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
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 …
First Lutheran Church of Avoca 1 January 2017 + Name of Jesus Luke 2.15-21 Well, it’s finally over. 2016. It’s been quite a year. An understatement if ever there was one. I’m sure I was not alone last night in watching the ball drop in Times Square as we said “good riddance!” to the past …
Continue reading A Sermon for the New Year on the Feast of the Name of Jesus
Preacher's note: This is a sermon for which you'll want to listen along, as there are audio elements not included in the manuscript. Augustana Lutheran Church 25 December 2016 + Nativity of Our Lord (Christmas Day) John 1.1-14 In the beginning— no, before the beginning— before the beginning when God sat alone in the murky …
Continue reading In the Beginning: A Homily, in Verse, for the Nativity of Our Lord
Lord of Love Lutheran Church 18 December 2016 + Fourth Sunday of Advent Isaiah 7.10-16; Matthew 1.18-25 Our first gospel text of Advent brought us a cheery end-of-the-world wake-up call, filled with images of rapture and thieves and catastrophic floods. Then we met the homely locust-eating, camel hair-wearing, name-calling John the Baptist and his brash …
Continue reading A Sermon about How Immanuel Has Nothing (and everything) to Do with Jesus
Lutheran Campus Ministry / Creighton University 11 December 2016 + Third Sunday of Advent Matthew 11.2-11; Isaiah 35.1-10 He had been so sure, so confident, so certain. He proclaimed a bold message of repentance and the dawning of the messianic age: Repent! For the reign of heaven has come near! One who is more powerful …
Continue reading A Blue Christmas Sermon for the Third Sunday of Advent
Pastor Josh Evans 