Just yesterday, a wonderful new addition arrived at church. A generous gift from Mark & Carol C. was shipped from Athens, Greece and now adorns our altar. While the Gospel reading is glorious in and of itself, it will now be presented from a boom that testifies to its beauty and to the value we place on it. (And, it's heavy!)
On April 23, the Local Tourist and his Mrs. took a long, long overdue trip to the Dakota Inn Rathskeller, a German restaurant in Detroit. It has been there since the 1930's and serves fantastic food. There is a piano (it looks like it had been a pipe organ at one time) and a man came in to play for us. He took requests, and I offered up, "In Heaven There Is No Beer." I sang along with gusto.
Here are some photos.
Greetings!
REGULAR SCHEDULE
Divine Service is Sundays at 10:00 AM.
Sunday School is Sundays at 9:00 AM.
Adult Bible Class is Sundays at 9:00 AM.
Bible Matters is Wednesdays at 6:30 PM.
CALENDAR: For a calendar of events and meetings, click here.
CHURCH COUNCIL HIGHLIGHTS (April)
> On Thursday, June 4, Good Shepherd will host a table at Novi’s Community Day. Feel free to stop by between 4:00-8:00 PM and say “Hi” to us.
> The windows above the altar and organ pipes are scheduled to be replaced on Wednesday, April 22. It will take a few days, weather permitting, to complete the project.
> Payment has been made on a Smart TV to replace our projector and screen in the fellowship hall. We are waiting for its delivery and we will be installed shortly after that.
> We have had issues recording the service and uploading them on our YouTube channel. We will be looking at replacing some equipment and running new wiring to improve our recordings. When the new equipment is in place, we will begin to live-stream our services again.
> We are planning a Work Bee on Saturday, May 16. Look for a list of projects that we will try to tackle.
> Upon the completion of the windows being replaced, we will be looking to tackle another large project—the reupholstering of the chairs in the sanctuary. The current chairs are about 30 years old and the cushions are disintegrating. One estimate has been received at a cost of $450 per chair. We will be attaining another estimate before we begin this project.
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In Christ,
Pastor Schroeder
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www.GoodShepherdNovi.org
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Chemnitz' work is best known among Lutherans in the Formula of Concord. The quotation below, however, is from The Two Natures in Christ, in which Chemnitz details how God the Son, by taking the human nature into him binds himself to us. He explains the comfort that we derive from this union of human and divine natures, as it secures our salvation and future glorification.
Here is something from Martin Chemnitz:
"What sweet comfort this is that the Son of God, our Savior, joins Himself to us and deals with us not with His bare (nuda) deity, but in, with, and through the nature in which He is like a head, our kinsman, and of the same substance with us, His members... Here is a most present and certain pledge of our glorification. For how could His members be forever left in their miseries when our Head by the very same nature by which He is our kinsman and of the same substance with us, which is now in the glory of the Father, has joined Himself to us most intimately in the sorrows of this present life? These comforts are weakened and completely lost if we remove the substance of Christ's human nature or exclude it from the Lord's Supper, which is celebrated at in the church on earth." (page 289, The Second Martin: The Life and Theology of Martin Chemnitz. J. A. O. Preus. Concordia Publishing House: St. Louis, MO. (c) 1994. A quotation from The Two Natures in Christ, pages 472-473.)
Here is a letter I read in church after the service on Sunday, April 19. Commentary on the decision process, etc.... may be featured in a future blogpost.
April 19, 2026
Dear members of St. John’s,
On March 10, you had called me to serve as the pastor of your congregation. After a month of conversations with members of both St. John’s and Good Shepherd in Novi and prayerful deliberation, I have decided to accept this Divine Call to St. John’s Lutheran Church in Lake City.
In conjunction with the call to me, you have also called my wife, Laura, to teach 4th and 5th grades in your elementary school. For various reasons, especially that she feels this grade level is outside of her area of ability and interest, she is declining her Call to serve as teacher.
We are looking forward to our move to Lake City and to meet the saints who are at St. John’s. I pray that I will be able to serve you faithfully and ask for your continued prayers to aid me in doing that. We will be in contact with you regarding a timeline for moving and other matters.
Please keep Good Shepherd Lutheran Church of Novi in your prayers as they will make plans to receive their next pastor according to our Lord’s timing and mercy.
God bless and keep you.
In
Christ,
Pastor Thomas E. Schroeder
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TO SEE THE
RISEN SAVIOR, THE SCRIPUTRES MUST BE OPENED TO YOU.
LUKE 24:13-35
In
the name + of Jesus.
M: Alleluia!
Christ is risen!
C: He is risen indeed! Alleluia!
Fast forward to the children of Israel in
Egypt. God had promised to Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob that they would become a great nation and inherit the Promised
Land. But in Egypt, they experienced
centuries of slavery and oppression.
Many died not seeing God’s promise fulfilled. They had to wonder if God had forgotten them. The only thing they had to sustain their hope
was God’s promise.
Now fast forward to Passover, about 29
AD. Jesus was crucified during the
feast. He was buried quickly before the
Sabbath began. Two disciples of Jesus
were in Jerusalem for the feast. They
were walking to a village called Emmaus, presumably because that was the
nearest lodging available due to the pilgrims thronging Jerusalem for
Passover. They were grappling with the
events over the past week. They were
dejected and disappointed, and they did not hide why. They said, “Jesus of Nazareth … was a
prophet, mighty in deed and word before God and all the people. The chief priests and our rulers handed him
over to be condemned to death. And they
crucified him. But we were hoping that
he was going to redeem Israel” (Luke 23:19-21).
Noah sat in the ark for over a year, but
he still had hope that God would deliver him.
The people of Israel were enslaved and oppressed for centuries, but the
nation was not snuffed out. They still
had hope that God would deliver them.
The disciples on their way to Emmaus considered all hope lost. They had put their hopes in Jesus, but Jesus
was crucified, died, and buried. Noah’s
hope and Israel’s hope were strained; the hope of these disciples was
dashed. What hope could you put in God’s
word when it appeared that it had failed?
This is the part of the story we would
have written differently. St. Luke
wrote, “They were talking with each other about all of these things that had
happened. While they were talking and
discussing this, Jesus himself approached and began to walk along with them. But their eyes were kept from recognizing
him. He said to them, ‘What are you
talking about as you walk along?’
Saddened, they stopped” (Luke 24:14-17).
Wouldn’t this have been a wonderfully
satisfying story if Jesus had proved himself alive as soon as they saw
him? Their sadness would have turned
instantly to joy. Their dejection would
have been converted to jubilation immediately.
Their hopes would have been restored, knowing and seeing that God keeps
his promises! But instead of granting
them instant relief, Jesus gave them what they actually needed—not to have
their eyes opened to see the Risen Savior, but to open the Scriptures to
them. To see the Risen Savior, they
needed to have the Scriptures opened to them.
You and I have our difficult days. The stress and the strain can go on for some
time. As it was for Noah, your suspense
could go on for a year. Like the
Israelites in Egypt, you may live with your stress until the day you die and
never see the relief you pray for. You
may wonder if God has forgotten you. You
may become dejected, perhaps even concluding that God’s promises have failed. You see and feel your fear and your
pain. You want to see and feel relief
and refreshment. Where is God in these
moments?
It is at these times that we judge
God. We assess his performance and
declare that God has come up lacking.
Some even turn away from the Lord, looking for a god that will bring
instant gratification. Money
problems? Try embezzling. Ego problems?
Prop yourself up by slandering others.
Relationship problems? Try to
gratify yourself with seedy websites.
After all, if God is failing you—as it seems—the devil will offer quick
fixes to bring momentary thrills. But he
hides the price tag, which is eternal sorrow.
Beware, and repent.
Our desire for instant relief often fails
to remember the goal of every Christian life—to dwell in the house of the Lord
forever. Yes, it would be wonderful if
God made your life easy, your body sound, your bank account full, and your neighbors
respectful. But recognize that he has
not promised you that. If you hold God
accountable for promises that he has not made, you are guaranteed to be
disappointed in God. To see what God has
promised, the Scriptures must be opened to you.
Then you will recognize what God has promised. Then you can cling to what God has promised,
and that will not fail you.
“Jesus himself approached and began to
walk along with them. But their eyes
were kept from recognizing him. He said
to them, ‘What are you talking about as you walk along?’ …They replied, ‘The
things concerning Jesus of Nazareth.
…They crucified him. But we were
hoping that he was going to redeem Israel.’
He said to them, “How foolish you are and slow of heart to believe all
that the prophets have spoken! Did not
the Christ have to suffer these things and to enter his glory?” Then beginning with Moses and all the
prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning
himself” (Luke 24:15-27).
To see the Risen Savior, the Scriptures
must be opened to you. Everything that
was written points us to Jesus and the work he has done to save sinners. For reasons known to the Holy Spirit, St.
Luke did not record the sermon that Jesus preached on that seven mile walk to
Emmaus. I think it would have been
fascinating. Perhaps it was not recorded
in St. Luke’s Gospel is because it was documented throughout the entirety of
the Old Testament. The words of Moses
and the Prophets give us plenty to ponder as they foretell and foreshadow the
Messiah and his work of redemption.
To see the Risen Savior, the Scriptures
must be opened to you. They present to
you the Lord who acts to deliver his people—whether being delivered from the
Flood in an ark or being delivered from the bondage or slavery to freedom. The Lord delivered his people through the Red
Sea and sustained them on their forty-year journey through the wilderness to
the Promised Land. The Lord provided
deliverance through judges such as Gideon and Samson and through kings such as
David and Jehoshaphat. Every act of
deliverance foreshadowed God’s ultimate deliverance. Jesus has delivered you from the enemies that
would seek to destroy you—sin, death, and Satan. And Jesus sustains your life and faith as you
journey toward the heavenly Promised Land.
To see the Risen Savior, the Scriptures
must be opened to you. They present the
sacrifices that were made to atone the sins of the people and to reconcile them
to God—whether it is Isaac who carried the wood up the hill to be slain by his
father, Abraham, or the ram which ended up being the substitute for Isaac. It was seen in the daily sacrifices made in
the temple and in the annual visit into the Holy of Holies by the high priest and
in the scapegoat which carried the sins of the people away from God’s
presence. All Scripture has been
fulfilled by Jesus. He is the substitute
Lamb who was slain for your accusations that God is uncaring or incompetent. He is the scapegoat who carried away your
sins of impatience and complaining against God.
He is the great High Priest who carried his innocent blood into the Holy
of Holies to atone for all your guilt.
To see the Risen Savior, the Scriptures
must be opened to you. Jesus said it: “‘Did
not the Christ have to suffer these things and to enter his glory?’ Then beginning with Moses and all the
prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning
himself” (Luke 24:26-27). All
Scripture testifies of Jesus. And you
have the benefit of pondering the fulfillment of all that was foreshadowed and
foretold. Jesus suffered and died
because it was necessary to fulfill Scripture and to pay for sins. And Jesus now has entered his glory. He lives and reigns to secure your resurrection
to eternal life and will enable you to enter his glory. And that is the goal for every Christian, whether
you receive that glory at age 5 or 105.
“When he reclined at the table with
them, he took the bread, blessed it, broke it, and began giving it to
them. Suddenly their eyes were opened,
and they recognized him” (Luke 24:30-31).
This is how we recognize the risen Savior, too. The bread and the wine are consecrated, and
Jesus comes to us. To see that, you need
to hear the words of Scripture where Jesus tells you: “This is my body, given
for you. This is my blood, shed for you. Take it.
Eat. Drink. It is for you, for the forgiveness of
sins.” And though you may not feel
forgiven, Jesus has taught you not to believe in your feelings, but in his
words and promises. The risen Savior delivers
forgiveness to you and sustains your faith for the journey homeward. To see it, the Scriptures must be opened to
you.
The Emmaus disciples had their hope
resting on what they could see and feel.
When they did and when they saw the Messiah killed, all their hope was
gone. Since Jesus wanted them to rest
their faith on God’s promises and not on their senses, Jesus opened the
Scriptures to them. Their faith was
strengthened. Their hearts were kindled. Their confidence was restored. Then they saw the risen Savior.
If you are experiencing hardship, and if you are not seeing the blessings you hope for, the Lord has not forgotten you. His word remains strong and steady and true. Soon, our risen Savior will come again. Then we will see and feel permanent relief. Then we will experience endless glory. To see the risen Savior now, the Scriptures must be opened to you. To see the risen Savior in glory, “wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord” (Psalm 27:14)!
In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Here is the Divine Service from Sunday, April 12, 2026.
