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
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
