Advent 4 2020Rev. Isaac Bradshaw2 Samuel 7:1–17, Psalm 132, Romans 16:25-27, Luke 1:26-38 It’s something of a cliche these days to talk about how communication has been revolutionized in a few short years. The home telephone, connected to a landline, is basically obsolete. We talk about how no one writes letters, and the near-instantaneous transmission…
Merry Christmas For All CreationRev. Doug Floyd The Surprise Party Christmas appears like a midnight surpriseAngels ignite shadowy skies.A voice heard in the winter cold,“God is young but man is old.” Joseph and Mary put to the testTired and aching but nowhere to rest.The cold winter wearies like a constant thresh.A virgin gives birth to…
Feast of St. Luke 28 October 2020St. Luke – Physician of the SoulRev. Isaac Bradshaw The diaries of Parson Woodforde are a glimpse into the life and times of a 18th century Anglican parish. The Parson of Weston Longforde in Oxford, Rev. James Woodeforde, was one of those fellows who, despite everything else going on, would take time at night to note,…
Easter 3 2020Rev. Isaac BradshawLuke 24:13-35 If your time spent in social isolation these last few weeks is anything like mine, you’re getting very close to reaching a crisis point. Things look dim, and even with something like a light at the end of the tunnel, there is a real sense of terror, because, if…
Candlemas 2020The Presentation of the Lord Jesus Christ in the TempleRev. Doug FloydMalachi 3:1–4, Psalm 84, Hebrews 2:14–18, Luke 2:22–40 For the Lord God is a sun and shield. – Psalm 84:11a The sun in the heavens enlightens the whole world, energizing all things and revealing all things in glory. The glory is all consuming.…
Christ the KingRev. Isaac BradshawNovember 23, 2019 Christ the King Well, what a busy week we have this week! I mean, it’s New Year’s Eve! Right? And it’s Christ the King Sunday! And this week is one of my favorite feast days! Anyone know what it is? WRONG!!! It’s the Feast of the Holy Sovereigns!…
Pentecost +16Rev. Doug FloydAmos 6:1-7, Psalm 146, 1 Timothy 6:11-19, Luke 16:19-31 Last week we saw how Jesus consistently welcomes people that seem unclean, unlikeable, and unrespectable. Jesus walks from town to town, proclaiming and enacting, “The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.” The kingdom looks like welcoming the weak and weary to a wedding feast. The kingdom looks like a shepherd…
Pentecost +15Rev. Doug Floyd Amos 8:4-12, Psalm 138, 1 Timothy 2:1–7, Luke 16:1-13 Imagine if UT were throwing a big event to celebrate the Vols football program and they announced a list of honored guests of folks such as Nick Saban, Lane Kiffin, and of course Steve Spurrier. Reading the Gospel sometimes feels like Jesus is honoring all the wrong people: a…
Pentecost +14 2019 A Priest in the Temple of the LordRev. Doug Floyd Exodus 32:1, 7-14, Psalm 51, 1 Timothy 1:12-17, Luke 15:1-10 Today we prayed a prayer for mercy in Psalm 51. We hear the story of God’s mercy in the conversion of Paul from persecutor to proclaimer of God’s love in Christ. We watched Jesus model the great mercy of…
+13 Pentecost September 8, 2019 Rev. Isaac Bradshaw Philemon and Luke 14:25-34 What if?. In the world of science fiction, alternative histories have a long and distinguished career. As early as 1937, authors as diverse as Philip Roth, Katherine Burdekin and Harry Turtledove have imagined a history of humanity that took a slightly different turn. From potboilers and pulp fiction to works…