Adult Christian Education, Church News

Help Shape a Sermon

September 23-October 14, 2019

HELP SHAPE A SERMON is an open forum led by Pastor Jeff that will explore the lectionary reading for Sunday, October 20. The forum will meet each Monday beginning September 23 in the church vestry from 7:00 to 8:00 pm. We will explore the context, historical background and meaning of the scripture for us today. The sermon on October 20 will be shaped by the forum’s input. You can come to one or all of the sessions. The readings we will focus on are:

Genesis 31:27-34 or Genesis 32:22-31
Psalm 119:97-104 or Psalm 122
2 Timothy 2:14-4:5
Luke 18:1-8

Participants are encouraged to bring their own Bible. All are welcome.

Church News, Music News & Recordings

Steinway Restoration

piano Our 1925 model O Steinway Grand Piano was in much need of restoration.

This beautiful instrument was bequeathed  to the Bradford Congregational Church by its beloved former organist and choir director and life-long Bradford resident Katrina Munn.

This Steinway is one of the very few in the United States that was made in Hamburg, Germany. Pianos made in Germany are considered by many to be superior in sound, character and touch. Our goal was to invest the necessary restoration efforts in order to bring the piano back to its melodic beauty so that musicians near and far could come to Bradford to experience its quality and perform for the community.

piano1On June 8 (2019), the piano left the sanctuary for its journey to Lindeblad Piano Restoration in Pine Brook, NJ where the 4th generation family owned shop has been providing world class restoration of Steinway pianos since 1920. There it will undergo an  historically accurate restoration and then will be returned to the sanctuary.

Since 1950 “Miss Munn” taught and adjudicated hundreds of local children and adults on this piano and our community will enjoy the music from it for many years to come. Her desire to share her love of music, through teaching, lives on through our Steinway.

Your donations are tax deductible and will go directly to the cost of this restoration.  Please help by donating (click here) or you may mail a donation to

Bradford UCC- piano fund
PO Box 387
Bradford VT 05033

If you have photos and memories you wish to share from your times at this keyboard please send to bradfordvtucc@gmail.com

Church News, Past Sermons

Sermon Aug 18 2019

“The Jesus Who Divides”
This is the first of a two-part sermon
(Part 2 will be shared on August 25, 2019)
Rev. Jeffrey Long-Middleton
Bradford Congregational Church-UCC
Luke 12: 49-56
August 18, 2019

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

Things you don’t talk about on a first date: Money, Sex, Politics, and Religion.1 That leaves the weather which I suppose is a safe enough topic. The object, of course, is to avoid discord…And then there’s Jesus! Money, sex, politics and religion were about all He talked about. Though we may not like to admit it, our text puts these words on the lips of Jesus: “Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division.” Continue reading Sermon Aug 18 2019 →

Church News, Past Sermons

Sermon August 11, 2019

“Shall We Mute the Voice of God?”
Rev. Jeffrey Long-Middleton
Bradford Congregational Church-UCC
Isaiah 1
August 11, 2019

 Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your doings from before my eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow. – Isaiah 1:16 & 17i

The United Church of Christ has a slogan that it published on banners and quoted on mastheads: “God is still speaking” You just heard the words of the prophet Isaiah spoken between 750 and 700 B.C. — a long time ago in a place far away. Maybe they mean nothing. Perhaps they speak of a time so unlike our own that this Word from God is not God’s Word for today. If that describes your reaction to our reading this morning, then you are not troubled by the reality of the world we live in because Isaiah’s vision is outdated and out of place. I, unfortunately, cannot share your optimism. When I come to scripture I look for what I call the “Holy intersection.” It is the place where the will of God, expressed long ago, intersects with the world I live in. It is there, at this “Holy intersection” that God’s word comes alive for today. So I share with you this morning a deep feeling of discomfort and look for ways to respond to the calling of God. Continue reading Sermon August 11, 2019 →

Church News, Past Sermons

Sermon July 28, 2019

“God’s Open Door Policy”
Rev. Jeffrey Long-Middleton
Bradford Congregational Church-UCC
Luke 11:1-13
July 28, 2019

 So I say to you, Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you.  For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.– Luke 11:9 & 10i

The scientific method — it has brought us everything from roach repellent to rockets. It is the method that makes the modern world go around and the method is relatively simple: observe, ask a question, formulate a hypothesis, test the hypothesis though experimentation, report the findings and formulate new theories. Simple. But in order for one’s findings to have any scientific merit, they must be replicatable. If the boiling point of water is 211.3°F then it holds true at the parsonage and at your home. We could replicate an experiment and test this hypothesis that water always boils at 211.3°F. But it isn’t always true. Go to the top of Mount Everest (29,029 feet) and water will boil at 160°F — a much lower temperature. How do we know? We observed the phenomenon over and over again.1

And today the promise made by Jesus can be likened to the scientific method! Continue reading Sermon July 28, 2019 →

Church News, Past Sermons

Sermon July 21, 2019

“You Are Invited…”
Rev. Jeffrey Long-Middleton
Bradford Congregational Church-UCC
Luke 10:38-42
July 28, 2019

But the Lord answered her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.’

– Luke 10:41 & 42i

I think there are at least three different ways to interpret this encounter between Jesus, Martha and Mary. For the first two, I will make use of art and by looking at how these two paintings were interpreted, gain a sense of how this story has served as a gateway into God’s truth. The third approach is to see the words of Jesus not so much as a rebuke of Martha but an insight into the mission of Christ. Continue reading Sermon July 21, 2019 →

Past Sermons

Sermon July 14, 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 →

Past Sermons

Sermon July 7, 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 →

Past Sermons

Sermon June 30, 2019

“The Cost of Discipleship”
Rev. Jeffrey Long-Middleton
Bradford Congregational Church-UCC
Luke 9: 51-62
June 30, 2019

 “No one who puts a hand to the plough and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.” – Luke 9:62i

Remember last week’s sermon? It’s title was a little irreverent: “Asking Jesus to leave.” Well, Jesus isn’t helping His cause. After reading Luke 9:51-62, we are met with three different encounters with folks who either want to follow Jesus or who are called by Jesus. In none of them is there a warm feeling. And before these encounters there is Jesus trying to make an impression on the good folks in Samaria. That didn’t go so well. Jesus, like any good evangelist, had sent “messengers” ahead of His arrival. When they started to talk about Jesus and folks learned that “His face was set on Jerusalem,” the Samaritans wanted no part of Him. Indeed, so cold was the welcome Samaria gave to James and John that they wanted the authority to “call down fire from Heaven.” Continue reading Sermon June 30, 2019 →

Past Sermons

Sermon June 23, 2019

“Asking Jesus to Leave”
Rev. Jeffrey Long-Middleton
Bradford Congregational Church-UCC
Luke 8: 26-39
June 23, 2019

Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them; for they were seized with great fear. – Luke 8:37i

I am going to ask two questions this morning. The first is why did the Gerasenes ask Jesus to leave? The second question is why do we ask Jesus to leave? Of these two questions, the first is easier to answer. The second question – namely, why do we ask Jesus to leave – is perhaps harder to address but far more important. The first question is of historical interest. The second question is deeply disturbing and requires a reckoning with our wayward souls. Continue reading Sermon June 23, 2019 →