Jesus and now is a beautiful thing: a rabbi will talk about scripture by using the teaching of other rabbis who have had different things to say...

Sermon 3 Epiphany—B January 21, 2018 William Bradbury Jonah 3:1-5, 10, Psalm 62:6-14, 1 Corinthians 7:29-31, Mark 1:14-20 The Book of Jonah is a parable, not a history, about God’s call and our response: The parable opens with God’s first call to Jonah: Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah saying, 2 “Go at once to...

Sermon 2 Epiphany-Year B January 14, 2018 William Bradbury 1 Samuel 3:1-20, Psalm 139:1-5, 12-17, 1 Corinthians 6:12-20, John 1:43-51 Back in the day I loved riding roller coasters. As a kid it is easy to imagine that I’m on this wild, scary ride, even though it is on a track and does...

Sermon 1 Epiphany January 7, 2018 William Bradbury Genesis 1:1-5, Psalm 29, Acts 19:1-7, Mark 1:4-11 Paul shows up in Ephesus, a great port city on the Aegean Sea, and finds some followers of Jesus. He’s looking for transforming worship, but he doesn’t find it. Was the worship flat and boring? Was it...

Sermon Christmas 1 December 31, 2017 William Bradbury John 1:1-18 “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” There is much speculation about what John means when he refers to the Word that was in the beginning with God, the Word that was God and that became flesh and...