Jim Bundy

Scripture: Matthew 5:1-10 What does it mean to bless and to be blessed? That may not be a question that everyone woke up this morning asking themselves. Standing there brushing your teeth, trying to get your eyes all the way open, in a state of general stupor (which is how I at least wake up) … Read more

Scripture: Mark 13: 24-37 I guess if you didn’t know it already, you’ve figured out by now that this is the first Sunday in Advent, which in the church is a time of year with its own particular themes and purposes, not just the Christmas season. I need to ask you to be patient with … Read more

Scripture: Isaiah 40:1-11; Mark 1:1-8 Peace—or shalom, which is a much richer word than our English word peace the way we use it—is my connecting theme for my preaching during Advent this year. Not terribly original, I admit, but appropriate, I think you will admit. Last week I began by talking about the effort of … Read more

Scripture: Luke 1:46-55 I have to be honest with you, that my heart is not much into preaching this morning. When the bulletin was printed I couldn’t even think about what I might say this morning, what title to give the sermon, or whether it would even be a sermon. I haven’t been able to … Read more

Scriptures: Micah 4:1-4; Luke 1:68-79 The first Christmas Eve service I ever took part in as an ordained minister was in 1969. That was a year you may recognize as being in the heart of the Vietnam War era, and all was not well at First Congregational Church, United Church of Christ in Naperville, Illinois, … Read more

Readings: Genesis 1:1-5; “The Creation” by James Weldon Johnson I’m not real big on New Year resolutions, but the new year is often for me one of those “stock-taking” times where you sort of step back from yourself and ask yourself what you’re doing and why and whether there need to be some adjustments along … Read more

Scripture: Luke 6:27-36 The sermon this morning is in a way a follow-up to last week when we were dealing with and listening to the words of Martin Luther King, and a follow-up as well to a couple of the sermons from before Christmas, which somehow seems like a long time ago now. Of course … Read more

Scripture: Mark 1:21-28 When I started working on this sermon, I thought it was going to be about authority and healing, two themes from the scripture reading this morning. I realized, however, about 1/3 of the way into the writing, as I was struggling with the question of authority, that I wasn’t going to get … Read more

Scripture: Mark 1:21-28 Those of you who were here last Sunday know that the scripture that was just read a moment ago is that same one that was read last Sunday. Those of you who were here last Sunday also know that the reason we’re hearing the same passage a second time is not because … Read more

Scripture: Ephesians 4:1-6, 11-16 A word or two of explanation to start with. You’ve heard Debbie and John report on the Christian Education retreat that was held a week ago Saturday. The retreat itself was an effort to be more intentional about our Christian education program, to gather some of the thoughts and wisdom and … Read more