YouTube -- 4th Sunday of Easter (April 21, 2024)

Here is the Divine Service from Sunday, April 21, 2024.

Something from ... Martin Luther on God and the devil

When some hardship or disaster enters your life, who is responsible for it?  Did God send it, or was it the devil at work?

It is easy to say, "Everything good is from God, but everything bad is from the devil."  If we hold to this belief, then we may also conclude that there are times when God loses control and the devil has gained the upper hand.

King Solomon wrote, "In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider: God has made the one as well as the other, so that man may not find out anything that will be after him" (Ecclesiastes 7:14).  Based on this word of God, we come back to the question: When some hardship or disaster enters your life, who is responsible for it?  Did God send it, or was it the devil at work?  The answer is: Yes.

Martin Luther wrote about the devil who seeks to devour and to drive us to despair, but he does not do it apart from God's will.  When evil comes, the devil intends it for harm; God intends to use the devil's evil designs for our good.  Our God is so good and gracious to us that he even employs the devil for our good.

Martin Luther comments on John 15:1-2 to teach us about God's purpose regarding evil that comes into our lives.  Something from Martin Luther: 

"But now God takes him in hand and says: 'Devil, you are indeed a murderer and an evildoer; but I will use you for My purpose.  You shall be My hoe; the world and your following shall by My manure for the fertilization of My vineyard.'  We must surely acknowledge him a great Master, who knows how to employ the devil's and the world's wickedness for the vine's good and not for its harm and ruin, as these intend.  This is what He says about it: 'Your intentions are evil indeed; you are very bitter and angry, and you plot to destroy My vine; but I will and must use you as My tools with which to cultivate and dress the vine.  Therefore cut, chop, and hoe away, but not beyond the bounds that I set.  For you shall go just so far that it will not ruin My vine but will help and improve it.  You shall not fertilize it with mature until it is choked; you shall use only enough to make it sturdy and lush." (pp 195-196.  Luther's Works: American Edition.  Volume 24 -- Sermons on the Gospel of St. John, chapters 14-16.  Concordia Publishing House: St. Louis, MO. (c) 1961.)

Sermon -- 4th Sunday of Easter (April 21, 2024)

JOHN 10:11-18

LISTEN TO YOUR GOOD SHEPHERD AND FOLLOW HIM CLOSELY.

In the name + of Jesus.

M:       Alleluia!  Christ is risen!

C:        He is risen indeed!  Alleluia!

     Jesus calls himself the Good Shepherd.  The word “good,” employed here by Jesus, refers to something that is beautiful or useful.  It is the same word that Peter used at Jesus’ transfiguration when he said, “Lord, it is good that we are here” (Matthew 17:4).  Then he suggested that they build three shelters.  So, it was good in the sense that it was useful that they were there.  This particular Greek word for “good” refers to the essence of its object, in other words, what makes it useful.  For example, you could use many items for a hammer—the heel of your shoe, a brick, or the end of a wrench.  While those could serve as a hammer, best would be a claw hammer of forged steel.  That is a good hammer because it was designed to be a hammer.

     Jesus is the Good Shepherd.  He is the essence of a shepherd.  He is uniquely qualified to serve as the shepherd of his flock, the Church.  The Church has other shepherds.  We call them pastors because the Latin word for shepherd is “pastor.”  But no matter how good you might think a pastor is, he is not the Good Shepherd.  Pastors have weaknesses.  They may sin against you because of negligence.  They may use harsh, judgmental, or ignorant words.  They may even deceive you by twisting God’s word.  A pastor may fail you.  On the other hand, Jesus does not fail you, and he will not mislead you.  Listen to your Good Shepherd and follow him closely.

     Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd.  I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father” (John 10:14-15).  Jesus knows the Father because he is the Son.  God the Father and God the Son are one.  They are in perfect harmony in thoughts and actions; for the Father and the Son are one God.  Jesus establishes this same kind of harmony and unity with his Church.  He does this by making himself known to us.  And this he does the way a shepherd leads his flock: He speaks to us.  Listen to the Good Shepherd and follow him closely.

     Jesus is the Good Shepherd.  His invitation to disciples is, “Follow me.”  Jesus not only brings us into the safety of his care, but he also leads us throughout our lives.  This is why we listen to him.  We need to listen so that we follow Jesus closely.  We don’t know where life will take us.  We anticipate blessings, and we have hopes and plans for our future.  Young people hope to graduate and find employment.  They have plans to get married and have children.  Parents also hope to see their children enjoy these blessings.  Then they hope to see grandchildren.  We make plans, and we pray that God will bless them.  But God may have other plans.

     St. James warns us not to be so sure of our plans that we would be crushed if they do not come to fruition.  James wrote, “Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit’—yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring.  …Instead you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that’” (James 4:13,15).  In other words, you don’t know where the Lord will lead your life.  But what you do know is that you have a Good Shepherd.  He knows you because he has redeemed you and made you his.  You know him because he has made himself known to you as your loving and faithful Savior.  He calls you to follow him for your good.  Listen to your Good Shepherd and follow him closely.

     As a Good Shepherd, Jesus continually speaks to you in his word.  He has to because there are many other voices which are calling for your attention.  The devil seduces you with lies that sound very attractive.  The world peppers you with slogans and soundbites which sound very reasonable.  These voices can be very persuasive.  They certainly are persistent.  And to be fair, there is often just enough truth in these voices that you can believe that they are in line with God’s word. 

     Consider the phrase, “Don’t get mad, get even.”  This appeals to our sense of justice.  If someone has wronged you, you are right to call it what it is.  That man sinned against you.  What he did was wicked.  If it was wrong, there should be a penalty for it.  Justice demands it.  Since it is unlikely that anyone else will step in to administer such justice, it is up to you to take care of matters.  That seems to make sense.  And it would feel so good to make someone suffer who brought suffering on you or your family.  Entire movie plots are based on that. 

     But this is what the Lord says: “Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all.  If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.  Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord’” (Romans 12:17-19).  These are hard words for us to follow.  Our sinful nature craves revenge.  We want to take it upon ourselves to execute justice which is reserved for God.  The devil and the world may even taunt you: “What kind of God do you have who tells you to put up with people who sin against you?  ‘Turn the other cheek’?!  Ha!  Revenge is sweet!  The way of the Lord is bitter.  Maybe it is time to find a new way.”

     The devil, the world, and your own sinful nature call you to follow them on a path which promises satisfaction, but it leads to unending violence, strife, pain, and death.  The fact is: The devil does not care about you.  He wants you damned.  The world does not care about you.  When you die, the world moves on and makes more empty promises to the next generation.  But Jesus is the Good Shepherd.  He not only cares about you; he has invested himself completely to secure your temporal and eternal good.  Listen to your Good Shepherd and follow him closely.

     Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me” (John 10:14).  What you know best about your Good Shepherd is this: “The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep” (John 10:11).  For all the pleasures promised by the world, the world will not do you any favors.  For as much as the devil promises you, he will give up nothing for you.  Jesus, however, lays down his life for you.  He owed you nothing, but he gave up everything to save you. 

     Jesus left the glories of heaven to live in a world that has been corrupted by sin.  Jesus emptied himself of his divine majesty to take into himself the guilt of mankind.  Jesus exchanged the innocence of a holy life for the sins of the world.  He was marked for death—dying for people who loved the devil’s lies and were seduced by worldly schemes.  No one else would do this for you.  Even if they tried, they could not take away your sins or win your place in heaven.  Jesus did both.  He has paid for your sins with his holy, precious blood, and he has satisfied God’s judgment with his innocent sufferings and death.  “The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep” (John 10:11).  What do the sheep get out of it?  Peace, comfort, blessing, hope, and life everlasting.  What does the Good Shepherd get out of it?  You.

     The Good Shepherd, however, does not remain a dead shepherd.  The sheep would remain helpless without a Good Shepherd to protect them, to guide them, and to speak to them.  Listen to your Good Shepherd and follow him closely.  For this is what he says: “I lay down my life that I may take it up again.  No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord.  I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again” (John 10:17-18). 

     Sometimes it looks like your life is out of control, and you might question where Jesus is leading you.  You might even wonder if Jesus has lost control because difficulties and disasters are piling up.  Fear not.  Jesus has never lost control, and he never will.  Even when Jesus was going to be crucified, he did not lose control.  St. John wrote about Jesus’ arrest.   “Jesus, knowing all that would happen to him, came forward and said to them, ‘Whom do you seek?’  They answered him, ‘Jesus of Nazareth.’  Jesus said to them, ‘I am he.’  …When Jesus^] said to them, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground” (John 18:4-6).  Then he patiently waited for them to collect themselves and arrest him.  Jesus was in control.  He was not seeking to escape arrest or death.  He went to the cross on purpose.  The purpose was to claim you.

     The way the Gospel writers describe Jesus’ death is striking, too.  For us, death is something that happens to us.  We fight to live and strain for breath until death finally takes us.  We fight, but death overcomes us.  Not so with Jesus.  St. John records Jesus’ death this way: “He bowed his head and gave up his spirit” (John 19:30).  Death did not take Jesus; Jesus willingly went into death.  He was active in dying.  As Jesus said, “No one takes (my life) from me, but I lay it down of my own accord.  I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again” (John 10:18). 

     The Good Shepherd willingly went into death.  The Good Shepherd definitively walked out of death.  Death did not take Jesus; Jesus took death.  He lives, and he lives to faithfully protect and guide his flock.  He speaks to you so that sin, death, and the devil cannot harm you.  Listen to your Good Shepherd and follow him closely. 

      Even as you listen to your Good Shepherd and follow him, you may still feel like your life is out of control.  Jesus may lead you through hardships.  A Good Shepherd may have to lead his flock through rough and rocky terrain to get them to where they need to be.  The sheep will prefer a softer path, but the softer path may not lead to the place you need to be.  So, if Jesus causes you to struggle, drains you of your strength, and makes you wonder if you can even go on, Jesus remains in control.  Listen to him and follow him closely.

     You know your Good Shepherd.  He cares for you.  He guides and protects you.  If he leads you through difficulties, Jesus uses them to discipline you.  Just as your muscles get stronger only when you put strain on them, so also your faith is strengthened when Jesus lays a cross on you.  But he remains your Good Shepherd.  Everything he does is for your good.  Rather than trust your fears, your hardships, or your lack of control, listen to your Good Shepherd.  He did not make you his own to neglect or deceive you.  Follow him closely; for only Jesus provides comfort which cannot be destroyed by problems.  Only Jesus makes promises which cannot be overcome even by death.  Jesus is the Good Shepherd.  He lives and reigns forever, and he lives and reigns for you.

In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Update from Good Shepherd (April 18, 2024)

Greetings!

REGULAR SCHEDULE 

Divine Service is Sunday at 10:00 AM.
Sunday School is on Sunday at 9:00 AM.
Adult Bible Class is on Sunday at 9:00 AM.
Bible Matters resumes on Wednesday, April 10 at 6:30 PM.

          For a calendar of events and meetings, click here.

INTRODUCTION VIDEO FOR GOOD SHEPHERD LUTHERAN CHURCH

          Here is a video to introduce people to Good Shepherd Lutheran Church of Novi. Share it as much as you can.

GET-TO-KNOW-YOU MIXER
               On Sunday, April 21 after church, we will have a mixer which will encourage the members of Good Shepherd and Lola Park to engage with each other. This will be a great event for new members and seasoned members alike. There will be a quiz to get to know the history of each congregation and different ways for us to interact with each other. A continental breakfast will be served. Perhaps a few other surprises will be unveiled as well. Plan on joining us for this event so that we can all tighten the bonds of friendship a fellowship among us.

ADULT BIBLE CLASS

          Why do Lutherans worship the way they do? What makes us different, and why?
          Our next Bible study, beginning Sunday, April 7, will be entitled, “Oh, Come, Let Us Adore Him!” We will consider how the Bible lays the foundation for our worship so that we gain a greater appreciation for our Lutheran heritage. After all, “We’ve always done it that way” is not a good foundation. There has to be a reason we’ve done it a certain way.
           All are welcome to consider these matters and to ask questions about “Why this?” or “Why that?” You can even bring up criticisms you’ve heard or had, and we will assess if they are valid and how they can be resolved.
           Adult Bible Class beings promptly at 9:00 AM on Sundays. All are welcome.  The schedule is here.

BIBLE MATTERS
          On Wednesday, April 10, we will begin a new series for Bible Matters, a discussion group. We will be considering portions of the book of Judges. Judges was an era of problems for the people of Israel--self-inflicted problems. God's people suffered the consequences of godless behavior.
          The tentative schedule is here. Bible Matters begins at 6:30 PM.

LADIES’ BRUNCH AT GOOD SHEPHERD
          On Saturday, May 4, the men of Good Shepherd will be pleased to prepare a brunch for the ladies of our congregation and any guests you would like to invite. Brunch will be served at 10:00 AM, but the ladies are welcome to stay and chat as long as they please. We welcome girls and women alike.
          Due to its popularity, we will be asking for an RSVP this year so that we will know how many we should prepare for.

Spring Cleaning at Good Shepherd
          On Saturday, May 11 from 9:00 AM – Noon, we will be meeting at church to do some deep cleaning. We will be focused on the church entryway, the fellowship hall, and the pastor’s office. Besides cleaning, there may also be some purging. We encourage you to offer an hour or so to make sure that we are properly caring for God’s house.

CHURCH COUNCIL HIGHLIGHTS (April)

Ø    A down payment of about $13,000 was paid to the Johnson Sign Co. to begin the work on installing the LED sign for church.  It will be two sided and will be positioned perpendicular to the traffic on 9 Mile Road.  Offerings for the new sign can still be given.  You may designate your donations to “New Sign”.  To date over $900 has been donated for the $27,000 cost.

Ø    A one-day evangelism seminar called “Everyone Outreach” will be offered at Good Shepherd.  The presenter will be Pastor Norman Burger of Shepherd of the Hills in Lansing.  The seminar is to assist us in establishing an outreach culture that permeates through the whole congregation.  We hope to have a great turnout as we want this culture to affect all of us.  The seminar will be held in September, and a date will be announced in the coming month(s).   

Ø    Dan Schneider has had contact with the City of Novi to see if they will follow up on their proposal to install a new, more handicapped friendly sidewalk.  It would go out the door to the south and end at about the 4^th parking space on the east side of the parking lot.  If the City of Novi has the funds to install it, they will likely try to get it done before the November election.

Ø    Good Shepherd has enjoyed an influx of new members, mostly from Lola Park Lutheran Church.  Our goal is to engage and involve the newer members as much as possible.  We will be presenting ways for people to join in our efforts and invite people to participate as much as they like to.  Some of these opportunities will be presented at our Get-To-Know-You Mixer on April 21.  Pastor Schroeder also intends to make home visits with these newer members.  Questions about Good Shepherd and involvement in our ministry can be addressed then, too.

 GOOD SHEPHERD ON YOUTUBE

          Services are uploaded to YouTube each week. Feel free to share the videos. Pastor Schroeder was out of town the weekend of April 7.  The service was covered by the elders.  Here is the service from April 14, 2024: Good Shepherd Novi, Divine Service, April 14, 2024 (youtube.com)

REGULAR OFFICE HOURS

          The pastor will try to maintain regular office hours are Monday – Thursday, 9:00 AM - Noon. To ensure the pastor’s availability, it is best to make an appointment. He is available by phone or text (248-719-5218). You may also email (welsnovi@aol.com), but the response may be slower. 

DO YOU LIKE US?

          Look for Good Shepherd on Facebook. Then “LIKE” us for updates and other postings. Be sure to share posts with friends.

SHARE THIS POST!
          We desire as many as possible to rejoice in the Gospel which we proclaim and confess. Share the information from our weekly email blast, links to our web page, and even to the pastor's blog to let others know that we have a space in our congregation for them!

In Christ,
Pastor Schroeder

==============================

REGULAR SCHEDULE
DIVINE SERVICES are on Sundays at 10:00 AM
Sunday School -- Sundays at 9:00 AM 
Adult Bible Class -- Sundays at 9:00 AM

Bible Matters resumes on Wednesday, April 10 at 6:30 PM.

GOOD SHEPHERD’S WEBSITE
www.GoodShepherdNovi.org

PASTOR SCHROEDER’S BLOG
www.LutheranSubject.blogspot.com 

YouTube -- 3rd Sunday of Easter (April 14, 2024)

Here is the Divine Service from Sunday, April 14, 2024.

Sermon -- 3rd Sunday after Easter (April 14, 2024)

LUKE 24:36-49

THE RISEN JESUS EXALTS THE BODY.

In the name + of Jesus.

M:       Alleluia!  Christ is risen!

C:        He is risen indeed!  Alleluia!

     There was a great deal of excitement and confusion going on among Jesus’ disciples on that first Easter evening.  There were reports of Jesus’ tomb being open and empty.  This was confirmed by both Simon Peter and John who ran to the tomb to see it for themselves.  Several women said that they had seen the risen Jesus.  Their report was confirmed when they told the disciples that Jesus said he would meet them in Galilee.  That was a message Jesus had given the disciples only hours before he was betrayed.  The women would never have heard that unless Jesus appeared to them and spoken to them after his resurrection.  While they were gathered together in Jerusalem, two disciples from Emmaus had run back to Jerusalem to report that they had seen the risen Jesus.  It was a lot to take in, and their heads were spinning.

     Then, “as they were talking about these things, Jesus himself stood among them, and said to them, ‘Peace to you!’  But they were startled and frightened and thought they saw a spirit” (Luke 24:36,37).  We might consider that conclusion a little ridiculous.  But try to understand what those disciples experienced.  They were hiding in a locked room.  Their conversations were animated as one person after another repeated what they had seen and heard regarding Jesus.  Then, all of a sudden, Jesus is standing there with them!  Bodies don’t just appear out of thin air, but Jesus did.  So, they assumed he was a ghost. 

     So, “he said to them, ‘Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts?  See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself.  Touch me, and see.  For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.’  And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet” (Luke 24:38-40).  St. Luke remarked that “they still disbelieved for joy” (Luke 24:41).  Their joy came from “Who?”  It was Jesus!  Their disbelief came from “How?”  How could he just appear to them from out of nowhere?  To further prove that he was no phantom or illusion, Jesus took a piece of broiled fish and ate it in front of them all.  Ghosts don’t eat, but bodies do.  Jesus had risen bodily from the grave.  He lives as a man and will never die again.  The risen Savior exalts the body.

     We are living in a society that has disparaged and despised the body like never before.  One of the marvelous blessings that God has bestowed upon women is the ability to get pregnant and give birth to children.  Oddly, it is mainly women who are belligerent in rejecting this blessing.  They have lobbied for and won the constitutional right to discard a body from their wombs for any reason.  While a woman’s body should be regarded highly, so should the body that gestates in her womb.  Unfortunately, it is treated as a cancer rather than a baby—and society calls it good and a sacred right to kill it.  Consequently, men have been taught that they bear no accountability for impregnating women.  “Her body.  Her choice.  Her problem.”  God surely does not agree.

     Many young people have so sadly been deceived about their bodies.  With few rare exceptions, God makes it clear who is a boy and who is a girl.  One’s anatomy makes it obvious.  But now people reject God’s creation of their bodies.  They argue that they are not their body.  Some take hormonal pills to distort their body.  Others have surgery and mutilate the body God gave.  If you happen to be or to know a teenager who feels awkward with his or her body, I offer this observation: Congratulations.  You are a teenager.  You are changing.  You are in that stage that bridges a boy to a man or a girl to a woman.  Have patience.  Maturity is coming.  But if anyone is telling you that altering or rejecting your body is the path to happiness or contentment, you can bet that it is not the Lord Jesus Christ who is saying that.  The devil is a liar, and he is highly skilled at convincing you that wickedness is a good thing.

     As we get older, we recognize other problems with our bodies.  If you have cracked 50 years old, your body does not work like it did when you were 20.  The aches and pains increase.  Recovery from hard work takes longer.  You also experience the frailties that come with age.  The body breaks down.  Vision and hearing fade.  We need to be steadied when we walk, or we may have to settle into a wheelchair.  Getting old is hard on the body, and finally it gives out.

     So, is the body the problem?  After all, our souls don’t ache; our bodies do.  Our souls don’t bleed, our bodies do.  Bones break.  Muscles cramp.  Pills are prescribed for the heart, the liver, or some other organ.  The soul seems to remain unscathed.  But the problem is not the body.  The problem is that our bodies have been corrupted by sin.  Sin wreaks havoc on our whole being.  Sin produces flawed and failing bodies.  But sin also produces hearts that seek glory only for oneself.  It produces thoughts that are impure and warped.  It stirs up a hatred for God’s word, rebellion against his will, and the conviction that we know better than God does how life should work.

     God be praised that he did not despise us because of our sinful condition.  Although we have turned away from God, he did not abandon us.  Even though sin has corrupted our bodies, minds, and hearts, God does not despise us or regard us as a mistake.  He loves what he has created, and he has acted to redeem it.

     The risen Savior exalts the body.  The body held an exalted status from the very beginning.  When God created Adam and Eve, he made them different from every creature on earth.  While God simply summoned everything else into being, he personally crafted the bodies of the man and the woman.  He made us to be body and soul people, and he declared it to be very good.  The Lord further exalted the body when he entered the world.  The Lord did not descend from heaven or appear out of the blue.  He took on a body when he was conceived in the Virgin Mary.  He gestated in her womb for nine months.  He was born, grew up, and became a man.

     Then that man took into his body the sins and the guilt of the world.  “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree... By his wounds you have been healed” (1 Peter 2:24).  Jesus’ body was no phantom or illusion; neither were his sufferings and death.  When they punched him in the face, he received bruises.  When they put the crown of thorns on his head, he endured the pricks and lacerations.  When he was scourged, his back was ripped open and bled.  When they nailed him to the cross, he died.  His lifeless body was laid in the grave with your sins.  But then Jesus rose from the dead, and the risen Savior exalted the body.

     Jesus’ sufferings and death were no illusion; neither was his resurrection from the dead.  He rose with a body, just as he showed to his disciples: “See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself.  Touch me, and see.  For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have” (Luke 24:39).  The purpose of Jesus’ death and resurrection was not to get rid of his humanity or his body, as if they were evils to be discarded.  Rather, the purpose was to exalt our human bodies.  Jesus rose from the dead as a body and soul man, but now glorified and immortal.  Jesus’ humanity was no illusion; therefore, his sufferings and death were no illusion.  A real payment was made for the sins of mankind by a man.  Jesus’ resurrection was no illusion; therefore, your salvation is no illusion.  A real victory over the grave was secured for all mankind by a man.  The risen Savior has exalted the body by granting it release from sin and death and bestowing upon it life everlasting.

     Jesus has taken away your sins.  Jesus has gone into death and has overcome it.  Since your sins are taken away, then death cannot reign over you.  Since you are baptized into Jesus Christ, you will overcome the grave.  Just as Jesus is risen with a glorified body, you will be too.  St. Paul wrote to the Philippians, “But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body…” (Philippians 3:20-21).  So, the body is not evil; rather, it will be restored to perfection.  It is not wicked to be a human being.  After all, Jesus was—and still is!  Therefore, you will be made like him.  And you will be resurrected as God made you to be—whether male or female.

     The bodies that we have will wear out.  They will be placed in a grave.  This is because they have been corrupted by sin.  And since they are corrupted by sin, they cannot dwell in God’s holy presence.  But they will be raised up holy and renewed.  Everyone who believes in Jesus will be raised up whole.  Every flaw, every scar, every defect, and every injury will be cured.  All anxiety, all depression, and all mental illness will be relieved.  If someone chose to have transition surgery and has altered or mutilated his or her body, such surgeries usually produce regret rather than contentment.  But there still is hope.  They will likely have to live with the consequences of their poor choices, but for those who repent and turn to Jesus for mercy, on the Last Day their bodies will be restored to what God intended them to be.  And they will find utter joy in being God’s redeemed and restored children.

     Our identity is not found in what we feel we are.  Feelings are deceptive and fickle.  Rather, our identity is found in what God has created us to be.  More specifically, our identity is found in what God has redeemed us to be—children of the Most High God and beloved brothers and sisters of Jesus.  Your identity is not based on our feelings, but on God’s decree.  His words of salvation and his promise of the resurrection to eternal life are unalterable.  The risen Savior exalts you—body, soul, and all. 

     If you happen to be discontented with your body—and the reasons for that are innumerable—have patience.  The resurrection is coming.  Bodies will be perfected.  Minds will be at peace.  Hearts will delight in God’s new creation.  And you will be exalted.

In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Spring Trip to Harrisburg, PA

We took off the week after Easter.  The first few days were spent lounging and napping and enjoying the kids who were able to be here.  On Wednesday, we took off for Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.  Our main objective was to see Andrew play for the Harrisburg Stampede in the American Indoor Football League.

That game was on Saturday, which gave us three days the enjoy the touristy spots around Harrisburg.  Those included the National Civil War Museum in Harrisburg, Hershey's Chocolate World, and Gettysburg National Military Park.  In Gettysburg, we limited ourselves to the Visitors' Center which gave us plenty to do.  We did a drive around the battlefield, mainly driving along the Confederate line, but we never got out to walk around.  This was just as well.  By the time we got back to our hotel, there was just enough time for a short nap, and then onto the game.

Some photos.

The capitol building in Harrisburg.  Apparently, Teddy Roosevelt called it "the handsomest building" he had ever seen.

Photos from the Cyclorama, the largest oil painting in the world.  The painting is on a circled canvass, allowing you to see the artist's depiction of the battle in 360 degrees.

General Robert E. Lee's bed and traveling military equipment.

Stampede wins -- 44-29!