Outrageously (Im)possible

St. John’s Lutheran Church17 March 2024 + Lent 5bJeremiah 31:31-34; John 12:20-33Rev. Josh Evans It’s a changing and challenging world – shaped by bitter political rivalries, competing factions and parties vying for power, unrelenting wars and violence, displaced peoples fleeing persecution and oppression. In the midst of it all, Jeremiah prophesies. Jeremiah knows something of …

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A Sermon for Reformation Sunday in Times of Uncertainty

St. Philip Lutheran Church25 October 2020 + Reformation SundayJeremiah 31.31-34; Psalm 46; John 8.31-36Rev. Josh Evans, preaching Reformation Sunday strikes me a bit differently this year. Every year, we get the same texts for this day, and every year, I’m drawn to this beautiful passage from Jeremiah - a new covenant, a God who lovingly …

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Seeds of Hope, Stories of Resurrection

Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Chicago 17 March 2018 + Lent 5B Jeremiah 31.31-34; John 12.20-33 Wakanda Forever! (Not to be confused with the Illinois suburb, Wauconda.) It’s the rallying cry of a remote African nation at the heart of the recent theatrical blockbuster Black Panther. Theirs is a civilization technologically advanced beyond that of any …

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That time I preached about the Reformation during Advent…

Sermon for ML 403 Preaching Lab Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago 1 December 2015 Jeremiah 31.31-34 (Reformation Day) [With thanks to fellow ML 403 student Analyse Triolo for the recording!] When I was handed the little slip of paper for my final preaching text, I honestly anticipated what feast or festival I would be …

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