Phil Hooper
The Rev. Phil Hooper serves as rector of St. Anne Episcopal Church, West Chester, in the Diocese of Southern Ohio. He is a regular contributor to several Episcopal projects including Sermons that Work and the Prophetic Voices preaching podcast. You can find his sermons and other writings at byanotherroad.com.
Sermons and Bible Studies
Ash/Dust, Ash Wednesday – February 18, 2026
[RCL] Joel 2:1-2,12-17 or Isaiah 58:1-12; Psalm 103 or 103:8-14; 2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10; Matthew 6:1-6,16-21 It might be that we have Ash Wednesday all wrong. Or, at the very least, we have it a bit muddled and mixed up. In song and Scripture and tone, this day is an odd combination of impulses. It is […]
Answer, Advent 3 (A) – December 14, 2025
[RCL] Isaiah 35:1-10; Psalm 146:5-10; James 5:7-10; Matthew 11:2-11 We want answers, most days. We crave them; we seek them; sometimes we demand them. We peer at stars and read between lines and survey the vast, muddied landscape of our experiences, hoping to catch sight of something clear and telling. Often they are quite matter-of-fact, […]
At the Edge, Proper 21 (C) – 2025
[RCL] Jeremiah 32:1-3a, 6-15; Psalm 91:1-6, 14-16; 1 Timothy 6:6-19; Luke 16:19-31 If you have ever had occasion to stand at the edge of the Grand Canyon, you know that its vastness is difficult to take in. The distances and depths appear unreal to human eyes unaccustomed to such magnitude. Our brains, dazzled and dismayed […]
Departures, Maundy Thursday – 2025
[RCL] Exodus 12:1-4, (5-10), 11-14; Psalm 116:1, 10-17; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26; John 13:1-17, 31b-35 It is not as common an experience in North America, but perhaps you have had, at some point or place in your life, the distinctive experience of standing on the platform of a train station, either as the one who is […]
Uncountable, Christmas Day (I) – 2024
[RCL] Isaiah 9:2-7; Psalm 96; Titus 2:11-14; Luke 2:1-14 (15-20) They came to be counted. This is where it begins: Joseph and Mary, just two of many in the teeming, trembling, transcendent history of their people, traveling the well-worn roads of their ancestors and coming, at last, to Bethlehem, the city of King David. They […]
Getting Started, Proper 23 (B) – 2024
[RCL]: Amos 5:6-7, 10-15; Psalm 90:12-17; Hebrews 4:12-16; Mark 10:17-31 Note: During the 2024 Season after Pentecost, Sermons That Work will use Track 2 readings for sermons and Bible studies. Please consult our archives for many additional Track 1 resources from prior years. It is no great revelation to say that we live in an […]
What Is Loved Is Resurrected, Easter Day (B) – 2024
[RCL] Acts 10:34-43 or Isaiah 25:6-9; Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24; 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 or Acts 10:34-43; John 20:1-18 or Mark 16:1-8 What is loved is resurrected. That is the proclamation of this singular, eternal day, when the dawn kisses the darkness and wipes away its tears. As sunlight pours itself out into the morning sky, so […]
Games, Pentecost 24 (A) – 2023
[RCL] Exodus 33:12-23; Psalm 99; 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10; Matthew 22:15-22 It’s safe to say that among classic board games, few have more potential to inflame the passions of its players than Monopoly. If you have ever gathered around with family or friends after dinner to play the game, you might know all too well how […]
Islands, Proper 10 (A) – 2023
[RCL] Genesis 25:19-34; Psalm 119:105-112; Romans 8:1-11; Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23 “No man is an island,” wrote the 17th-century English priest and poet John Donne, and although we might agree with this sentiment in principle, we struggle to live into it. Donne desired his hearers to understand their fundamental interdependence even when religious and political conflicts […]
A Trick Question, Proper 11 (C) – 2022
[RCL] Amos 8:1-12; Psalm 52; Colossians 1:15-28; Luke 10:38-42 Here’s a trick question: Are you a Mary or a Martha? If you have ever spent time hearing interpretations of today’s gospel passage, you probably understand the dichotomy implicit in the question. Martha, we often say, is the “active” one, rushing around, busying herself with the […]
This Feast Is for You, Maundy Thursday – 2022
[RCL] Exodus 12:1-4, (5-10), 11-14; Psalm 116:1, 10-17; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26; John 13:1-17, 31b-35 Welcome to Maundy Thursday. Welcome to the feast of God’s boundless hospitality. If you have ever been the person who was not invited to the party, this feast is for you, for all are invited here. If you have ever been […]
Bible Study: Advent 4 (C) – 2021
RCL: Micah 5:2-5a; Canticle 15 (or 3) or Psalm 80:1-7; Hebrews 10:5-10; Luke 1:39-45, (46-55) During Advent and Christmas, we will be using study prompts and other activities tied to the sermon for the week. Read the sermon aloud and follow-up with spoken responses to the two questions at the end. Find our full sermon […]
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