Sermon -- 6th Sunday in Lent: Palm Sunday (March 29, 2026)

YOUR KING COMES WITH AN ATTITUDE.

PHILIPPIANS 2:5-11 

In the name + of Jesus.

      St. Paul wrote to the Philippians, “Indeed, let this attitude be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5).  This tells you that Jesus has an attitude.  Now, usually when we say that someone has an attitude, we regard that as a problem.  You might say to a child, “You have a bad attitude.  Clean it up!”

     We experience bad attitudes because people don’t like to be told what to do.  This is also a reason that Americans are opposed to having a king.  If we don’t like our leaders, we can vote them out.  But kings reign for life.  Kings don’t ask permission to make decrees.  King issue laws, and that word reigns supreme.  (If you enjoy irony, this Sunday hits the same weekend as a bunch of “No Kings” rallies.) 

     Our Lord is the true King who reigns supreme.  The Lord God is King of heaven and earth.  His word reigns supreme.  He has given his laws to define good and evil, and he did not ask for our opinion on those laws.  Sinners, of course, resist this.  Everyone has one throne in his heart.  Each person wants to rule on it himself.  “I want to do what I want to do when I want to do it.  And I don’t want anyone to challenge, much less condemn, what I choose to do!”  But God is eternal; his word is not going to change.  And there is going to be no regime change.  So, anyone who thinks he can challenge, criticize, or condemn God for his laws will finally discover that our Lord comes with an attitude—vengeance upon all who do not honor him as King.

     The prophet Zechariah foretold that the King is coming.  The King comes with an attitude.  But Jesus’ attitude is not something we should fear.  Zechariah prophesied, “Rejoice greatly, Daughter of Zion!  Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem!  Look!  Your King is coming to you.  He is righteous and brings salvation.  He is humble and is riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey” (Zechariah 9:9).  Your King comes with an attitude, but it is an attitude of meekness, gentleness, and humility.

      St. Paul noted, “Though he was by nature God, he did not consider equality with God as a prize to be displayed, but he emptied himself by taking the nature of a servant” (Philippians 2:6).  Jesus did not come radiating his divinity.  Jesus did not lose his power, glory, or majesty.  Rather, he kept it hidden under weak, humble flesh.  So, when Jesus entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, people did not flee from him in terror.  Rather, they met him with songs of praise.  “The crowds who went in front of him and those who followed kept shouting, Hosanna to the Son of David!  Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!  Hosanna in the highest” (Matthew 21:9)!  They welcomed Jesus as their king.  They recognized that he had not come as an enemy or even as a threat.  He came as a king, but not as a tyrant. 

     Your King comes with an attitude.  He assures you, “I am gentle and humble in heart” (Matthew 11:29), so you need not fear him.  But do not misinterpret Jesus’ gentleness as timidity.  And even though Jesus was humble, that does not mean he was a push-over.  Jesus stood firm on God’s word.  He preached that word boldly and without apology.  Occasionally, those words cut people to the heart.  Some were alarmed by their sins and the judgment which they deserved.  To those who feared God’s wrath and sought relief from their guilt, Jesus proved to be gentle and humble in heart.  He bestowed mercy and gave them hope.  Others became angry at Jesus’ preaching.  They refused to let King Jesus possess the throne in their heart.  But when they became angry, Jesus did not soften God’s message.  He upheld the truth and did not budge.  If God’s word produced anger, the fault was not with God’s word.  Nor was the fault with the one who preached God’s word.  The fault lay with the sinner who rejected God’s word.

     Your King comes with an attitude.  His attitude was seen especially in the week when he entered Jerusalem.  Jesus was resolved to fight the battle which would deliver us from our sin.  There were numerous enemies who fought against him.  Jesus backed down from none of them.  Rabbis and priests came with cleverly devised “gotcha” questions, hoping to condemn Jesus for blasphemy or for treason.  Jesus did not evade their questions; he answered them with boldness and faithfulness to God’s word.  The devil tempted Jesus to shrink from the cup of God’s wrath.  Jesus responded with fervent prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane.  The Father strengthened Jesus in his resolve to take up our sins and to drain the cup of God’s wrath.  Even when Jesus hung in agony from the cross, his enemies taunted him.  They challenged Jesus the same way Satan had when Jesus was in the wilderness.  “Save yourself!  If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross!  If he’s the King of Israel, let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him” (Matthew 27:40,42, emphasis added). 

     Jesus, however, had no need to prove himself to the priests, to the rabbis, or to the devil.  St. Paul noted, “Though he was by nature God, he did not consider equality with God as a prize to be displayed, but he … humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death—even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:6-8).  He was determined to do the work that saves sinners.  His mission was not to dazzle, but to die; not to slaughter his enemies, but to be slain for sinners.  Your King comes with an attitude.

     Jesus humbled himself to suffer death on a cross, but he was no helpless victim.  He did not seek to escape arrest, although he did demonstrated that he could have.  When Judas arrived in Gethsemane to betray Jesus, Jesus asked who they were looking for.  They said, “Jesus of Nazareth.”  Jesus answered plainly, “I am he.”  St. John then adds, “When Jesus told them, ‘I am he,’ they backed away and fell to the ground” (John 19:6).  Still, he did not attempt to flee.  Your King came with an attitude—a conviction to suffer and die for sinners.

     Jesus is a King whose will was carried out, not a pawn at the mercy of his enemies.  To further emphasize that Jesus was no helpless victim, we need only to consider the plans of Jesus’ enemies.  They were trying to orchestrate Jesus’ death according to their own designs.  “The chief priests and the elders of the people assembled in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas.  They plotted together how to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him.  But they said, ‘Not during the Festival, or else there might be a riot among the people’” (Matthew 26:3-5).  And yet, Jesus’ death came during the Passover feast.  In truth, the priests were the pawns.  The Lord used the unbelief and the hatred of the priests and rabbis to achieve his own purpose.  According to Jesus’ timing and in fulfillment of God’s promises, they unwittingly fulfilled the role of God’s anointed priests: They sacrificed the Lamb of God.  Jesus is the true Passover Lamb whose body was roasted in God’s wrath and whose blood now marks you so that death and damnation pass over you. 

     And since he has done everything the Father sent him to do, the Father raised up his Son on the third day to live and reign forever.  This man, Jesus, now possesses all authority in heaven and on earth.  St. Paul wrote, “God … highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:9-11). 

     Jesus of Nazareth has been exalted.  This man now has and uses all the majesty, glory, and power of God.  Behold!  Your King reigns forever and ever.  And you have every reason to rejoice over this, because this King rules for you.  Everything in heaven and on earth and under the earth serves Jesus and is employed by him for the eternal good of his Church.  You may not understand why he does what he does, but your comfort is not in unraveling how he rules.  Your comfort is in knowing that Jesus does rule, that he is your loving Redeemer, and that whatever you experience does not change his nature, his love, and his devotion to you.

     Your King still comes to you.  He comes as God’s people sing the Palm Sunday song: “Hosanna in the highest!  Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”  We sing this as we are preparing to feast on Holy Communion.  For Lord comes to feed us with his living body.  He comes to mark us with the blood that causes death and damnation to pass over us.  Your King still comes with an attitude—compassion, mercy, and devotion to you.

     Behold!  Your King will come again on the Last Day to judge the living and the dead.  You may be grieved that people currently mock him, his word, and his people.  They seem to get away with it because our Lord’s judgment is being held back.  But your King will come with an attitude.  He did not regard his divinity as a prize to be displayed when he came to suffer and die, but his divinity will be displayed in radiant, undeniable glory when he comes to judge the living and the dead.  St. Paul said, “Every knee will bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord” (Philippians 2:10-11).  Many will not want to, but they will have no choice.  Jesus lives and reigns over all things.

     Our joy is that we already bend our knees before him, especially as we come to this altar to feast on his body and blood.  Our joy is that we already confess that Jesus is Lord.  We engage in the hymns of God’s people from all ages.  We even join in the song of angels and archangels as we sing, “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of heavenly hosts.  Heaven and earth are full of your glory!”  We sing that because we confess that it is our King who comes to us to bless us and to save us.

     So, “let this attitude be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5). You can be humble; for you know that you are sinners like everyone else on earth.  But you need not be timid.  You can confess God’s word boldly because it will never fail you or deceive you.  Even if you must suffer hatred from Jesus’ enemies, you are still sons and daughters of the King.  When he comes again with an attitude, he will avenge you.  Better than that, he will exalt you to the heights of heaven and to glory everlasting.

     Rejoice!  Your King comes with an attitude.  He is righteous and has salvation.  He is full of compassion and mercy.  He is totally committed and devoted to you.  That is why you and I are totally committed and devoted to him.  He is the King we all need.

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

Michigan Lutheran Seminary Choir at Good Shepherd

On Wednesday, March 25, Good Shepherd was pleased to host the choir from Michigan Lutheran Seminary of Saginaw, Michigan.  Their 32-voice choir kicked off a mini-tour in the metro-Detroit area.  

Update from Good Shepherd (March 26, 2026)

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 will resume on Wednesday, April 8 at 6:30 PM.

CALENDAR: For a calendar of events and meetings, click here.

HOLY WEEK

Palm Sunday                                           March 29, 10:00 AM

Private Confession & Absolution    April 1, 7:00-9:00 PM

TRIDUUM: Maundy Thursday        April 2, 7:00 PM

TRIDUUM: Good Friday                    April 3, 7:00 PM

TRIDUUM: Easter Dawn                   April 5, 7:00 PM

Easter Breakfast                                   April 5, 8:45-9:45 AM

Easter Festival Service                       April 5, 10:00 AM

PRIVATE CONFESSION & ABSOLUTION
          Private Confession and Absolution will be available to any who are grieved by their sins and seek relief. It will be offered on Wednesday, April 1. You may stop in without appointment between 7:00-9:00 PM. For those who are not familiar with the practice or the reasons for it, please refer to this blog post.

HOLY WEEK DEVOTIONS
          Martin Luther College is offering devotions throughout Holy Week. They will be available to you through daily emails. If you would like to receive them, you can register for them here. They are written under the theme: "Of First Importance: Christ's Death and Resurrection for Us." Feel free to share this link with anyone.

EVERY MEMBER VISITS

          Every four years or so, the pastor conducts visits at the homes of all the members.  It is intended to stay connected with everyone and to allow people to address any issues that may bother them or confuse them.  A sign-up sheet for Every Member Visits in April is posted at church to allow people to schedule their visit.  You can also sign up through the Sign-Up Genius link here.

ADULT BIBLE CLASS

          Why do we sing what we sing?  Beginning on April 12, our Sunday morning Bible Class will consider the hymns of the Church dating all the way back to the earliest songs of praise which were rendered to our Lord.  Hymns can be judged as good, medium, and bad.  How is that judgment determined?  Why does the pastor select the hymns he does?  We will explore these questions and others as we give careful attention to the songs we sing in worship.  Adult Bible Class meets at 9:00 AM on Sunday.

BIBLE MATTERS

          A new series will begin on Wednesday, April 8 at 6:30 PM.  Our series will be entitled, "Who Are These People?  Lessons on Lesser-Known People of the Bible."  

GOOD SHEPHERD ON YOUTUBE

           Services are uploaded to YouTube each week. Feel free to share the videos. Here is the Divine Service from March 15, 2026: Good Shepherd Novi, Divine Service, March 15, 2026

CHURCH COUNCIL HIGHLIGHTS (March)

>  The postcards to invite people to our Easter Festival Service on April 5 have arrived!  Be sure to take as many as you can to invite friends, family, and coworkers to our Easter services. 

>  We approved spending up to $25,000 to get the windows replaced above the altar and the organ pipes.  The windows will have a bronze hue on the outside.  The windows above the altar will have frosted glass on the inside; the windows above the organ pipes will be clear glass on the inside.  Installation will take place after Easter, particularly when the lawn is not too soggy. 

>  Ladies of Good Shepherd, mark your calendars for our annual Ladies Brunch.  The men of Good Shepherd will be pleased to serve you brunch on Saturday, May 2 at 10:00 AM.  You are welcome to invite other ladies to join us for this event.

REGULAR OFFICE HOURS

          For the most part, the pastor will be observing formal office hours (Monday-Thursday, 9:00 AM – Noon). Occasionally, duties will take him away from the office during these scheduled times, so you will still want to call or text to confirm any meetings with the pastor (248-719-5218).

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.

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

Sunday School -- Sundays at 9:00 AM 

Adult Bible Class -- Sundays at 9:00 AM 

DIVINE SERVICES -- Sundays at 10:00 AM.

HOLY WEEK SCHEDULE

 

GOOD SHEPHERD’S WEBSITE
www.GoodShepherdNovi.org

PASTOR SCHROEDER’S BLOG

www.LutheranSubject.blogspot.com  

YouTube -- 4th Sunday in Lent (March 15, 2026)

Here is the Divine Service from Sunday, March 15, 2026.

Worship Notes: The Triduum (The Three Days)

 INTRODUCTION TO THE TRIDUUM

          The enormous significance of Christ’s suffering, death, and resurrection has always been the central focus of Christian worship.  Prior to the fourth century, Easter Day itself included all three emphases, but thereafter they were distributed over three days of special observance, which Augustine called “the most holy Triduum of the crucified, buried, and risen Lord.”  These days have long been understood as the climax of the Church’s year.

          Since the last half of the 20^th century, Lutherans have been rediscovering the richness of the ancient Triduum (pronounced TRIH-doo-um) and adapting the traditional services associated with it for use in Evangelical-Lutheran worship.  In keeping with their origins, the Triduum services are closely connected with one another.   We observe the Triduum as a single service that extends over the “three holy days.”

MAUNDY THURSDAY

          The theme of Maundy Thursday, best expressed by the Gospel of Jesus Christ according to St. John, is the novum mandatum or “new command” of Jesus that his disciples “love one another.”  The institution of the Lord’s Supper sets forth the depth of Jesus’ love and gives power to the Church to live out his command.  For the Triduum, Maundy Thursday marks the end of Lent proper.  The service begins with the sermon and an exhortation regarding the end of Lent.  This unusual arrangement allows the minister to explain the meaning of the Sacrament and the liturgical actions that are to take place so that they may proceed uninterruptedly and vividly from this evening through Good Friday to the Easter Vigil.  The action of ceremonially stripping the altar prepares the chancel and the congregation for Good Friday.

GOOD FRIDAY:

THE SERVICE OF THE SEVEN WORDS

          As the middle service of the Triduum, Good Friday is prepared for by Maundy Thursday.  In turn, it leads into the Easter Vigil.  The absence of a benediction the previous evening and again on Good Friday underscores the connectedness of the Triduum service.  Good Friday is not a “funeral” for Jesus, but an austere celebration of the Lamb and his sacrifice.  The bare altar, symbolic of Christ, is the focus along with a large, rough finished wood cross.

          The Service of the Seven Words is a service that reviews the seven times in which Jesus spoke at his crucifixion.  Each reading is interspersed with silence for meditation, prayers, and hymns.  The Service of the Seven Words is intended as the primary Good Friday service and his historically been observed sometime during the “hours of the cross,” between noon and three o’clock.  It may also be used in place of the Service of Darkness (Tenebrae) as an evening service, as is the case at Good Shepherd.

EASTER VIGIL

           The climax of the Triduum comes in the Vigil of Easter, a service of watching and waiting which utilizes prayer, Scripture, and hymns.  The Vigil is composed of four parts:

I.     The Service of Light focuses on the Paschal Candle, the representation of the unconquered life of Christ.

II.   The Service of Lessons uses Old Testament texts that foreshadowed our deliverance and rescue by Jesus.

III.   The Service of Holy Baptism emphasizes our baptismal connection to the crucified and risen Christ.

IV.    The Service of Holy Communion proclaims the risen Savior and our blessed reconciliation to God.

          In the ancient Church, the Vigil began on Saturday and continued through to Easter Dawn.  It was at dawn that the cry rang out: “Alleluia!  Christ is risen!  He is risen indeed!  Alleluia!”  We honor the spirit of the Vigil, beginning our Easter Vigil at an early hour on Easter Sunday.  With the service of Easter Dawn, we conclude the Triduum.  Our Festival celebration is held at our regular hour of Divine Service, at 10:00 AM.

          May the Lord bless us as we observe these “three holy days,” the Triduum.

Holy Week 2026

Holy Week Schedule at Good Shepherd for 2026

THE TRIDUUM (The Three Days)

Maundy Thursday 

April 2, 7:00 PM

Good Friday

April 3, 7:00 PM

Easter Dawn 

April 5, 7:30 AM

Easter Breakfast -- 8:45 - 9:45 AM

Easter Festival Service -- 10:00 AM

Private Confession & Absolution -- Wednesday, April 1 (7:00 - 9:00 PM)

           Private confession and absolution will be available at church from 7:00 - 9:00 PM on Wednesday, April 1. No appointment is necessary. Just stop in. If this rite is new to you (and it is for many who attend here), the pastor will walk you through the rite so that you understand and appreciate it more. Private confession and absolution is always available by appointment throughout the year.

Why Private Confession & Absolution?
The answer follows:

          When Lutherans hear someone speak of Private Confession and Absolution, the response is usually a knee-jerk, "That's Roman Catholic!" Though that may be a common perception, the perception is because either it was taught wrongly or understood wrongly. Consider what the Lutheran Confessions teach about Private Confession and Absolution.

Our churches teach that private Absolution should be retained in the churches, although listing all sins is not necessary for Confession. For, according to the Psalm, it is impossible. "Who can discern his errors?" (Psalm 19:12) -- Augsburg Confession, Article XI

What is Confession?
Answer: Confession has two parts: the one is that we confess our sins; the other is that we receive Absolution, or forgiveness, from the confessor, as from God Himself, and in no way doubt, but firmly believe that our sins are forgiven before God in heaven by this.

What sins should we confess?
Answer: Before God we should plead guilty of all sins, even of those that we do not know, as we do in the Lord's Prayer. But before the confessor we should confess only those sins that we know and feel in our hearts. -- Luther's Small Catechism, Part V

          These are basic confessions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church. They are catholic, insofar as they are Christian. But they are not Roman, insofar as the penitent is not obligated to orally confess every sin in order to be forgiven of it and insofar as one's forgiveness is not dependent upon some action on the part of the penitent. The forgiveness is based on Jesus' sufferings and death for the penitent who has been baptized into his name.

          Since the practice of Private Confession and Absolution is a Lutheran practice, it would be good for Lutherans to practice it. It is good for the penitent who is grieved by a particular sin to confess it so that he can hear Christ say through the mouth of his minister: "I forgive you." It would be good for the one who is burdened to be relieved of his burden by Holy Absolution. It would be good for this practice, though foreign to many in my corner of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, to be restored. 

          Private Confession and Absolution has always been available to all members by appointment. In order for this practice to be restored and perhaps put to better use, there will be dates on the calendar set aside for anyone who would like to drop in and make use of this means of grace. These will be set up about 4 times per year. Private Confession and Absolution will still be available by appointment in addition to these scheduled times.

          It is anticipated that Private Confession and Absolution will roughly follow this regular schedule.
                    A day around Epiphany (Epiphany is always January 6)
                    A day during Holy Week
                    A day around Labor Day weekend
                    A day after Thanksgiving weekend

          The next scheduled date and time for Private Confession and Absolution will be Wdnesday, April 1, 7:00 - 9:00 PM.  Appointments are not necessary. You need only drop in. All participation is voluntary, as Absolution cannot be forced upon anyone.

          Of course, this will be new to pretty much any member who decides to make use of it. If you happen to come in, the pastor will walk through the rite with you and explain the various parts of it, especially including the "private" part, namely, that this confession is to Christ and, therefore, remains his business alone. The pastor will not report any confession or even the names of those who come for confession. Finally, the point of this is not for a pastor to learn everyone's dirty, little secrets. (His life is easier if he remains ignorant. But God's people do not call a pastor to be ignorant; they call him to absolve in the name of Jesus.) The point is for the guilty and the grieved to find relief and receive forgiveness, or absolution.