+ Preached at our joint ecumenical Easter sunrise vigil with Holy Family Parish (Roman Catholic) in the park + Augustana Lutheran Church 16 April 2017 + Resurrection of Our Lord John 20.1-18 Kate Braestrup is a chaplain for the Maine Warden Service. In addition to enforcing the state’s fish and wildlife laws, the game wardens …
Augustana Lutheran Church 13 April 2017 + Maundy Thursday John 13.1-17, 31b-35 Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. Jesus went out with his disciples to a place where there was a garden… Now Judas, who betrayed him, also knew the place… So he brought a detachment of …
Continue reading He Loved Them to the End: A Homily for Maundy Thursday
Preacher's Note: I encourage you to watch the video below in its entirety, especially if "Sunday of the Passion" (instead of simply "Palm Sunday") is new to you. In the Lutheran tradition, as well as that of our many ecumenical partners, while we begin this day with a festive palm procession proclaiming "Hosanna! Blessed is …
Preacher's Editorial Note: I have the privilege of serving a Reconciling in Christ (RIC) congregation, meaning they have made the decision to be intentionally welcoming and affirming of the diversity of God's people, particularly those in the LGBTQ+ community. When I was looking for an internship site, it was important both to me and to the …
Augustana Lutheran Church 1 March 2017 + Ash Wednesday Matthew 6.1-6, 16-21 Ash Wednesday is a curious thing, isn’t it? First, we hear a gospel text that begins with a warning against practicing our piety before others, urging us instead to give alms, pray, and fast in secret. And then we proceed to dab our …
Continue reading A Sermon for Ash Wednesday about Being Human
Augustana Lutheran Church 26 February 2017 + Transfiguration of Our Lord Matthew 17.1-19 Vicar Josh Evans I have a confession to make: I hate the Transfiguration. Or maybe more to the point, I hate it because it seems so hard to grasp and to make any possible meaning out of it. But I love what …
Continue reading A Sermon for a Faith Grounded in Mystical Experience
Augustana Lutheran Church 5 February 2017 + Fifth Sunday after Epiphany (Lectionary 5A) Matthew 5.13-20 Now with video! You are the light of the world! You are the salt of the earth! It’s almost impossible not to break into a song from Godspell when you hear these words. (It’s stuck in your head now, isn’t …
Augustana Lutheran Church 22 January 2017 + Third Sunday after Epiphany (Lectionary 3A) Matthew 4.12-23 How are your New Year’s resolutions going? I won’t make us do a show of hands (though that would be kind of fun), but I’m willing to bet most of us who made some sort of resolution for 2017 will …
Continue reading A Sermon about Change and Being Called as Dearly Beloved Disciples
...which started out as a Facebook post that became a wee bit too long. The first class I took in seminary was The Theology of Martin Luther King, Jr. I learned so much in that class -- from readings from King, from classmates, and of course from the brilliant Dr. Pete Pero. One of our …
Augustana Lutheran Church 8 January 2017 + Baptism of Our Lord Matthew 3.13-17 I confess that, as of late, I have become obsessed with Snapchat. I normally consider myself to be pretty tech- and social media-savvy, but it was only a few months ago that a friend introduced me to this app. I have quickly …
Pastor Josh Evans 