St. John’s Lutheran ChurchAlbany, New York1 December 2024 + Advent 4 (Advent 1c)Luke 21:25-36Rev. Josh Evans Hope. We throw that word around a lot, don’t we?“I hope it snows!” (“I hope it doesn’t!”)“I hope we have pizza for dinner!”“I hope the Bills win!” That kind of hope, while indeed expressing a real desire for something, …
St. John’s Lutheran ChurchAlbany, New York18 August 2024 + Mary, Mother of Our LordLuke 1:46-55Rev. Josh Evans Maybe you saw it –the Opening Ceremonies –as the 2024 Summer Olympics kicked off in Paris,just a few short weeks ago. Maybe you marveledat the spectacle and the grandeur of it all. Maybe you saw the almost immediate …
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 Church23 April 2023 + Easter 3aLuke 24.13-35Rev. Josh Evans They could not have been a more different or mismatched pair. One was a socially awkward, insecure loner and compulsive liar, desperate to make a best friend. The other: a devout, eager, and ambitious, if not a tad pompous, self-imagined prodigy, ready to …
St. Philip Lutheran Church24 December 2022 + Nativity of Our LordLuke 2.1-20Rev. Josh Evans This is now my third Christmas at St. Philip. In 2020, our sanctuary had been transformed into a film studio, as we recorded our Christmas Eve service, piece-by-piece, on December 22, with only the liturgical “actors” and our production team for …
St. Philip Lutheran Church20 November 2022 + Christ the KingLuke 23.33-43Rev. Josh Evans Every hymn has a story. Paul Westermeyer tells the story of one of my favorite hymns, “Holy God, Holy and Glorious,” in his Hymnal Companion commentary on Evangelical Lutheran Worship. In her own words, as Westermeyer’s commentary quotes, Lutheran pastor and hymn-writer …
St. Philip Lutheran Church13 November 2022 + Lectionary 33cLuke 21.5-19; Mal. 4.1-2a; 2 Thess. 3.6-13Rev. Josh Evans 295. That’s the number of photos I took of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City just over five years ago. 0. That’s the number of photos of the Cathedral of St. John the …
St. Philip Lutheran Church6 November 2022 + All SaintsLuke 6.20-31Rev. Josh Evans As you walk into the Basilica of the Sacred Heart on the campus of the University of Notre Dame, the view is awe-inspiring: cavernous ceilings adorned with painted frescoes of angels … brightly colored stained glass windows … a magnificent organ with thousands …
St. Philip Lutheran Church30 October 2022 + Lect. 31c (Reformation)Luke 19.1-10Rev. Josh Evans You never quite know what to expect when you get called into the principal’s office or asked by your teacher to stay behind after class, but it’s not usually good news. When I was in seminary, I got “invited” to my preaching …
St. Philip Lutheran Church23 October 2022 + Lect. 30c (Pentecost 20)Luke 18.9-14Rev. Josh Evans Every Sunday, the service began with a medley of songs led by the band. As the final song concluded, the worship leader would welcome the congregation, often following the formula of “whether you are ____ or ____.” Gay or straight. Lifelong …
Pastor Josh Evans 