Here is the service from May 30, 2021.
Monday, May 31, 2021
Sunday, May 30, 2021
Sermon -- Holy Trinity (May 30, 2021)
ROMANS 8:14-17
YOU BELONG TO A DIVINE FAMILY.
God has told us who he is. He is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And yet, he is one God. All the efforts to explain how this works end
up making a false confession about God. We
simply take God at his word. The Trinity
is a mystery that we won’t ever unravel.
We do not get to alter God to our own understanding or liking.
God reveals himself to us in terms of a
family. The Father is the source of
life. Granted, mothers give birth, but fathers
produce offspring. A father gives his name
to his children, protects, disciplines, and provides for them. It does not always work out that way in a
sinful world, but that is God’s design. God
the Father has a Son, begotten from eternity.
That does not mean God the Son has a birth date, as if he did not exist
at one point. God the Son was begotten in
eternity. In eternity, there is no time,
calendar, or clock. In regard to the begetting
of the Son, the point is not when, but what. The relationship is expressed. There is God the Father and God the Son and
God the Holy Spirit—all eternal, all divine, all equal in glory, power, and majesty,
all united in will and purpose.
Now, the Lord does not reveal these things
just to satisfy your curiosity. He
reveals these things for your blessing.
God tells you these things so that you can belong to his divine family. St. Paul reminds you, “you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons”
(Romans 8:15). If you have been adopted as sons,
that means you and I are not natural-born members of God’s family.
You and I had a different father.
This is evident by the fact that we do not naturally do what God tells
us to do. The Bible teaches us, “Whoever
makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning
from the beginning. …By this it is
evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil:
whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God” (1 John 3:8,10). God’s Law tells us what is righteous. We often agree with it when we apply that Law
to other people. But when we apply that
Law to ourselves, there are always reasons why, for us, it is different. God says we should not lie, but we think
covering up evil is a greater good than the truth. God says that a man and woman sharing a bed
is to be reserved for marriage, but as long as we say we love each other, our
feelings are enough to overrule God’s word.
We are outraged when other people are rude or insulting. But when we are, it is okay because someone
deserved it. We exonerate ourselves by
declaring, “Well, in my case, it’s different.”
But the only thing different about it is that it is you. We are fools to think this actually works,
but the sinful heart is good at buying lies.
This is why we have a spirit that makes us a slave to fear. Guilt produces terror. Mental gymnastics to bend around God’s Law
don’t change that. God’s Law is good, but
we cannot keep it, so we become angry and fearful. We are enslaved to the fear of death, of judgment,
and of God. This is not the life God the
Father planned for us to have.
Therefore, God acted to bring you into his divine family. In baptism, he drove out the unclean, sinful
spirit which is enslaved to fear and death.
He gave you his Holy Spirit who gives you peace and life. Now, you belong to a divine family, as St.
Paul says: “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of
God. For you did not
receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have
received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, ‘Abba!
Father’” (Romans 8:14-15)!
You belong to a divine family. The Holy Spirit has shown you that God the
Father is not a vindictive, spiteful deity.
He does not want to destroy what he has made. At the same time, he cannot dismiss the sin
that infects us. Therefore, the Holy
Spirit has revealed to you what God the Father has done for you. You know the verse well. “God so loved the
world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish
but have eternal life” (John 3:16).
God
the Father does not want to lose you to sin and hell. He chose to free you from sin, fear, and
death. So, God the Father gave his only
begotten Son for you. God the Son was
given into the world as a man. Then God
the Son gave himself to death in exchange for you. In exchange for your sin, he gave his innocence. In exchange for your death, he gave his
life. In order to secure your place in God’s
family, he was forsaken by the Father.
In order for you to be acquitted, Jesus was found guilty of all sin. Therefore, you will not perish, but have eternal
life. So, fear not; God’s pardon and
peace are yours.
Now you belong to a divine family. “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit
of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit
of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father’” (Romans 8:14-15)! You know that
you are led by the Spirit of God because you believe his words and
promises. You know that you have been adopted
as sons of God because God did this to you in your baptism. Adopted children don’t choose their parents;
the parents bring the children into their family. If you are sons of God, you share the status
with the only begotten Son of God. So, God
the Father has made you full-fledged members of his divine family. This is why you get to call on God in terms of
endearment, “Abba! Father!” The Triune God is not some distant,
disinterested deity. He is your dear
Father in heaven. The Son is your
beloved brother. The Holy Spirit dwells
within you to preserve you in God’s good care.
You belong to a divine family.
You can hear these words, and you confess
them. You can even boldly proclaim them
with new hymn that is worthy of becoming a favorite: “God’s Own Child, I
Gladly Say it; I am baptized into Christ.” It confesses what we are, and it confesses
why that is true. But it doesn’t often
look like it. It usually doesn’t feel
like it. We are all too familiar with
our failures and weaknesses. We wonder, “How
can I consider myself a child of God when the deeds I do are done poorly or begrudgingly?”
St. Paul gives a surprising
answer to those questions: “The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit
that we are children of God” (Romans 8:16).
The Holy Spirit testifies that you are a child of God based on divine
promises. The Spirit himself bears
witness with our spirit that a godly life is good and right. The Spirit himself works with our spirit to
put off sin and to will and to do what is right. And the Spirit continually bears witness to
the only place frightful sinners have hope—in God the Son who takes away the sins
of the world. He points us to God the Father
who is our Abba, our dear Father who is endeared to us. Your place in the divine family is not teetering
on the brink of losing it at any moment.
The Triune God assures you that your place is secure, even if you
struggle or stumble. For, the Triune God
has been pleased to pay a great price to adopt you into his family. You belong to the divine family.
“The Spirit himself bears
witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children,
then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we
suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him” (Romans 8:16-17). Since you are sons of God, you are heirs of
God’s kingdom. For an inheritance to be
given, someone has to die—which is what Jesus did for you. But Jesus is risen. He lives and reigns over his kingdom. Since you are united to him, you will be raised
from the dead to live and reign with him as heirs of heavenly glory.
You belong to a divine family. This means you have also been set apart from
this world. The world is still enslaved
to sinful, selfish ways. The world hates
God’s word and denies that God actually has anything worth applying to their lives. You are free from that, and it will show in
your life, in your speech, and in your attitude. The Spirit works with your spirit to delight
in God’s word and to live according to it.
You will not be the only one
who notices that you are different. Many
in our world will notice it too, and you may feel their hatred for it. Jesus was despised, and those who are his
brothers and sisters will be too—to what extent varies in time and place. Some live in a very real danger of their
lives. Others are simply mocked for taking
God and his word seriously. You will
suffer to some extent as Jesus did. There
will always be enmity between the offspring of God and of the devil. But fear not.
You have a divine family who holds you dear and will not let you perish. If you share in his sufferings, you will also
share in his glory. Glory awaits.
The Lord God has made himself known to
you. He is not just a father; he
is your heavenly Father who has given you life, who provides, protects, and
disciplines you. No matter what you
might endure, he remains your good and merciful Father in heaven. He is God the Son who has become your brother
in the flesh. He laid down his life so
that yours would be redeemed. He makes
you heirs with him of the resurrection to life and glory everlasting. No matter what you might endure, he remains your
Savior. He is God the Holy Spirit who
reveals God’s word and wisdom and will.
He dwells within you so that—no matter what you might endure—you are the
Lord’s now and forever. He remains the
Lord and Giver of Life.
The Triune God has made you his own. He is not a nebulous God, and he does not give nebulous blessings. He has given you the family name and entrusted you with the riches of his kingdom. Cherish your place in his family, as well as your fellow brothers and sisters. For, we are all beloved of the Lord and heirs of unending glory.
In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Thursday, May 27, 2021
Update from Good Shepherd (May 27, 2021)
Greetings!
SUMMER SCHEDULE
Divine Services are at 10:00 AM on Sundays, in person and on Facebook Live. Share our services and invite friends to tune in.
Divine Services are at 10:00 AM on Sundays, in person and on Facebook Live. Share our services and invite friends to tune in.
Sunday School, Adult Bible Class, and Bible Matters will resume in September
ATHANASIAN CREED
This Sunday (May 30) is the Festival of the Holy Trinity on which we get to ponder the mystery of our Truine God. This is also the one Sunday each year we will confess the Athanasian Creed. For a background on this creed, you can check out this blog post.
Between Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends, Pastor Schroeder’s office hours will be a bit more sporadic than usual. To ensure his availability, it is best to make an appointment. He will remain available by phone or text (248-719-5218). You may also email (welsnovi@aol.com), but the response may be slower.
CONCERNING PASTORAL CARE
Pastor Schroeder is available for private devotions, Holy Absolution, and Holy Communion to members in small groups or to individuals. You may call to set up an appointment at any time. Visits by appointment can be done either at church or at your home.
Pastor Schroeder is available for private devotions, Holy Absolution, and Holy Communion to members in small groups or to individuals. You may call to set up an appointment at any time. Visits by appointment can be done either at church or at your home.
If you want to ask for intercessions for loved ones, we will certainly remember them in our prayers, too. If your loved one has no pastor, ask if they would like Pastor Schroeder to visit them.
GOOD SHEPHERD ON YOUTUBE
Feel free to share the videos. For other services, do a search for "Good Shepherd Novi." The service from Sunday, May 23 is here: Good Shepherd Novi, Divine Service - May 23, 2021 - YouTube
Bulletins for services can be downloaded from here (scroll down):
FAMILY VBS – July 26-28; 6:30-8:00 PM
We will be offering a Vacation Bible School for the whole family to partake in. It will be Monday – Wednesday evenings. The children will have their own materials that they will enjoy. Tentatively, the theme will be, “Soaring High.”
Adults will have a different topic. We will work under the theme, “Finding God.” It is designed for all levels of interest in the Bible and religion in general. We will consider how various religious speak about God, how the true God reveals himself, and how to be sure what we know about God is true and helpful. We will consider what is trustworthy and untrustworthy when it comes to knowing God’s will for us.
While our Family VBS will meet in person, we also recognized that many people seemed to prefer a drive-through arrangement of picking up materials for their children and working through them at home. Since it was so well-received, we will try to offer the same thing with our Family VBS. Logistics have yet to be figured out with that. If you are able to help with our VBS this summer, especially in the area of the drive-through event, there will be a planning meeting after church on Sunday, June 13.
OFFERINGS
While we may not be meeting for worship, we do have financial obligations to meet. You may either mail your offering into Good Shepherd, or you can set up your offering to be transferred electronically from your bank. If you are interested in the automatic transfer of funds for your offering, please contact the church at (248) 349-0565 or welsnovi@aol.com.
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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
==============================
SUMMER SCHEDULE
Sunday School, Adult Bible Class, and Bible Matters will resume in September.
GOOD SHEPHERD’S WEBSITE
Wednesday, May 26, 2021
Worship Notes: The Athanasian Creed
Sunday, May 30 is the Festival of the Holy Trinity. It is the one Sunday each year that we confess the Athanasian Creed. It is one of the three ecumenical creeds of the Christian Church, the others being the Apostles' and Nicene Creeds. Since the Athanasian Creed is seldom confessed publicly in a Divine Service, some background for it might be helpful.
THE ATHANASIAN CREED
The Athanasian Creed is one of the three catholic creeds. The word catholic means universal, as in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. The word creed comes from the Latin word credo which means “I believe.” Luther said of this creed, “I doubt whether the New Testament church has a more important document since the Apostolic age.”
The second portion of the Athanasian Creed reaffirms the Nicene Creed regarding the person of Jesus Christ. However, it begins with a most excellent presentation on the doctrine of the Holy Trinity. It says no more and no less than Scriptures say, letting the paradox of God’s nature stand (i.e., God is one; God is three).
Confessors of the creed should not be put off by the second to last article which says: “Those who have done good will enter eternal life, but those who have done evil will go into eternal fire” (cp also John 5:28,29). The article does not teach salvation attained by human works, but simply reflects that our good works (or lack thereof) are evidence of God-given faith (or unbelief). When we remember that our good works are actually God’s work through us, then we will understand this article correctly (cf Ephesians 2:8-10). In addition, we remember that are judged based on Jesus’ merits, not our own. We have been given the credit for Christ’s righteousness. Therefore, we are heirs of eternal life.
This creed ought to bring us great comfort, as it speaks clearly about our God and his plan for our salvation. Its clearness and boldness are refreshing in this age of doctrinal confusion. This is no wishy-washy confession. It states what the Scriptures teach – there is no God but the Lord revealed in the Scriptures, and there is no salvation outside of the name of Jesus Christ. All who deny this deny the truth; and all who deny the truth forfeit salvation.
Finally, a study of this creed and the history which surrounds it shows how important it is for us to be familiar with the history of the Christian Church. When we understand how Christians who have gone before us identified error and combated it, then we will better be able to do the same.
Monday, May 24, 2021
Traveling with the Schroeders -- Fort Meigs, Perrysburg, Ohio
The US commissioned Major General William Henry Harrison to build a fort along to Maumee River to stop the British soldiers' advances. The fort eventually became one of the places from which the US troops beat back the British. The greatest battle in the area was on Lake Erie where Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry defeated the British in a naval battle. Another historical site to be visited eventually.
I did not expect Fort Meigs to offer as much as it did. The fort has been reconstructed completely. Its footprint was determined to within a foot of the original fort and beams of timber were placed around it. Seven block houses have been rebuilt, originally designed to withstand canon ball fire from the British across the river--and they did. The only other original remnants of the fort are traverses--large earthen mounds which were built up to absorb canon fire which was being lobbed into the camp. The soldiers' tents were pitched behind these traverses which protected them quite well. The traverses stopped canon fire from hitting the soldiers, and any efforts to lob canon fire over these traverses usually meant that cannon balls cleared the fort completely. It was a brilliant design constructed very hastily by William Henry Harrison. Due to erosion over the past 200 years, the traverses are only half the size they once were.
Side note: The one thing that I did not see (and maybe I just missed it in the museum) is who this "Meigs" guy is for whom the fort is named. As best as I can determine, it would be Return Jonathan Meigs, Jr. who served as governor of Ohio at the time.
The cost of admission is $10 for adults; Peter was $5. It is well worth the cost. Photos are below.
Sunday, May 23, 2021
Sermon -- Pentecost (May 23, 2021)
EZEKIEL 37:1-14
LIFE COMES THROUGH THE SPIRIT.
In the name + of Jesus.
The prophecies of Ezekiel are usually very colorful, and the one in our reading is no exception. Ezekiel was given a vision of bleached-out, skeletal remains, cluttered and scattered throughout a valley. He was to proclaim the word of God to people whose remains had been reduced to bones. But when the word of God goes forth, life returns. The bones reassembled. Flesh and muscle covered them. And then Ezekiel prophesied to the Spirit which produced life in these bodies.
The immediate fulfillment of this prophecy
is given by God. “Son
of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. … And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O my
people. And I will put my Spirit
within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land” (Ezekiel
37:11,13-14).
The nation of Israel was as good as dead. They had been living in Babylonian lands for
decades. They were not guests; they were
captives. There was no hope of escape or
return. For all practical purposes, they
had ceased being a nation. What, then, would
become of God’s promises? Could a Savior
come to the Promised Land when God’s people had been exiled from it? Could life returned to God’s chosen
ones? God’s answer is: “Yes!” He would bring Israel back to the Promised
Land as if they had been raised up from the dead. Life would come through the Spirit whose word
would revive God’s people and whose work would sustain the Promise.
Life comes through the Spirit. We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and
Giver of life. This is what the Holy
Spirit does, and it is seen already in the first verses of the Bible. As soon as God produced the raw materials for
creating the universe, “the Spirit of God was
hovering over the face of the waters” (Genesis 1:2). The Holy Spirit
plus water equals new life. When God the
Father created man, he fashioned a clod of dirt. And then “the Lord God … breathed
into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living
creature” (Genesis 2:7). God’s
breath makes alive. Life comes through
the Spirit.
When God created
mankind, he made the man and the woman in the image of God. He set people apart from every other living
creature. The animals move about and
live in their animal ways. They do not
pray or worship or seek fellowship with God.
We don’t baptize or commune them no matter how cute or beloved they
are. But Adam and Eve were made to have
fellowship with God. They were given
intellect, emotions, and a will which were all in full agreement with God. They rejoiced to know God and to live
according to God’s word. They were not
only physical beings, but also spiritual beings, and their spiritual life was
given and sustained by the Holy Spirit.
But the image of
God has been ruined by sin. Rebellion
against God’s word is also rebellion against the Spirit who reveals it. Once mankind fell into sin, the nature of all
people was corrupted and, in fact, dead.
People are still both physical and spiritual beings. People still maintain intellect, but now each
one’s intellect focuses in on himself. Our
own thoughts and schemes are for our own glory and gain, often at the expense
of our neighbor. Identity thieves are
not stupid people; rather they use their skills wickedly. People still are created with emotions. In fact, if you want to get people to agree
to wicked behavior, appeal to their emotions.
Emotions always seems to trump God’s word, because our emotions control
us rather than we controlling them. That
is why calling people “haters” is so effective.
This accusation appeals to emotions rather than to doctrine. And while we maintain a will, it is also self-serving. We often hide our self-centered motives behind
the banner of personal freedom. We get
to do what we want because we can, and no one dare forbid us! None of these things are the image of
God. All these things are the result of
buying the devil’s lies that sin makes us free.
But what sin makes us free from is God’s love, God’s wisdom, and God’s
kingdom. The devil’s freedom means that
we are captives of guilt, shackled to death, and sentenced to hell. What the devil sells as freedom is a death
sentence from which we cannot escape. Like
the Jews in Babylon, we have no hope of returning to life in the image of God.
Like the Jews in Babylon, our only hope
comes by God’s word to us and by God’s work for us. Life comes through the Spirit, and with that
life comes this blessing: “Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first
resurrection! Over such the second
death has no power” (Revelation 20:6). The first resurrection
is that you are no longer dead in sin.
You have been rescued from the condition which binds you to guilt,
shame, death, and damnation. Hell cannot
have you. The curse has been taken away
by Jesus who suffered hell for you, who died under God’s curse in your place,
and who destroyed death and the devil at his resurrection. This is what the Spirit has revealed to you
through God’s word. And by this word,
the Holy Spirit revives you with new life and restores you as a new creation.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord
and Giver of Life. Life comes through
the Spirit, but the Spirit does not work apart from the word of God. No one comes into the kingdom of God by being
zapped into it. The Holy Spirit always
works through God’s word, just as he did in Ezekiel’s vision. “Then he said to me, ‘Prophesy, to the breath;
prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, Thus says the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O
breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.’ So I prophesied as he commanded me,
and the breath came into them, and they lived and stood on their feet, an
exceedingly great army” (Ezekiel 37:9-10).
This is how it works for you, too. The Holy Spirit inspired the prophets and
apostles to pen the word of God. Through
this God-breathed word, the Spirit breathes life and faith in people. This is the first resurrection—God comes to
those who were dead in sin and makes the alive in Christ Jesus. This life is given not only by the word
preached, but also by the word applied with water in holy baptism. Jesus declared, “Truly, truly, I say to
you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the
kingdom of God. That which is born of
the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit” (John
3:5-6). Just as it was with the creation of the
world, so it is when God makes a new creation of sinners: The Holy Spirit plus
water equals new life.
Life comes through the Spirit. The word is preached. The Spirit goes forth. The Spirit who breathed the word into the prophets
and the apostles breathes from those words into the hearts, souls, and minds of
people. He applies the forgiveness of
sins won by Jesus and pardons all sins of wicked intellect, emotional
outbursts, and self-centered will. He,
then, begins your transformation back to the image of God. He transforms your mind so that your intellect
submits to the word of God. Through the Holy
Spirit’s work, you recognize that your emotions do not determine what is true,
but God’s word does. The Spirit also
puts to death the will that is controlled by sin and produces in you a will that
delights in God’s will. This is the new
creation and the new life that the Holy Spirit works in you.
Life comes through the Spirit. Life is sustained by the Spirit. This is what the Lord says: “Faith comes
from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17). This is a present tense verb. It is not merely that faith once came to you
by hearing the word of Christ; it is that faith continues to come to you by
hearing the word of Christ. The breath
of God comes to you through the God-breathed words of Scripture. When breathing ceases, life ceases. In other words, if you do not continue to
hear the word of God, faith will eventually expire. It is like the astronauts from Apollo 13. They lost their oxygen tank, so the oxygen
levels in their craft got low. If they
had not returned to earth quickly, eventually they would have become light-headed
until they just slipped away into unconsciousness, and then into death. They knew of the danger because the gauges
were telling them the problem. But if they
had remained unaware, they may not have noticed a problem until it was too late. So also, people who stop hearing the word of
God fall into a spiritual apathy. They don’t
notice it; eventually, they do not care.
Their bodies are alive, so everything seems fine. It will not be until the final judgment that
they will realize their bare knowledge of Bible facts will not save them. Faith comes by hearing the word of Christ. Through that word, the Spirit continues to
come and to keep faith alive. This is
what the Church gathers for. If
Christians stop coming to church, it is a valid fear that they are slipping
away and their faith is dying. These are
serious matters, and we should all be concerned about them.
Life comes through the Spirit. It culminates in everlasting life in the kingdom
of heaven. Of course, we are not there
yet. Eventually, you will pass away from
this world. Your spirit will not die;
for you have already partaken in the first resurrection. The body, however, will die, decay, and be
reduced to dry bones. “Son of man, can these bones live”
(Ezekiel 37:3)? And the Spirit says, “Yes!” He will fulfill what was prophesied by
Ezekiel. “Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will open your graves
and raise you from your graves, O my people. …And I will put my Spirit within you, and
you shall live, and I will place you in your own land” (Ezekiel 37:12,14). On the Last Day,
the Lord Jesus will return in glory. The
voice of God will summon all people from their graves. The bones will be rejoined. Flesh will cover them. Body and soul will be reunited.
Life comes through the Spirit. Just as the Lord gave breath and life to the
first holy people on earth, so he will raise you up and restore breath and life
in you. You will be given the perfected
bodies that you crave. You will not only
live without blemishes or impairments, you will also live without shame,
regret, or frustration. You will be fully
restored to the image of God, free to live and to serve him without any
weakness, fault, or struggles. For, the
Lord will confirm you in holiness.
As God’s word is proclaimed, God’s Spirit goes forth. As God’s Spirit goes forth, new life is given, is sustained, and increases. Apart from the breath of God, there is no life. But God-breathed Scripture will guard and keep you. By it, the Holy Spirit will sustain your new life, now and for all eternity.
In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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