Sermon Sunday of the Passion—Year B March 25, 2018 William Bradbury Isaiah 50:4-9a, Philippians 2:5-11, Psalm 31:9-16, Mark 14:1-15:47 I ask you: “What is so special about the crucifixion of a homeless Jewish rabbi?” After all, Rome crucified their conquered people on a regular basis. Some of you will remember the 1960 movie...
Sermon Lent 5—B March 18, 2018 William Bradbury Jeremiah 31:31-34, Psalm 51:1-13, Hebrews 5:5-10, John 12:20-33 Jeremiah, who was not a bullfrog, but a 6th century prophet filled with the Spirit of Yahweh who announces something extraordinary today: “The days are surely coming, says YHWH, when I will make a new covenant...
Sermon Lent 4-B March 11, 2018 Rev. Nancy Gossling (No text is available for this Sermon)
Sermon Lent 3—B March 4, 2018 William Bradbury Exodus 20:1-17, Psalm 19, 1 Corinthians 1:18-25, John 2:13-22 Most folks who grew up in Christian homes and churches learned a false narrative that continues to be told today. It says that Jews are all about Law and Christians are all about grace! This has...
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...
