St. John’s Lutheran ChurchAlbany, New York9 November 2025 + The First Sunday of Advent(Proper 27c / Lectionary 32c)Luke 20:27-38The Rev. Josh Evans Whose wife is she anyway?It’s such a bizarre question –not to mention steeped in patriarchy and misogyny,as though this woman’s only defining characteristicsare her marriages (all seven of them),not to mention her childlessness. …
St. John’s Lutheran ChurchAlbany, New York2 November 2025 + All Saints SundayLuke 6:20-31The Rev. Josh Evans Tucked away on a college campusjust outside of South Bend, Indiana,is a small, unassuming room,in the otherwise cavernous and awe-inspiring Basilica of the Sacred Heartat the University of Notre Dame –the Reliquary Chapel –home to over 1600 relicsfrom nearly …
St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, Albany, NY26 October 2025 + Twentieth Sunday after PentecostProper 25 / Lectionary 30cLuke 18:9-14The Rev. Josh Evans (Jump ahead to 23:05 for the beginning of the sermon this week.) I have a confession:I hate stewardship sermons. (How’s that for an intro from the guest preacherbrought here specifically for your stewardship campaign?) …
St. John’s Lutheran ChurchAlbany, New York19 October 2025 + Nineteenth Sunday after PentecostProper 24 / Lectionary 29cGenesis 32:22-31; Luke 18:1-8The Rev. Josh Evans It’s perhaps one of the most relatable memesthat I’ve ever come across –a simple felt letterboard with the message: ADULTHOODIS SAYING“BUT AFTER THISWEEK THINGS WILLSLOW DOWN A BIT”OVER & OVERUNTIL YOU DIE. …
St. John’s Lutheran ChurchAlbany, New York12 October 2025 + Eighteenth Sunday after PentecostProper 23 / Lectionary 28cLuke 17:11-19The Rev. Josh Evans We don’t like to imagine a racist, xenophobic Jesus –and that’s probably not what’s going on here,though it’s always hard to convey tone in the written word, isn’t it? It’s a challenging question to …
St. John’s Lutheran ChurchAlbany, New York28 September 2025 + Sixteenth Sunday after PentecostProper 21 / Lectionary 26cLuke 16:19-31The Rev. Josh Evans This is an uncomfortable gospel. For Lazarus:who in life was economically destitute,covered with painful sores,without even a crumb to eat,the hunger pangs gnawing away inside of him,overlooked and passed by,with only the feral dogs …
St. John’s Lutheran ChurchAlbany, New York7 September 2025 + Thirteenth Sunday after PentecostProper 18 / Lectionary 23cLuke 14:25-33The Rev. Josh Evans Did Jesus really just say that? “Whoever…does not hate father and mother,wife and children,brothers and sisters,yes, and even life itself,cannot be my disciple.” Is this really the same Jesuswho heals the sick,mingles with outcasts,and …
St. John’s Lutheran ChurchAlbany, New York31 August 2025 + Twelfth Sunday after PentecostProper 17 / Lectionary 22cLuke 14:1, 7-14The Rev. Josh Evans A place for everything,and everything in its place. It’s so simple,so proverb-like,so beautiful of a sentiment.Words to live by. It’s no secret that I like things neatly organized.If we had projection screens in …
St. John’s Lutheran ChurchAlbany, New York24 August 2025 + Eleventh Sunday after PentecostProper 16 / Lectionary 21cLuke 13:10-17The Rev. Josh Evans [Content Note: This sermon includes a mention of suicide and mental illness.] *** No one likes being ignored,made to feel unimportant,or worse – invisible. This woman – unnamed as so often women are in …
St. John’s Lutheran ChurchAlbany, New York10 August 2025 + Ninth Sunday after PentecostProper 14 / Lectionary 19cLuke 12:32-40The Rev. Josh Evans Three years ago,I decided to shake things up in worship.That summer, while I was still in my previous call,I opted for the alternate set of first readings –sometimes called the “semi-continuous” first readingsfor the …
Pastor Josh Evans 