St. John’s Lutheran ChurchAlbany, New York2 February 2025 + Presentation of Our LordLuke 2:22-40; Malachi 3:1-4Rev. Josh Evans They came, as called, according to the Law.Though they were poor and had to keep things simple,They moved in grace, in quietness, in awe,For God was coming with them to his temple.Amidst the outer court’s commercial bustleThey’d …
St. John’s Lutheran Church12 November 2023 + Lect. 32a (24 Pentecost)Third Sunday before AdventMatthew 25:1-13Rev. Josh Evans There are two types of people this time of year: those who already have Christmas music resounding from their radios – and those who hate joy. Okay, maybe that’s a little extreme, but what’s life without a little …
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 Church13 December 2020 + Advent 3BJohn 1.6-8, 19-28Rev. Josh Evans, preaching I admit it: I’m one of those people who puts up their Christmas decorations as soon as the last trick-or-treater leaves my front door. Christmas lights especially may be one of the things I love most about this time of year. …
Unity Lutheran Church + Cross of Life Campus9 February 2020 + Epiphany 5 / Lectionary 5AMatthew 5.13-20Rev. Josh Evans, preaching “Listen, my children, and you shall hearOf the midnight ride of ___ [Paul Revere].” So begins Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s famous poem depicting the night that ignited the American Revolution. With Boston under British occupation, threatening …
Continue reading What Paul Revere, Motel 6, and Harriet Tubman Have in Common
Note: An edited version of this reflection appears in the January 2020 issue of the UNITY Lutheran Church newsletter. As I write this article, I’m sitting in my apartment, in near-total darkness, except for the glow of the lights on my Christmas tree and two other strands of lights I have hanging around my front …
Unity Lutheran Church + Cross of Life Campus29 December 2019 + Christmas 1John 1.1-14 (Nativity III)Rev. Josh Evans, preaching When I was in college, I worked for about a year as a student campus security officer. In hindsight, even a student job in public safety wasn’t the wisest choice for me, as someone who is …
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 …
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 …
A sermon about darkness and God's presence that I preached at the interfaith service at my CPE site
Pastor Josh Evans 