St. John’s Lutheran ChurchAlbany, New York14 December 2025 + The Sixth Sunday of Advent(Advent 3a)Luke 1:46b-55 [1 Samuel 2:1-10; Psalm 146:5-10]The Rev. Josh Evans Stories of conception and birth abound,not merely at Advent and Christmas,but throughout the Scriptures.In this way, Jesus‘ conception and birth story appears not out of nowhere,but against the backdrop of a …
St. John’s Lutheran ChurchAlbany, New York7 December 2025 + The Fifth Sunday of Advent(Advent 2a)Matthew 3:1-12; Isaiah 11:1-10The Rev. 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 …
St. John’s Lutheran ChurchAlbany, New York30 November 2025 + The Fourth Sunday of Advent(Advent 1a)Matthew 24:36-44The Rev. Josh Evans For the second year in a row,we at St. John’s, along with an array of other churches across denominations,have been observing an extended Advent seasonof not just the traditional four weeksbut also the three weeks prior.After …
St. John’s Lutheran ChurchAlbany, New York23 November 2025 + The Third Sunday of Advent: Christ the King(Proper 29c / Lectionary 34c)Luke 23:33-43The Rev. Josh Evans “Something has changed within me.Something is not the same.I’m through with playing by the rulesof someone else’s game.” Happy Wicked weekendto all who celebrate.Did I see it immediately on opening …
St. John’s Lutheran ChurchAlbany, New York16 November 2025 + The Second Sunday of Advent(Proper 28c / Lectionary 33c)Luke 21:5-19The Rev. Josh Evans In biblical studies,when approaching any passage of scripture,we can speak of the three “worlds” of the text. There is the world of the text –the story on the page,what is happening,who is involved,what …
Continue reading A Sermon for When It Feels Like the World Is Ending
St. John’s Lutheran ChurchAlbany, New York9 November 2025 + The First Sunday of Advent(Proper 27c / Lectionary 32c)Luke 20:27-38The Rev. Josh Evans Whose wife is she anyway?It’s such a bizarre question –not to mention steeped in patriarchy and misogyny,as though this woman’s only defining characteristicsare her marriages (all seven of them),not to mention her childlessness. …
St. John’s Lutheran ChurchAlbany, New York2 November 2025 + All Saints SundayLuke 6:20-31The Rev. Josh Evans Tucked away on a college campusjust outside of South Bend, Indiana,is a small, unassuming room,in the otherwise cavernous and awe-inspiring Basilica of the Sacred Heartat the University of Notre Dame –the Reliquary Chapel –home to over 1600 relicsfrom nearly …
St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, Albany, NY26 October 2025 + Twentieth Sunday after PentecostProper 25 / Lectionary 30cLuke 18:9-14The Rev. Josh Evans (Jump ahead to 23:05 for the beginning of the sermon this week.) I have a confession:I hate stewardship sermons. (How’s that for an intro from the guest preacherbrought here specifically for your stewardship campaign?) …
St. John’s Lutheran ChurchAlbany, New York19 October 2025 + Nineteenth Sunday after PentecostProper 24 / Lectionary 29cGenesis 32:22-31; Luke 18:1-8The Rev. Josh Evans It’s perhaps one of the most relatable memesthat I’ve ever come across –a simple felt letterboard with the message: ADULTHOODIS SAYING“BUT AFTER THISWEEK THINGS WILLSLOW DOWN A BIT”OVER & OVERUNTIL YOU DIE. …
St. John’s Lutheran ChurchAlbany, New York12 October 2025 + Eighteenth Sunday after PentecostProper 23 / Lectionary 28cLuke 17:11-19The Rev. Josh Evans We don’t like to imagine a racist, xenophobic Jesus –and that’s probably not what’s going on here,though it’s always hard to convey tone in the written word, isn’t it? It’s a challenging question to …
Pastor Josh Evans 