St. John’s Lutheran ChurchAlbany, New York8 November 2026 + The First Sunday of AdventProper 27 / Lectionary 32aMatthew 25:1-13The Rev. Josh Evans https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVgMxYSXVs0 Advent comes with a wake-up call,a door slammed shut,and selfish hoarding of oil. Or at least that’s how this parable appearsat first glance. Even before anything happens,already the young women are divided …
St. John’s Lutheran ChurchAlbany, New York14 December 2025 + The Sixth Sunday of Advent(Advent 3a)Luke 1:46b-55 [1 Samuel 2:1-10; Psalm 146:5-10]The Rev. Josh Evans Stories of conception and birth abound,not merely at Advent and Christmas,but throughout the Scriptures.In this way, Jesus‘ conception and birth story appears not out of nowhere,but against the backdrop of a …
St. John’s Lutheran ChurchAlbany, New York7 December 2025 + The Fifth Sunday of Advent(Advent 2a)Matthew 3:1-12; Isaiah 11:1-10The Rev. Josh Evans In the midst of all the holiday preparations this time of year,it’s not difficult to get lost in all the things to be done.So, to make at least one thing easier to prepare,might I …
St. John’s Lutheran ChurchAlbany, New York30 November 2025 + The Fourth Sunday of Advent(Advent 1a)Matthew 24:36-44The Rev. Josh Evans For the second year in a row,we at St. John’s, along with an array of other churches across denominations,have been observing an extended Advent seasonof not just the traditional four weeksbut also the three weeks prior.After …
St. John’s Lutheran ChurchAlbany, New York23 November 2025 + The Third Sunday of Advent: Christ the King(Proper 29c / Lectionary 34c)Luke 23:33-43The Rev. Josh Evans “Something has changed within me.Something is not the same.I’m through with playing by the rulesof someone else’s game.” Happy Wicked weekendto all who celebrate.Did I see it immediately on opening …
St. John’s Lutheran ChurchAlbany, New York16 November 2025 + The Second Sunday of Advent(Proper 28c / Lectionary 33c)Luke 21:5-19The Rev. Josh Evans In biblical studies,when approaching any passage of scripture,we can speak of the three “worlds” of the text. There is the world of the text –the story on the page,what is happening,who is involved,what …
Continue reading A Sermon for When It Feels Like the World Is Ending
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 Church24 December 2023 + Advent 4bLuke 1:46b-55Rev. Josh Evans Between two concerts, Beer & Carols, and a Festival of Nine Lessons & Carols, it’s been a very musical week. It started a week ago Saturday, when I had the opportunity to attend Joy & Harmony, the Albany Gay Men’s Chorus holiday concert, …
St. John’s Lutheran Church10 December 2023 + Advent 2bMark 1:1-8Rev. Josh Evans The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God … starts … in the wilderness. Not in a stately palace, fit for a king. Not in Rome, the seat of imperial power. Not even in a house where everything …
St. John’s Lutheran Church26 November 2023 + Christ the KingLast Sunday before AdventMatthew 25:31-46Rev. Josh Evans INTRODUCTION: Keeping Time We keep time in different ways. Most of us keep time according to the calendar year, January through December. Anyone connected to academia keeps time according to the school year, roughly Labor Day through Memorial Day. …
Continue reading (Church) Year in Review: A Sermon-Hymn Sing for Christ the King
