Service Type: Midweek

12-15-22 Why Do We Sing? (MHLS Advent Service)

December 15, 2022
Why do we sing? We have heard some beautiful song this evening, and we’ve done some singing ourselves. Why do it? Why sing? We could justify singing right away from the beauty of it. Certainly singing can be done poorly, but no one who hears good singing calls it ugly, especially good singing to God, as the psalmist says, “It is good to sing praises to our God; For it is pleasant, and praise is…

12-7-22 Advent Midweek 2

December 7, 2022
The virgin Mary may at first sight seem like a strange candidate to put before you tonight as the model of Christian courage. Maybe a model of humility, of faith, of purity, but how is she courageous? You think of men like David stepping out to confront Goliath, there’s courage. You think of Elijah standing up alone against 450 prophets of Baal, that’s courageous. You think of Shadrach, Meshack, and Abednego telling King Nebuchadnezzar that…

11-30-22 Advent Midweek 1

November 30, 2022
This Advent series we’ll be focusing on three virtues that we especially need as we look forward to the coming of the Lord Jesus. Patience, Courage, and Joy. But before we talk about virtues at all, we need first to talk about what we direct these virtues toward. It is one thing to be patient, another thing to be patient for a good thing. The thief who waits patiently outside your house for you to…

3-2-22 Ash Wednesday

March 2, 2022
The Holy Spirit has a reason for the words he uses. Many have, many would like to, explain the words away, “He made him who knew no sin to be sin for us.” It’s too much. It’s impossible. This must be just an expressive way of saying Jesus died to take away sin. It must mean only that God allowed him to be treated like a sinner, by allowing him to die on a cross.…

12-15-21 The Millennium (Advent Midweek 3)

December 15, 2021
As we near the end of the season of Advent and prepare to receive our King at Christmas, we do well to consider what our King’s reign is like. There are many misunderstandings about the reign of Christ. There’s the misguided idea that the Church is responsible for paving the political way for Jesus to come and reign on earth. There’s the push from many so-called evangelicals to provide funding for the country of Israel,…

12-8-21 The Great Tribulation (Advent Midweek 2)

December 8, 2021
Unlike the rapture, which is a completely made-up event found nowhere in the Bible, the Great Tribulation is real and explicitly taught in the Bible. We just heard it from Revelation: “these are they who are coming out of the Great Tribulation.” And Jesus says, “for then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until now.” The question is what is this tribulation? There are all…

12-1-21 The Rapture (Advent Midweek 1)

December 1, 2021
The teaching of a rapture, that before Jesus comes to judge the earth he will first snatch up the true believers into heaven for seven years as a great tribulation racks everyone else on the earth, seems custom made for the big screen. Since Hal Lindsey’s 1970 book, “The Late Great Planet Earth,” the idea of a rapture has become extremely popular in the United States, especially amongst the evangelical and fundamentalist crowd. The reason…

3-3-21 Baptism 2 (Lent Midweek)

March 3, 2021
Last week we talked about why Baptism must have power. It has Jesus’ word. And Jesus’ word is always powerful. It created the world, it raised the dead, it forgives sins. And the particular words of Baptism are founded on the power and authority Jesus won by His death and resurrection, an authority and power over death and the devil and all our sin. This evening then we’re going to build on the fact that…

2-24-21 Baptism 1 (Lent Midweek)

February 24, 2021
There is really no disagreement between the Baptists and Lutherans when it comes to the definition of Baptism. Or better put, you’re not going to find anyone who disagrees with Luther’s definition, “Baptism is not just plain water, but it is the water included in God’s command and combined with God’s Word.” There’s simply no arguing with this. Jesus commanded Baptism. We just heard His words, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations baptizing…

2-17-21 Ash Wednesday

February 17, 2021
Every Lent is a time to reassess our lives, the way we live, to realize that everything else is acting, an embarrassing show, except life lived under God and for heaven. This is what Jesus is saying when He warns against hypocrisy. The word hypocrite means actor. We could just as well translate Jesus’ words, Don’t be actors. Don’t act as if God doesn’t exist, as if He doesn’t see everything you say and do…
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