Traditional Lutheran Church Happens At Mount Calvary – Twice a Week!
Mount Calvary Midweek Divine Service Sermon
Our Midweek Divine Service was held on Wednesday, May 1.
The bulletin for the service is available here.
The sermon text is not available.
Our audio recording of this sermon can be listened to:
Church Challenge from Mount Calvary Lutheran Church
Take the 1 Maccabees challenge. This week we begin a new second optional reading, the book of 1 Maccabees, from the apocrypha. The books of the apocrypha were written between the time of the two testaments, a 400-year period between when Malachi was completed, and Matthew began his record. These books, while not on par or equal with Holy Scripture, nonetheless have been used throughout the centuries to bear witness to a time not recorded in the history of the Bible and how God’s people lived in faith in the coming Messiah during the time that the prophetic Word had entirely ceased. While Luther separated them in his translation of the Bible (as did all other Protestants), he did so for good cause, merely following the example of St. Jerome, translator of the Vulgate (Latin translation of the bible in the 4th century A.D.) who recognized that while these books were useful, they were not to be used as authoritative Scripture. The practice of the Lutheran Church up till recent times was that the Apocrypha be read. Until the early 1900’s, the apocrypha still appeared in translations of the Bible published by Concordia Publishing House! A recent excellent study edition of the Apocrypha was published by Concordia Publishing House which, if you choose to read these books, is a helpful resource as it provides explanation. The Apocrypha: The Lutheran Edition with Notes – Concordia Publishing House (cph.org) By reading the Apocrypha, we return to historic precedent. In his German Bible he included this note. “Apocrypha: that is books, that while not to be held like the Holy Scriptures, are still useful and good to read.” In the notes of the Concordia Publishing House edition of the apocrypha we read, “First Maccabees provides the most helpful historical account about the lives and struggles of God’s people in the 2nd century BC. It illustrates the ongoing struggle for faithfulness in an ever-changing world. As you read this book reflect on the value and limitations of the use of force when combating evil and changes in culture that affect the lives of God’s people. Consider the strategies of the Maccabean leaders so that you can compare and contrast them with examples of leaders and the old and new testaments. Note especially their prayers, which reveal their hearts and teach us likewise to call upon the Lord in every trouble.”
The Sixth Sunday of Easter Service and Sermon From The Lutheran Church In Lancaster
Prayer is the topic of our gathering this week. Jesus teaches us of our access with the Father through Him. While we have tribulation in the world, we have joy through our communion with our Heavenly Father who hears our prayers. Today’s sermon was preached by Pastor Richard Neagley.
The bulletin for the service is available here.
The sermon text is not available.
Our audio recording of this sermon can be listened to:
