St. Philip Lutheran Church28 March 2021 + Palm/Passion SundayMark 14.1--15.47Rev. Josh Evans, preaching Reflection/Introduction: “I don’t even know what time means anymore,” admits one pastor in a recent essay for the Christian Century magazine. It’s not just the fact that she’s writing a reflection for a Holy Week issue in the midst of Advent to …
Continue reading The Passion According to St. Mark + Palm Sunday 2021
St. Philip Lutheran Church28 February 2021 + Lent 2BMark 8.31-38; Genesis 17.1-7, 15-16; Romans 4.13-25Rev. Josh Evans, preaching https://www.youtube.com/embed/-bx8gwMjlQs You can imagine my surprise when I came home one day to the sound of rushing water. Did a pipe burst? Had there been a break-in? Was the toilet overflowing? No. The cats had discovered how …
St. Philip Lutheran Church14 February 2021 + Transfiguration of Our LordMark 9.2-9; 2 Kings 2.1-12Rev. Josh Evans, preaching The thought of a week-long forecast of temperatures in the mid-90s - even reaching the lower 100s - seems unbearable … though maybe not altogether unwelcome on a snowy midwestern day with wind chills well below zero. …
St. Philip Lutheran Church31 January 2021 + Epiphany 4BMark 1.21-28Rev. Josh Evans, preaching What are you possessed by? The truth is we’re possessed by many things - politics, COVID, mental or physical illness, addiction, strained or broken relationships - to name a few. Some of us might feel possessed by our seemingly never-ending to-do lists, …
St. Philip Lutheran Church24 January 2021 + Epiphany 3BJonah 3.1-5, 10; Mark 1.14-20Rev. Josh Evans, preaching Fishing is dangerous work. I’m not talking about hazardous weather conditions at sea for people who make their living catching fish. No, I’m talking about when I was little, and my grandpa taught me how to fish in the …
St. Philip Lutheran Church10 January 2021 + Baptism of Our LordMark 1.4-11Rev. Josh Evans, preaching So: How are your New Year’s resolutions coming along? Have you given up yet? According to one article, studies show that nearly 80% of all resolutions will fail - many by mid-February. So if you’ve already given up, chances are …
St. Philip Lutheran Church6 December 2020 + Advent 2BIsaiah 40.1-11; Mark 1.1-8Rev. Josh Evans, preaching Punctuation matters. Maybe you’ve seen an image with these or similar words online:Let’s eat, Grandma!Let’s eat Grandma! The difference a comma makes! Meanwhile, in Isaiah 40, open one translation of the bible and read:A voice cries out: “In the wilderness …
Redeemer Lutheran Church, Hinsdale 16 September 2018 + Lectionary 24B (Pentecost 17) Mark 8.27-38 “Who do you say that I am?” It’s a deceptively simple question: “Who do you say that I am?” For as long as the Christian church has been in existence, questions about the identity of Jesus have enticed the minds of …
Lutheran Church of the Cross, Arlington Heights 22 July 2018 + Lectionary 16B (Pentecost 9) Mark 6.30-34, 53-56 What gives you rest? Maybe it’s listening to your favorite radio station or podcast on your way home from work. Or coming home to a home-cooked meal (or having a pizza delivered!) and unwinding after a stressful …
Edgebrook Lutheran Church, Chicago 1 July 2018 + Lectionary 13B (Pentecost 6) Mark 5.21-43 “Toto, I have a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore…” Those are, of course, Judy Garland’s, aka Dorothy Gale’s, famous words from The Wizard of Oz as she takes her first steps in Munchkinland. Those words have also become somewhat of …
