The Mystery of the Cross
When Jesus tells his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem where he will suffer, be killed, and raised to new life on the third day in this morning’s Gospel lesson (Matthew 16:21-28, Proper 17, Year A), Peter rebukes him and says, “God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you.” Jesus’s response is…
Rational Arguments and Convincing Proofs
In this morning’s gospel lesson (Proper 16, Year A) we hear the story of the Confession of St. Peter (Matthew 16:13-20). Jesus asks his disciples who people say that the Son of Man is, and they reply, “Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” Then…
Jesus and the Canaanite Woman
The Gospel lesson for Proper 15, Year A (Matthew 15:21-28) which we heard this morning tells a troubling story about an encounter between Jesus and a Canaanite woman. As Jesus enters the region of Tyre and Sidon, a Canaanite woman asks him to heal her daughter who is possessed by a demon. He doesn’t respond…
Living the Paschal Mystery
Almighty and everlasting God, who in the Paschal mystery established the new covenant of reconciliation: Grant that all who have been reborn into the fellowship of Christ’s Body may show forth in their lives what they profess by their faith; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,…
Coffeehouse Question: How Do We Talk to Others about Jesus?
Coffeehouse Theology is a multi-generational Christian Formation discussion group at St. Stephen’s in Huntsville. As facilitator, I don’t pick the topics for discussion; the group does. We began meeting once a month in an actual bricks and mortar coffeehouse several months before the COVID-19 pandemic began. After the quarantine, we moved the discussion to Zoom…
Every Day Is Easter
This is my sermon for the First Sunday after the Epiphany: The Baptism of Our Lord taken from our live stream of the Liturgy of the Word at St. Stephen’s in Huntsville. In the aftermath of the riot at the Capitol on the Feast of the Epiphany, I can’t help thinking that the Christian community…
Complaining about the Lectionary
This morning’s sermon combines two of my favorite things complaining about the lectionary and T.S. Eliot’s “Journey of the Magi.” Here’s the sermon video taken from our live stream of The Liturgy of the Word at St. Stephen’s in Huntsville. And here’s a recording of T.S. Eliot reading “The Journey of the Magi.” Peace, Jeff+
A Beautiful New Beginning
Looking back on the years that I identified as an agnostic, I realize that even then I connected with God through music though I wouldn’t have phrased it that way then, of course. Song lyrics became like psalms for me, and the genre never much mattered. When people asked me what kind of music I…
Holy St. Thomas, Pray for Us
The Second Sunday of Easter is one of my favorite days to preach. Okay, I have lots of favorite days to preach. But I’ve always been drawn to St. Thomas the Apostle. His doubt is comforting to me. A big part of my spiritual journey has been learning the lesson that certainty is not necessary…
Preaching in a Pandemic
The weirdest thing to me about worshipping via live stream during this time of physical distancing due to the COVID-19 pandemic is that worship still feels like worship even without the community gathered together in the same space. The feeling that we are still bound together in Christ is palpable. That can only be the…
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The Reverend Jeffrey K. Evans 