St. Philip Lutheran Church4 December 2022 + Advent 2aMatt. 3.1-12; Isa. 11.1-10Rev. 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 suggest for your holiday …
St. Philip Lutheran Church27 November 2022 + Advent 1aMatt. 24.36-44; Isa. 2.1-5; Rom. 13.11-14Rev. Josh Evans There are two types of people: First, there’s the type of person who, at the stroke of midnight on November 1, instantly changes out the carved pumpkins for a brightly lit and spectacularly trimmed Christmas tree, usually while belting …
St. Philip Lutheran Church7 August 2022 + Lect. 19c (Pentecost 9)Isaiah 1.1, 10-20; Luke 12.32-40Rev. Josh Evans Some YouTube videos just speak to you, you know? One of my favorites – aptly titled “[Stuff] Pastors Say (When Writing Sermons)” – hits particularly close to home. As the video opens to the preacher sitting in front …
St. Philip Lutheran Church6 December 2020 + Advent 2BIsaiah 40.1-11; Mark 1.1-8Rev. Josh Evans, preaching Punctuation matters. Maybe you’ve seen an image with these or similar words online:Let’s eat, Grandma!Let’s eat Grandma! The difference a comma makes! Meanwhile, in Isaiah 40, open one translation of the bible and read:A voice cries out: “In the wilderness …
St. Philip Lutheran Church23 August 2020 + Lectionary 21AMatthew 16.13-20; Isaiah 51.1-6; Romans 12.1-8Rev. Josh Evans, preaching I was terrified … and desperately trying to figure out any excuse to say no. I had only been attending this new church for a matter of months. Every week, the pattern of the liturgy was the same: …
Unity Lutheran Church + Christ the King Campus8 December 2019 + Blue ChristmasMatthew 3.1-12, 11.2-11; Isaiah 35.1-10Rev. Josh Evans, preaching In this morning’s gospel reading for the Second Sunday of Advent, we heard the voice in the wilderness crying: John the Baptist’s bold call to repentance, to prepare the way of the Lord, to make …
Unity Lutheran Church + Cross of Life Campus8 December 2019 + Advent 2AMatthew 3.1-12; Isaiah 11.1-10Rev. Josh Evans, preaching I have an idea: John the Baptist themed Christmas cards! Picture it: A brightly colored picture of John on the cover, dressed in his best camel’s hair outfit, holding a baggie of fresh locusts, just in …
Unity Lutheran Church + Christ the King Campus1 December 2019 + Advent 1AIsaiah 2.1-5; Matthew 24.36-44Rev. Josh Evans, preaching It feels hard to believe, but exactly one year ago on this day, December 1, I was ordained as a pastor into the ministry of Word and Sacrament in the ELCA. My ordination took place at …
Unity Lutheran Church + Christ the King Campus24 March 2019 + Third Sunday in LentIsaiah 55.1-9Rev. Josh Evans, preaching So there we were: hiking through the Badlands National Park in South Dakota. This was one of many summer vacation trips my dad and I took when I was growing up. One year took us all …
Unity Lutheran Church + Christ the King Campus10 February 2019 + Fifth Sunday after Epiphany (Lectionary 5C)Luke 5.1-11; Isaiah 6.1-8Rev. Josh Evans, preaching When I was growing up, my grandparents had a large pond in their backyard, and my grandpa was fond of catch-and-release fishing — a hobby he tried to get me into. I …
Continue reading Into the Deep: A Sermon for the Fifth Sunday after Epiphany
Pastor Josh Evans 