St. John’s Lutheran ChurchAlbany, New York5 March 2025 + Ash WednesdayRev. Josh Evans Nothing gets a bunch of clergy and seminarians so riled up, it seems, as a singular Facebook post advertising an upcoming Ash Wednesday service with “Glitter Ash.” You heard that right:Glitter. Ash. Popularized in 2017, the Glitter Ash “movement” was organized as …
Lutheran Church of the Holy SpiritAlbany, New York2 March 2025 + Transfiguration of Our LordLuke 9:28-43aRev. Josh Evans Now about eight days after these sayings… What sayings? “Who do you say that I am?” Jesus asked Peter, just eight days ago. “The Messiah of God,” Peter responds, only to be met with Jesus’ stern warning …
St. John’s Lutheran ChurchAlbany, New York23 February 2025 + Lectionary 7cGenesis 45:3-11, 15; Luke 6:27-38Rev. Josh Evans “Probably no admonition of Jesus has been more difficult to follow than the command to ‘love your enemies.’ Some [people] have sincerely felt that its actual practice is not possible. It is easy, they say, to love those …
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 ChurchAlbany, New York2 February 2025 + Presentation of Our LordLuke 2:22-40; Malachi 3:1-4Rev. Josh Evans They came, as called, according to the Law.Though they were poor and had to keep things simple,They moved in grace, in quietness, in awe,For God was coming with them to his temple.Amidst the outer court’s commercial bustleThey’d …
St. John’s Lutheran ChurchAlbany, New York26 January 2025 + Lectionary 3cLuke 4:14-21, [22-30]; Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10; Psalm 19Rev. Josh Evans Words have power. For the community returning from exile,people of every gender and age, of every status and ability,hearing the words of the Torah read by Ezra the priestelicits a variety of responses. This …
St. John’s Lutheran ChurchAlbany, New York19 January 2025 + Lectionary 2cJohn 2:1-11; 1 Corinthians 12:1-11Rev. Josh Evans Here’s something you might not know about me:I play Dungeons & Dragons. And by “play” I mean:“stumble my way through every campaign session like I know what I’m doing.” While I’m far from a Dungeons & Dragons expert, …
St. John’s Lutheran ChurchAlbany, New York12 January 2025 + Baptism of Our LordLuke 3:15-17, [18-20], 21-22Rev. Josh Evans “Verify you are human.” Nothing quite brings you to the brink of an existential crisis quite so quickly as a tiny dialogue box, prompting you to check a box to confirm that you are indeed a human …
St. John’s Lutheran ChurchAlbany, New York5 January 2025 + Epiphany of Our LordMatthew 2:1-12 [13-23]Rev. Josh Evans Nestled in between Christmas Eve and New Year’s Dayis a trio of often overlooked holy days on the church’s calendar: December 26 commemorates the church’s first martyr, St. Stephen the Deacon, whose monologue in the book of Acts …
St. John’s Lutheran ChurchAlbany, New York24 December 2024 + Nativity of Our Lord (Christmas Eve)Luke 2:1-20Rev. Josh Evans This is no time for a child to be born,With the earth betrayed by war & hateAnd a comet slashing the sky to warnThat time runs out & the sun burns late. That was no time for …
Pastor Josh Evans 