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