Notoriously Episcopalian

A sermon for the 2ns Sunday of Advent, December 6, 2020, offered for a recorded worship service for Trinity Commons. “As uncertain as this wilderness experience feels right now, we are in the place of prophets and deliverance. We must be patient.” Readings: Isaiah 40:1-11 * Psalm 85:1-2, 8-13 * 2 Peter 3:8-15a * Mark 1:1-8 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subs...

A sermon for the 1st Sunday of Advent offered at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Greensboro, Alabama. “All of us have been living in the end times for most of our lives, and 2020 may really feel like it. Our churches closed. Pandemic. Sickness. Death. Fear. Division. But we are not called to read the signs…our instructions are clear—Keep awake. And do the work.” Readings: Isaiah 64:1-9 * 1 Corinthi...

After a few weeks off following the election and my ordination to the priesthood, I’m back with a sermon offered at St. Matthias Episcopal Church in Tuscaloosa on the Last Sunday after Pentecost: Christ the King, November 22, 2020. The observance of this Sunday as “Christ the King” Sunday is a relatively new addition to the liturgical calendar. It serves as the New Year’s Eve of the church year. N...

A sermon offered for Evensong on Election Night, November 3, 2020, at St. Andrew's Birmingham. "No election, no President or Senate or Court can heal the wounds of our country. No “one” person or program or agenda can do that. It takes all of us, the many, to commit ourselves to love, so that we can be one." Principal Text: John 17:18-23 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this...

A sermon offered on the 21st Sunday after Pentecost, October 25, 2020. The danger of this moment is that our hope is too small. Our call as Christians is to hope big. This doesn’t mean ignoring what’s happening. It doesn’t mean that we are just upbeat and optimistic. But it does mean that we need to be prophets of hope. To proclaim the hope of God in Jesus Christ. To remind ourselves that our hope...

A sermon offered on the 19th Sunday after Pentecost, October 11, 2020. What we do in a time of waiting matters. If we spend our time focused on trying to have control, we end up hurting ourselves and our relationships. But if we find a way to wait and that is built on trust in God, we can emerge into the church and the world that comes after healthier and stronger. Readings: Exodus 32:1-14 * Psalm...

A sermon offered on the 18th Sunday after Pentecost, October 4, 2020. Maybe it is time for us to remember God’s commandment to keep the sabbath. And that by doing so we aren’t burying our head in the sand or ignoring the world around us. Instead, we are reclaiming our power, making more space for God, and less space for the idols in this world. Readings: Exodus 20:1-4, 7-9, 12-20 * Psalm 19 * Phil...

A sermon offered on the 17th Sunday after Pentecost, September 27, 2020. Sometimes the hardest and most important thing that we can do as followers of Jesus is to change our minds. Readings: Exodus 17:1-7 * Psalm 78:1-4, 12-16 * Philippians 2:1-13 * Matthew 21:23-32 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit kelleyhudlo...

A sermon offered on the 16th Sunday after Pentecost, September 20, 2020. We learn at an early age what is fair. Our readings from Exodus about manna in the wilderness and the parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard in Matthew challenge our understanding of fairness. The Kingdom of Heaven isn't about fairness, it is about generosity. Readings: Exodus 16:2-15 * Psalm 105:1-6, 37-45 * Philippians 1:2...

A sermon offered on the 15th Sunday after Pentecost, September 13, 2020. While the parting of the Red Sea looks exciting on film, the story raises a lot of questions. What do we learn from this scene of God's awesome power that gives freedom to the Israelites and death to the Egyptians? Readings: Exodus 14:19-31 * Psalm 114 * Romans 14:1-12 * Matthew 18:21-35 This is a public episode. If you would...

A sermon offered on the 14th Sunday after Pentecost, September 6, 2020. The exciting story of Exodus is interrupted right before the climactic moment of the final plague by liturgical instructions for celebrating Passover. The moment of liberation is so important that the creation of the liturgy to remember the moment is part of the story itself. I was thankful to worship with the good folks of St...

A sermon offered on the 13th Sunday after Pentecost, August 30, 2020, for worship at Trinity Commons. Moses is all grown up when God drops into his life. His excitement about the encounter with God at the burning bush quickly turns to uncertainty and excuses when he realizes that God is sending him. Readings: Exodus 3:1-15 * Psalm 105:1-6, 23-26, 45c * Romans 12:9-21 * Matthew 16:21-28 This is a p...

A sermon offered on the 12th Sunday after Pentecost, August 23, 2020. While I know the opening chapters of Exodus are the origin story for Moses, for me Shiphrah and Puah steal the show. Their act of defiance and use of Pharaoh's ignorance and prejudice against him lays the foundation for continual confrontation and challenge. In their defiant "no" and their faith in God is the beginning of Israel...

A sermon offered on the 11th Sunday after Pentecost, August 16, 2020. The readings for this Sunday are powerful, provocative, and involve a lot of shouting. I read these alongside the annual celebration of Jonathan Myrick Daniels, an Episcopal seminarian who was murdered in 1965. Daniels is remembered as a martyr in The Episcopal Church. Each August, in the oppressive heat, pilgrims gather in Hayn...

A sermon offered on the 10th Sunday after Pentecost, August 9, 2020, based on the story of Joseph, his fancy coat, and his angry brothers. Readings: Genesis 37:1-4, 12-28 * Psalm 105:1-6, 16-22, 45b * Romans 10:5-15 * Matthew 14:22-33 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit kelleyhudlow.substack.com

A sermon offered on the 9th Sunday after Pentecost, August 2, 2020, based on the story of Jacob wrestling an angel and remembering the life of John Lewis. Readings: Genesis 32:22-31 * Psalm 17:1-7,16 * Romans 9:1-5 * Matthew 14:13-21 https://youtu.be/0n5oQCJV0I4 Audio only: https://s3.amazonaws.com/dfc_attachments/public/documents/3281143/Podcast_-_8_2_20__8.27_PM.mp3 This is a public episode. If...

Our reading from Genesis continues the complicated family drama of Abraham and his descendants. As we read the story of Jacob and his marriage to Leah and Rachel, what are we to learn? I think this is another example of how God remains faithful to God's promise, even when the humans involved don't live up … Continue reading “God continues to stand by the promise made, even when the hum...

Our reading from Genesis continues the complicated family drama of Abraham and his descendants. Reading the story of Jacob bargaining for Esau's birthright left me asking "so what?" What does this story have to tell us about God and our present-day? I think it is a reminder that God works in the world through unlikely … Continue reading “…again and again we see that God works thr...

168 yrs to the day after Frederick Douglass issued his "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?" message, I joined with the faith leaders of the Poor People's Campaign in preaching on that theme from my particular context of The Episcopal Church in Alabama. The texts for reflection included Frederick Douglass' speech, the … Continue reading What is the 4th of July? This is a public epi...

This morning I got to be with the good folks at St. Mary's in Jasper. This was my first time there, though I have driven past it many times on my way to Camp McDowell. Do to COVID-19, we worship outside. They have a beautiful little prayer garden in the trees next to the church. … Continue reading “…do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows” This is a...

As we begin the long season after Pentecost, Thomas, my preaching partner, and I have decided to focus our preaching efforts on the readings from the Hebrew Bible each week. Genesis will be the focus of June, July, and into August. This is more of a challenge for me than for Thomas who frequently focuses … Continue reading “…and hope does not disappoint us” This is a p...

On May 28, 2020, I had the joy of preaching for my friend Drew's ordination to the transitional diaconate at Canterbury Chapel in Tuscaloosa. Canterbury Chapel was my sending parish for ordination. So it is always wonderful to come home, especially to celebrate a friend's ordination. Readings: Jeremiah 1:4-9 * Psalm 84 * Acts 6:2-7 … Continue reading A sermon for an ordination This is a...

A sermon for the Sixth Sunday of Easter offered during online worship for Trinity Commons, Birmingham, Alabama. This is one of my favorite passages from Acts--Paul preaching at the Areopagus--that I tried to set it into conversation with one of my favorite TV shows--Mad Men (S2E7). Acts 17:22-31 Psalm 66:7-18 John 14:15-21   https://youtu.be/NeaOCNiStI4   … Continue reading “...

A sermon for the Fourth Sunday of Easter offered during online worship for Trinity Commons, Birmingham, Alabama. Acts 2:42-47 Psalm 23 John 10:1-10   https://youtu.be/mY2XhLy3MnI     Audio only: https://s3.amazonaws.com/dfc_attachments/public/documents/3277052/Easter_4_Audio.m4a This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus...

The Second Sunday of Easter gives us the story of Thomas and offers a chance to consider how doubt and faith go hand in hand. Readings: Acts 2:14a,22-32 1 Peter 1:3-9 John 20:19-31 Psalm 16 https://youtu.be/AqvU476oRvs   Audio only: https://s3.amazonaws.com/dfc_attachments/public/documents/3276528/Sermon_Easter_2_Audio.m4a This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other...