Sermon preached by the Rev. Michael Anderson Bullock [Acts 2:14a, 36-41; 1Peter 1:17-23; Luke 24:13-35] I remember running a Bible Study group, much like the one we have here at St. Philip’s, where the scriptures used for the upcoming Sunday’s worship are carefully looked at and discussed. It was this time of year, spring. Liturgically, the upcoming Sunday was the Fourth Sunday of Easter: “Good Shepherd Sunday”. I remember vividly one of the class participants reading the

Sermon preached by the Rev. Michael Anderson Bullock [Acts 2:14a, 36-41; 1Peter 1:17-23; Luke 24:13-35] That first Sunday of Resurrection must have been a perplexing swirl for the followers of Jesus. From the accounts of the four gospel writers, there was a lot going on that day – and it would seem that it was all happening at once! Like “Eyewitness News” reporters, the gospel accounts of that first Easter emerge in rapid-fire succession to form a collage of stories, invol

Sermon preached by the Rev. Michael Anderson Bullock [Acts 2:14a,22-32 ; 1 Peter 1:3-9;John 20:19-31] “Monday, Monday”. In addition to being the title of the 1966 hit song by “the Mommas and the Papas”, it was also how I felt on Easter Monday. After a most intense Holy Week and a powerful Easter Sunday, I struggle with the disappointment and emotional fatigue that the world-at-large doesn’t seem to get the message of new life. “Monday, Monday…can’t trust that day…” I me

Sermon preached by the Rev. Michael Anderson Bullock [Jeremiah 31:1-6; Colossians 3:1-4; John 20:1-18] It is not possible for me to ignore that I am in the last lap of my time with you as your priest; but I am glad not to have been overwhelmed by this fact – at least to this point. I haven’t dwelt very much on sentimental things. Yet, knowing that soft, Irish part of my heart as I do, the sentiment will have its day – arriving mostly unannounced. And for the record, I sha

Sermon preached by the Rev. Michael Anderson Bullock [(Matthew 21:1-11 – Lit of Palms); Isaiah 50:4-9a; Philippians 2:5-11; Matthew 26 – 27:66] It was the spring of the year 30 of the Common Era. Preparations were beginning for the Hebrew people’s most sacred time of the year – Passover. Amidst the high expectations of this seasonal event, two “parades” began to form on opposite sides of city. [1] One demonstration took shape at the east gate of the city. The other gather

Sermon preached by the Rev. Michael Anderson Bullock [Ezekiel 37:1-14; Romans 8:6-11; John 11:1-45] Bev and I have become enamored with watching the HBO television show, The Pitt . It is an Emmy-Award winning drama, staged in the Emergency Department of the University of Pittsburgh’s Medical Center. In its two seasons of life, The Pitt’s mode of storytelling has been to focus on conveying the events and experiences of one day in the life of an urban Emergency Department and

Sermon preached by Robert Shaw [ John 9:1-41; Ephesians 5:8-14 ] Today’s scripture readings center on opposing pairs of images: darkness versus light in Ephesians, blindness versus clear vision in John’s gospel. To take the gospel first, here’s a question: how many blind people did Jesus heal? If (like me) you aren’t especially comfortable with numbers, and if (also like me) you don’t care to go combing through all four gospels to make a count, the internet stands ready to he

Sermon preached by the Rev. Michael Anderson Bullock [Exodus 17:1-7; Romans 5:1-11; John 4;5-42] Today’s gospel reading is a masterful example of a “layer cake” story. Constructed by one layer of narrative upon another, this “cake” from St. John’s gospel produces something more delicious that its specific parts. This is one reason for careful investigation of the Bible, in general, and the gospel accounts of Jesus, in particular. There is more than meets the eye. The poin

Sermon preached by the Rev. Michael Anderson Bullock [Genesis 12:1-4a; Romans 4:1§-5, 13-17; John 3:1-17] What’s up with Nicodemus? More to the point, why does the Lenten, biblical tradition want us to meet him? I mean, Nicodemus is a very minor character in John’s gospel. In fact, he appears in only three cameo-type scenes. So, who is this guy? Why at the outset of this penitential season (the season of expressing our spiritual “regrets” (“regret” being what “penitenti

Sermon preached by the Rev. Michael Anderson Bullock [Exodus 24:12-18; 2 Peter 1:16-21; Matthew 17:1-9] As the “Notes on the Liturgy” point out, this Last Sunday in the Season of Epiphany acts like a spiritual threshold. It calls us to transition from the experience of Christmas (that is, Christmas waited for, Christmas realized, and Christmas manifested) – this day calls us to transition from Christmas to the sobering experience of Lent. Through the story and profound ima

Sermon preached by the Rev. Michael Anderson Bullock [Isaah 9:1-4; 1Corinthians 1:10-18; Matthew 4:12-23] One of the struggles I have in taking scripture seriously (that is, not literally nor as an abstract idea or metaphor) – one of my struggles is that no matter how hard I try, I am tempted to focus on what is I can recognize and leave it at that. We have an excellent example of this interpretive temptation in today’s gospel – a lesson that contains the very familiar scene

Sermon preached by the Rev. Michael Anderson Bullock [Isaiah 42:1-9; Acts 10:34-43; Matthew 3:13-17] This past Tuesday, January 13th, 2026, at about 11 o’clock in the morning, at the American embassy in Guatemala City, Guatemala, the American citizenship of Prudencia Fitzgerald Ayala Bullock was formally and legally confirmed. At this news, her only grandfather burst into tears of relief and joy. Her passport is in process. Our granddaughter, Pru, is a wonder of this intern

Sermon preached by the Rev. Michael Anderson Bullock [Isaiah 60:1-6; Ephesians 3:1-12; Matthew 2:1-12] Of all the characters in the Christmas story, aside from the Holy Family itself, I am most of all drawn to the Magi. I love the Magi! I love their story. Their legend and its details speak to me in terms of living one’s life with integrity, courage, and with guiding faith. Additionally, in my heart I have a soft spot for those guys partly due to the fact that in the stagi

Sermon preached by Robert Shaw (Matthew 2:1-12) The three Wise Men are on track to reach their destination on January 6, the Epiphany; we are coming to their story just a little early in today’s Gospel lesson. At St. Philip’s, we try to keep in step with the Church calendar, and this year we have managed to send at least one wise man to a far-off land to visit a newborn child. The only downside of this is that this morning you are stuck with me. In modern times the word epip

Sermon preached by the Rev. Michael Anderson Bullock [Isaiah 7:10-16; Romans 1:1-7; Matthew 1:18-25] The Fourth and last Sunday in the season of Advent is often focused on Mary and the story of the “Annunciation”. In fact, the fourth Advent Sunday is often referred to as the “Marian” Sunday, but not today, not this year. You know (I hope) that in the celebration of Holy Communion we have a three-year cycle of scriptures. Each of the years -- A, B, and C -- use either Matth

Sermon preached by the Rev. Michael Anderson Bullock [Isaiah 35:1-10; James 5:7-10; Matthew 11:2-11] “So.” It is understandably easy to miss this unobtrusive word that begins today’s gospel lesson from Matthew. In fact, many translations (like the one printed in our bulletin) omit it. “So.” A bit curious, don’t you think? “So” … so what? Even though “so” is just a two-letter word, upon formal investigation, its many usages and meanings emerge that belie its simple ordi

Sermon preached by the Rev. Michael Anderson Bullock [Isaiah 11:1-10; Romans 15:4-13; Matthew 3:1-12] With this Second Sunday of Advent, we move quickly and directly into the heart of this complex season. Enter center stage: John the Baptist. In my own Advent explorations and experiences, I have found John the Baptist to be the face of Advent; and in this second week of Advent, we meet him today in our Gospel lesson. Matthew wastes no time with fancy introductions, no acc

Sermon preached by the Rev. Michael Anderson Bullock [Isaiah 2:1-5; Romans 13:11-14; Matthew 24:36-44] “Be Prepared.” I never was a Boy Scout, and truth to tell my Cub Scout career ended pretty much after I learned how to tie a necktie, which was a required skill in pursuit of earning an accomplishment badge of some sort. Nonetheless, the Boy Scout motto, “Be Prepared” is a good reminder of how one might face life with all its “changes and chances” (as the Prayer Book puts

Sermon preached by the Rev. Michael Anderson Bullock [Jeremiah 23:1-6; Colossians 1;11-20; Luke 23:33-43] On this last Sunday of the liturgical year, worshipping Christians the world over mark this day as “Christ the King”. In point of fact, this day’s celebration comes on the 100th anniversary of Pope Pius XI’s encyclical, through which this feast day was created. Intended to crown the jubilee year of 1925, the purpose of this new feast was to honor the kingship – that

Sermon preached by the Rev. Michael Anderson Bullock [Malachi 4:1-2a; 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13; Luke 21:5-19] To say that we live in uncertain times smacks of sarcasm run amuck. The state of our nation and the events in the world – both politically and naturally made – have created such a charged atmosphere that any spark that is the result of ordinary life has the capacity to create an inordinately disproportionate explosion. We are all so emotionally raw and exhausted that