Jim Bundy

Scripture: Matthew 5:21-26 Let me try to pick up from where I left off two weeks ago. I was talking about apologies, mostly the public sort of apology where an official pronouncement is made apologizing for some collective historical sin, like the proposed apology for slavery that caused such a stir in the Virginia legislature … Read more

Scripture: Matthew 4:1-11 This sermon is, at least in my own mind, a continuation both of what I was saying last Sunday and the direction of my thinking and brief speaking on Ash Wednesday. I said at the end of the sermon last week that the idea of wilderness, spiritual wilderness if you will, is … Read more

Scripture: Joel 2:12-17 and Matthew 6:16-18 I got it into my head that I was going to preach a sermon today on fasting. Don’t ask me why, because I’m not sure…Well, it is a Lenten theme and all. The two scriptures we heard today, both talking about fasting, are traditionally read on Ash Wednesday. And … Read more

Scripture: Matthew 15:21-28 In honor of Women’s History Month, I decided to read the four gospels with an eye to the way women are portrayed, or not portrayed, in what for Christians is the heart of the Bible. I wanted to try to do that with an open mind, setting aside as much as possible … Read more

Scripture: Psalm 25; John 16:29-34 The sermon last week got a little longer than I had intended it to be, so I went back and cut out a part at the beginning. What I cut out wasn’t directly relevant to what I was talking about last week, so it was expendable so far as that … Read more

Scripture: Mark 10:46-52 I want to begin today by saying that I am feeling honored, honored on behalf of Sojourners that Barry Taylor has chosen to be baptized here. I hope this doesn’t sound like a kind of polite, formal statement—the way people begin speeches by saying “pleased to be here”, “honored to be invited”, … Read more

Scripture: Luke 19:28-48 I will not be very long this morning, but I do have a few words about the two occasions that come together for us here this morning, Palm Sunday and confirmation, and what I have to say relates to both Palm Sunday and confirmation. Let me begin with Palm Sunday though. Palm … Read more

Scriptures: Matthew 28:1-10; 1Corinthians 15:35-58 Let me begin today by telling you about a recent experience I had, courtesy of Hilda Ward, who invited me to be part of a class that she helps to teach at UVA. I didn’t know exactly what the course was when she invited me, but I knew that Hilda … Read more

Scripture: Matthew 6:25-34 For at least the last couple of months people have been occasionally asking me whether I was looking forward to my sabbatical or getting excited about it yet. And for the last couple of months I have been saying, “Well, maybe a little bit, but there are too many other things on … Read more

Scripture: Philippians 2:1-13 Again…good morning. You will forgive me, I’m sure, if I’m a little rusty at this. I’m grateful to Kathy, among other things, for making it possible for me to work back into worship sort of gradually. I requested to just do the sermon this morning, a little bit as though I were … Read more