St. Philip Lutheran Church22 January 2023 + Lectionary 3a (Epiphany 3)Matthew 4.12-23Rev. Josh Evans Dreams are fascinating. According to sleep experts, our dreams can serve a variety of purposes: everything from helping us to process our emotions or recent events … to incidental brain activity that has no real purpose or meaning. Most people dream …
St. Philip Lutheran Church25 September 2022 + Lect. 26c (Pentecost 16)Luke 16.19-31Rev. Josh Evans Very few things will get me out of bed at 4:30 in the morning: A fire alarm.A sudden crash of thunder as intense as though lightning struck my own roof.My cats knocking something over in the next room. This past Monday, …
Continue reading A Sermon about the Reign of God (and Queen Elizabeth)
St. Philip Lutheran Church18 September 2022 + Lect. 25c (Pentecost 15)Luke 16.1-13Rev. Josh Evans After a money laundering scheme for a Mexican drug cartel goes wrong, the Byrde family suddenly finds their lives uprooted – as they relocate from their comfortable home in Chicago to a new life in the Lake of the Ozarks. By …
St. Philip Lutheran Church11 October 2020 + Lectionary 28AMatthew 22.1-14Rev. Josh Evans, preaching During sophomore year at Lutheran High School North, part of our curriculum included a New Testament class. When it came to parables, we would be taught how to “interpret” them - which meant, more or less, assigning real-life roles to the various …
Continue reading A Sermon about Being Cast Out (and Where God Is)
St. Philip Lutheran Church27 September 2020 + Lectionary 26AMatthew 21.23-32; Ezekiel 18.1-4, 25-32Rev. Josh Evans, preaching So you think you’ve got it all figured out? Think again. The proverb that stands at the beginning of our reading from Ezekiel was a common understanding of justice: The children will pay for the sins of their parents, …
Lutheran Church of the Cross, Arlington Heights 17 June 2018 + Lectionary 11B (Pentecost 4) Mark 4.26-34 When I was growing up, I remember this giant turquoise planter in my grandma’s backyard, nestled right in the corner of the fence. Every year, it would blossom into the most gorgeous morning glories. They never just grew …
Continue reading A Sermon about How the Kingdom of God Is Like an Invasive Species
Pastor Josh Evans 