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 Church20 November 2022 + Christ the KingLuke 23.33-43Rev. Josh Evans Every hymn has a story. Paul Westermeyer tells the story of one of my favorite hymns, “Holy God, Holy and Glorious,” in his Hymnal Companion commentary on Evangelical Lutheran Worship. In her own words, as Westermeyer’s commentary quotes, Lutheran pastor and hymn-writer …
St. Philip Lutheran Church13 November 2022 + Lectionary 33cLuke 21.5-19; Mal. 4.1-2a; 2 Thess. 3.6-13Rev. Josh Evans 295. That’s the number of photos I took of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City just over five years ago. 0. That’s the number of photos of the Cathedral of St. John the …
St. Philip Lutheran Church6 November 2022 + All SaintsLuke 6.20-31Rev. Josh Evans As you walk into the Basilica of the Sacred Heart on the campus of the University of Notre Dame, the view is awe-inspiring: cavernous ceilings adorned with painted frescoes of angels … brightly colored stained glass windows … a magnificent organ with thousands …
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 Church23 October 2022 + Lect. 30c (Pentecost 20)Luke 18.9-14Rev. Josh Evans Every Sunday, the service began with a medley of songs led by the band. As the final song concluded, the worship leader would welcome the congregation, often following the formula of “whether you are ____ or ____.” Gay or straight. Lifelong …
St. Philip Lutheran Church16 October 2022 + Lect. 29c (Pentecost 19)Genesis 32.22-31Rev. Josh Evans When I sat down at the table in our gathering space on Tuesday morning, just as the two-day retreat was about to begin, I was … something. Exhausted. Wound up. Worn out. It was one of those times when you can …
St. Philip Lutheran Church9 October 2022 + Lect. 28c (Pentecost 18)Luke 17.11-19Rev. Josh Evans “I was screaming out for help and no one was stopping to even notice and I’ve never felt more voiceless.” When she was starting out at a new school in 7th grade, the beginning of her middle and high school career, …
St. Philip Lutheran Church2 October 2022 + Lect. 27c (Pentecost 17)Habakkuk 1.1-4; 2.1-4Rev. Josh Evans “I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that …
Pastor Josh Evans 