You would’ve thought I had asked if Jesus was the Son of God or not. Earlier this week, I posed a simple poll on Facebook to my fellow Lutherans: This weekend, my congregation is observing: 👍 The Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost(and we’re staying green) ❤️ Reformation Sunday(and we’re going red) Please react appropriately. The reactions …
Continue reading Celebrating Reformation Sunday by Not Celebrating Reformation Sunday
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 Church5 June 2022 + Day of PentecostActs 2.1-21Rev. Josh Evans [Disclaimer: This sermon is going to be interactive, and in a few minutes, I’m going to invite you to share briefly with someone you’re sitting next to. You’ve been warned.] They were all together in one place. For the past 36 hours, …
Continue reading A Sermon about How the Holy Spirit Shows Up
St. Philip Lutheran Church15 August 2021 + Mary, Mother of Our LordLuke 1.46-55Rev. Josh Evans, preaching Hail, Mary, full of grace,the Lord is with thee.Blessed art thou amongst womenand blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.Holy Mary, Mother of God,pray for us sinners,now and at the hour of our death. Amen. You could say …
St. Philip Lutheran Church17 February 2021 + Ash WednesdayMatthew 6.1-6, 16-21; Joel 2.1-2, 12-17Rev. Josh Evans, preaching “Ashes and anguish” - reads part of the headline of a recent article in the Los Angeles Times, chronicling the impact of the pandemic on local crematoriums. While the practice of cremation has gained increasing popularity and wider …
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 …
Continue reading A Sermon for Reformation Sunday in Times of Uncertainty
Unity Lutheran Church + Cross of Life Campus27 October 2019 + Reformation SundayJohn 8.31-36; Jeremiah 31.31-34Rev. Josh Evans, preaching When I was growing up, my dad so tried to get me into sports, bless his heart. But one piece of sports wisdom he shared that actually stuck with me: Root for your team, not against …
Augustana Lutheran Church 30 October 2016 + Reformation Sunday John 8.31-36 There are more than a few one-liners peppered through the Bible—single verses plucked out for their pithy expression of some essential theological truth. Today we encounter one such one-liner: “[Then] you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” The problem, …
Continue reading A Sermon about Being a Church That Is Always Reforming
Augustana Lutheran Church 23 October 2016 + Lectionary 30C Luke 18.9-14 Music permeates our culture. How many times have we caught ourselves singing along (some of us admittedly more poorly than others) to the radio in the car or in the shower? It’s simply hard to imagine life without music. It’s hard, too, to imagine …
This is the first sermon preached at my internship site. Click here and here to learn more about the congregation I will be serving for the next year in the city of Omaha, Nebraska. Augustana Lutheran Church 17 July 2016 + Lectionary 16C Luke 10.38-42 It’s been a hard couple of weeks. I’ve found …
Continue reading A Sermon about Listening and What It Means to Be a Disciple
Pastor Josh Evans 