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 Church8 January 2023 + Baptism of Our LordMatthew 3.13-17Rev. Josh Evans It started off as an assignment from his therapist: a letter to himself. Dear Evan Hansen,Today is going to be an amazing day. Because today all you have to do is just be yourself. But for Evan, in the Broadway musical …
St. Philip Lutheran Church18 December 2022 + Advent 4aMatthew 1.18-25Rev. Josh Evans The new chapel was magnificent and nearly perfect in every way … except for one tiny problem: There was no way to access the choir loft. In 1850, when the Catholic bishop of the territory of New Mexico issued a plea for a …
St. Philip Lutheran Church11 December 2022 + Advent 3aMatthew 11.2-11Rev. Josh Evans What do you hear? What do you see? The carols are ringing.The lights are shining.The smell of Christmas cookies and pies wafts through the air.And this morning, we light the rose-colored candle on our Advent wreath, representing joy. What do you hear? What …
St. Philip Lutheran Church4 December 2022 + Advent 2aMatt. 3.1-12; Isa. 11.1-10Rev. Josh Evans In the midst of all the holiday preparations this time of year, it’s not difficult to get lost in all the things to be done. So, to make at least one thing easier to prepare, might I suggest for your holiday …
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 Church2 March 2022 + Ash WednesdayJoel 2:1-2, 12-17; Psalm 51:1-17; Matt. 6:1-6, 16-21Rev. Josh Evans I had become the very thing I usually crossed the street to avoid. I had become … a street preacher. Well, kind of. It was my first Lent with a new church plant in Chicago, and on …
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 Church15 November 2020 + Lectionary 33AMatthew 25.14-30Rev. Josh Evans, preaching #2020. It’s become a bit of a trope for the past year. Something bad happens? Pin it on 2020. The year that always makes us wonder, “What will happen next?” 2020 has certainly kept us on our toes, hasn’t it? Maybe 2020 …
St. Philip Lutheran Church1 November 2020 + All Saints DayMatthew 5.1-12Rev. Josh Evans, preaching Eric Garner.Mike Brown.Tamir Rice.Freddie Gray.George Floyd. Most of us have probably heard those names before. You might even be able to link them to a particular city. These are the names of just a few of the black men who have …
Continue reading Saying Their Names – A Sermon for All Saints
Pastor Josh Evans 