This weekend, I was invited to preach at my home congregation, Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Chicago. I also had the unique opportunity to preach alongside my good friend and seminary colleague Analyse Triolo. The video below, courtesy of Analyse, is from Sunday morning's version, though we also preached at the Saturday night liturgy in the …
Continue reading A Sermon about Faith, Community, and Subverting Boundaries
Grace Lutheran Church 1 May 2016 + Sixth Sunday of Easter (Year C) Acts 16.9-15; John 14.23-29 Have you ever been lost? No, I don’t mean lost in the spiritual, “Amazing Grace” sense of the word: “I once was lost but now am found, was blind but now I see.” I mean lost like you’re …
Continue reading A Sermon about the Call of the Holy Siri and Being Rerouted
'Tis the season...for endorsement essay writing! (Okay, so it's not as festive as Christmas, but I tried.) Today, a couple of fellow seminary students asked for some advice in writing their essays, and so I offer my own endorsement essay as an example. I offer this to my colleagues who follow me in the ELCA candidacy …
Grace Lutheran Church 3 April 2016 + Second Sunday of Easter (Year C) John 20.(1-18), 19-31 Alleluia! Christ is risen! A reading from Craigslist: “Wednesday afternoon blue line (towards O’Hare)—We made eye contact a few times during the ride. Would love to get to know you better. Let me know what you were wearing/where you …
Continue reading Missed Connections: A Sermon for the Second Sunday of Easter
Grace Lutheran Church 7 February 2016 + Transfiguration of Our Lord Luke 9.28-43 After about a month and a half of vacation time, I am very pleased to be back among you this morning and preaching no less on this feast day of the Transfiguration of Our Lord. I spent most of the holiday season …
Continue reading A Sermon for Transfiguration Sunday in Which I Quote Doctor Who
Every year, the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols from King's College in Cambridge features a new carol commissioned for the Christmas Eve service. This year, Hungarian poet George Szirtes's poem "The Flight," inspired by the plight of refugees trying to make their way to Europe, was set to music by Richard Causton. (Lyrics and link …
On this second day of Christmas, I offer the following reflection on St. Stephen's Day, originally written for Fling Wide the Doors, the 2014-2015 Advent and Christmastide devotional by the community of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Chicago. Stephen's story is recorded in the book of Acts. He was appointed as one of the first deacons of …
[Essentially a rehash of my second sermon for preaching lab, found here. But listen to this one first. It's better, I promise.] Grace Lutheran Church 13 December 2015 + Advent 3C Philippians 4.4-7 I hate to break it to you, but you realize that we’re now less than two weeks away from Christmas, right? If …
Sermon for ML 403 Preaching Lab Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago 1 December 2015 Jeremiah 31.31-34 (Reformation Day) [With thanks to fellow ML 403 student Analyse Triolo for the recording!] When I was handed the little slip of paper for my final preaching text, I honestly anticipated what feast or festival I would be …
Continue reading That time I preached about the Reformation during Advent…
Grace Lutheran Church 15 November 2015 + Pentecost 25B Mark 13.1-8 As part of their Military Voices Initiative to commemorate Veterans Day this past week, the popular NPR podcast StoryCorps featured a video about Marine Lance Corporal Travis Williams and his squad. Travis tells the story of when he and his team were sent on …
Pastor Josh Evans 