Midweek Lent 1 - The Robe of Human Frame

Why did Jesus have to come among us as a human being? Why didn’t He come as an angel or some other kind of being that is stronger and more powerful than us? While angels may be a source of endless fascination to the Christian and to the world, they have no power to save us. In this week’s sermon, we will hear why taking on the “robe of [our] human frame” ( Hebrews 1) was not only a good idea but also necessary for our salvation. Angels are wonderful, but they are not Jesus. He came as one of us so that He could redeem us as His own.

Midweek Lent 2 - Done for Us

God’s character, His nature, is self-giving love. Everything Jesus does, He does “for us.” This phrase will be introduced this week in the series hymn. Pro nobis, or “for us,” appears again and again in the series hymn. Jesus is baptized, fasts, is tempted, overcomes temptation, and, in doing so, begins His work of undoing the power of the devil (Mark 1:9–13). It is especially worth noting that because Jesus suffered when tempted, He can “help those who are being tempted” (Hebrews 2:18). He not only helps us in our weakness, but His love for us extends all the way into the grave.

Midweek Lent 3 - For Us He Seeks

Jesus talks all about seeking us in our texts this week (Mark 1:35-39). He does not wait passively until we get up the gumption to ask Him for help. Nor does He act out of selfish gain. Praying, teaching, working. In all these things, Jesus seeks us out and looks for ways to help us. This work is often overlooked because it is so ordinary. Water, bread and wine, the folly of preaching. In all these ordinary works, Jesus continues His ministry among us. This ministry of forgiveness means that Jesus continues to strengthen and help us.

Midweek Lent 4 - Healing from Demons

We talked about angels during Midweek of Lent 1. Tonight, we will talk about the darker side of the story—demons. Demons are fallen angels who rebelled against God and His giving of Himself to us. Demons, with Satan chief among them, seek to undermine everything God is and does, even today. In our message tonight, we will hear how Jesus heals a man with a demon (Mark 5:1–13) and how that work of healing continues today.

Midweek Lent 5 - For Us Betrayed

Jesus foretells His own betrayal, death, and resurrection in today’s text (Mark 8:31–9:1). This shows us that the way of salvation only comes through the path of suffering (Hebrews 2:10)....Jesus’ suffering. His Passion, does not simply mean that He sympathizes with us. Rather, it means that He participates in our suffering, and we in His. His betrayal, the crown of thorns, the shameful cross—all of these lead to how Jesus “gave His dying breath,” as we sing in the series hymn. In the Passion reading, we will also hear how He dies (Mark 15:33–47) and what that means for us today.

Maundy Thursday - For Many Means For You

After focusing on the phrase “for us,” tonight we will hear about the phrase “for many” as Jesus gives His own body and blood for the forgiveness of sins (Matthew 26:26–28). Jesus and the disciples are celebrating the Passover, but Jesus does something new. We hear echoes of how Moses and the elders saw God (Exodus 24:3–11), recognizing that the sacrifices of old will not satisfy (Hebrews 9:11–22). When Jesus says the phrase “for many,” He is clearly pointing the disciples to the fact that His death was not only for them alone, but for the sins of the world. Because you are a part of the many, “for us” still holds true.

Good Friday - His Dying Breath

Jesus is betrayed into the hands of sinners. He is mocked while wearing a purple robe and a crown of thorns. He must carry His own cross to Golgotha, the Place of a Skull. All of this happens until the last, when “for us He gave His dying breath” (LSB 544:5). It is completed. Salvation has been won for us. It is finished; He has loved us to the end.

Easter Sunday - The Resurrection of Our Lord

For Us He Lives on High to Reign

Sin brings separation and death. That sin separates us from God and divides us from one another. But in Jesus’ resurrection from the dead, we are united with (reconciled to) God once again. As we hear in Jeremiah, “I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued My faithfulness to you” (31:3). Nothing will separate you from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus, our Lord (Romans 8:39). Thanks be to God for the victory in Jesus Christ!