St. John’s Lutheran ChurchAlbany, New York30 August 2026 + The Fourteenth Sunday after PentecostProper 17 / Lectionary 22aMatthew 16:21-28; Romans 12:9-21The Rev. Josh Evans How could Peter have gotten it so rightand then, in the next breath, so wrong? Peter’s stunning confessionand then his spectacular failure in the face of Jesus’ harsh rebukeare actually not …
St. John’s Lutheran ChurchAlbany, New York9 August 2026 + The Eleventh Sunday after PentecostProper 14 / Lectionary 19aMatthew 14:22-33The Rev. Josh Evans It would be easy to turn this storyinto a mere object lessonwith Peter at the center:Peter who sinks,Peter who doubts,Peter of “little faith,”too little faith,not enough faith. In summary:Don’t be like Peter.Have more …
St. John’s Lutheran ChurchAlbany, New York9 February 2025 + Lectionary 5cIsaiah 6:1-13; Psalm 138; 1 Corinthians 15:1-11; Luke 5:1-11Rev. Josh Evans It’s been over a decade now,but I remember it like it was yesterday: I was at a small group leaders’ retreat for Urban Village Church in Chicago, where I had been attending during the …
St. John’s Lutheran Church25 February 2024 + Lent 2bMark 8:31-38; Gen. 17:1-7, 15-16Rev. Josh Evans Life is messy … so why would we expect the life of faith to be any different? Abraham, later exalted by Paul as the pinnacle of faith, was far from perfect. From the beginning of his call, when he was …
St. Philip Lutheran Church19 February 2023 + Transfiguration of Our LordMatthew 17.1-9Rev. Josh Evans It’s tempting to want to stay in certain moments. No one wants to think about packing up on the last day of a dream vacation – the last poolside breakfast on the brightest, sunniest day before heading back home, probably to …
St. Philip Lutheran Church17 April 2022 + Resurrection of Our LordLuke 24.1-12Rev. Josh Evans The women stood by Jesus until the very end. They saw everything – the trial, the crucifixion, the death. They watched as his body was laid in the tomb, paying careful attention, so that they could come back with their spices …
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 Church30 August 2020 + Lectionary 22AMatthew 16.21-28Rev. Josh Evans, preaching You’ve heard it said: “One person’s trash is another person’s treasure.” It’s the rallying cry of thrift store connoisseurs and garage sale aficionados. I’ve been to enough of them myself to know. If that’s true, then the opposite must also be true: …
Continue reading A Sermon about Rocks, Stumbling Blocks, and Rejecting Racism
St. Philip Lutheran Church23 August 2020 + Lectionary 21AMatthew 16.13-20; Isaiah 51.1-6; Romans 12.1-8Rev. Josh Evans, preaching I was terrified … and desperately trying to figure out any excuse to say no. I had only been attending this new church for a matter of months. Every week, the pattern of the liturgy was the same: …
Pastor Josh Evans 