Sermon Easter 4—B–April 22, 2018 William Bradbury Acts 4:5-12, Psalm 23, 1 John 3:16-24, John 10:11-18 I’ve talked several times before about an ole boy in my parish in North Carolina who fell into a deep depression after his wife of 60 years died. His will to live ebbed away and we thought...
Sermon by William Bradbury Easter 3—B, April 15, 2018 Acts 3:12-19, Psalm 4, 1 John 3:1-7, Luke 24:36b-48 Did you see the eclipse this past August? My crew had those special sunglasses, so we could see the partial eclipse here. My sister and nephew, however, drove from Atlanta north in order to see the full eclipse....
Easter Day Year B April 1, 2018 William Bradbury Acts 10:34-43, Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24, 1 Corinthians 15:1-11, John 20:1-18 “Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb….” She had hoped to eat just one more meal or hear him tell one more of...
Sermon Good Friday March 30, 2018 William Bradbury Isaiah 52:13-53:12, Psalm 22, Hebrews 10:16-25, John 18:1-19:42 All-loving God, we pray you graciously to behold this your family, for whom our Lord Jesus Christ was willing to be betrayed, and given into the hands of sinners, and to suffer death upon the cross…. This afternoon...
Sermon Maundy Thursday March 29, 2018 William Bradbury Exodus 12:1-4, (5-10), 11-14, Psalm 116:1, 10-17, 1 Corinthians 11:23-26, John 13:1-17, 31b-35 You know the old story: a woman gets on her knees every night and prays: “Dear Lord, please let me win the lottery.” Night after night she perseveres in her prayer, until...
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 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...
