“Living in Hope”
Rev. Jeffrey Long-Middleton
Bradford Congregational Church-UCC
Jeremiah 32:1-3a,6-15
September 29, 2019

 For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Houses and fields and vineyards shall again be bought in this land.
— Jeremiah 32:15ⁱ

In the 1994 film, Shawshank Redemption, the protagonist, Andy Dufresne, is convicted of killing his wife and her lover — a crime he did not commit. He is sentenced to two consecutive life sentences and sent to Shawshank prison. There he meets “Red” a fellow prisoner who is skilled in smuggling contraband into the prison. Andy’s life appears to be without hope. He becomes instrumental in the prison warden’s money laundering scheme and although his life becomes more tolerable, after 20 some years of incarceration, the audience sees Andy sitting on the edge of his bed with a rope in his hands. You’re left with the sense that Andy will indeed escape this hellish existence by suicide. Instead, Andy ends up using the rope to assist in his escape. The day of his escape he tells his friend, Red, “Remember, hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies.” Continue reading Sermon September 29, 2019 →

“Stupid Stuff”
Rev. Jeffrey Long-Middleton
Bradford Congregational Church-UCC
Luke 16:1-13
September 22, 2019

“No slave can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.”   — Luke 16:1-13ⁱ

Did you come here this morning thinking Jesus would encourage you to defraud your employer? I doubt it. So, we have an immediate problem. We have to square this saying from Jesus with the Jesus we expected. That’s our first task but the second is more important and touches us where we live — we need to find a way to love God in the midst of material wealth. This is an issue that touches us all. Even those who have little can be obsessed with getting more, and perhaps there is a natural tendency to avoid this conversation. As Paul David Tripp humorously put it: “The minute you hear a sermon on materialism, you’re glad somebody else is there to hear it.” Continue reading Sermon September 22, 2019 →

“Finding Life’s Proper Limits”
Rev. Jeffrey Long-Middleton
Bradford Congregational Church-UCC
Deuteronomy 30:15-20
September 8, 2019

 “I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live,” — Deuteronomy 30:19ⁱ

There are moments in one’s life when following the rules is critical to one’s safety. I drove a car the other day that had features new to me. I have no idea how it worked but if the car drifted either over the center line or over the solid white line on the shoulder, the steering wheel would move and correct for the mistake. There are moments when staying within prescribed limits is critical to one’s safety.

I hated that car. Continue reading Sermon Sept 8, 2019 →

“The Jesus Who Divides”
This is the second of a two-part sermon
(Part 1 was shared on August 18, 2019)
Rev. Jeffrey Long-Middleton
Bradford Congregational Church-UCC
Luke 12: 49-56
August 25, 2019

“Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division!” — Luke 12:51ⁱ

Forgive me. This opening section is going to be very boring to those who were in worship last week. So you don’t have to listen for about the first five minutes. But if you’re like me, you have already forgotten last week’s sermon! So most of what I am about to say will sound new!

Remember in the first sermon I argued that Jesus is, indeed, a savior who does not bring unity but division. I argued that Jesus sets up a stark contrast between the “way of the world” and the “way of God.” Simply put, the “Silver Rule: Do it unto others before they have a chance to do it unto you,” will always be in conflict when compared to the “Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have it done unto you.” Division takes place where the cross of Christ is formed—at the intersection between the world’s way and God’s way. Continue reading Sermon Aug 25 2019 →

“Judgement as Consequence”
Rev. Jeffrey Long-Middleton
Bradford Congregational Church-UCC
Amos 7: 7-17
July 14, 2019

 ‘the high places of Isaac shall be made desolate, and the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste, and I will rise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword.’

– Amos 7:9 ⁱ

These words from Amos are not easy to hear. In a time when our nation is openly divided, when corruption in high places is ubiquitous, when people who are seeking an escape from the violence in Central America are now dealing with a nation that wants them gone, we hear from Amos of God’s preferential bias towards the poor and an unrelenting call to justice. In such times as these, Amos’s words are not easy to hear. Continue reading Sermon July 14, 2019 →

“’tis the Gift to be Simple”
Rev. Jeffrey Long-Middleton
Bradford Congregational Church-UCC
2 Kings 5: 1-14
July 7, 2019

 But Naaman became angry and went away, saying, ‘I thought that for me he would surely come out, and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and would wave his hand over the spot, and cure the leprosy! ¹²Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them, and be clean?’ He turned and went away in a rage.   – 2 Kings 5:11-12ⁱ

I don’t know how many of you are professional basketball fans. Probably not many. I am and having lived in the Boston area for a total of 27 years, I root for the Boston Celtics. One day I was watching a NBA game. Can’t remember who the Antonio Spurs were playing at the time, but at halftime, the game was far too close to call. In case you don’t know, Gregg Popovich is the head coach of the Spurs and he shows an open disdain for being interviewed. When they put a microphone up to his face, you can see that all Popovich wants is for this to be over. Well, the job of the halftime reporters is to get some sort of insight from the opposing coaches, to learn of any adjustments they made during halftime to insure victory. So our intrepid reporter asks Popovich what his team would have to do to win. Continue reading Sermon July 7, 2019 →