Update from Good Shepherd (October 31, 2019)

Greetings!

REGULAR SCHEDULE

        Divine Services are Sundays at 10:00 AM.

        Sunday School is on Sundays at 8:45 AM.

        Adult Bible Class is on Sundays at 8:45 AM and Wednesdays at 6:30 PM.

        Adult Bible Class will be working our way through the books of 1 & 2 Samuel, seeing how God continued to preserve his plan of salvation.  We will give special attention to the prophet Samuel and to the kings, Saul and David.  NOTE: Sunday morning and Wednesday evening are the same class.

LAST CALL FOR THE RED WINGS GAME

Good Shepherd will be sponsoring an outing to a Detroit Red Wings game on Monday, December 2.  The Red Wings will be facing off against the New York Islanders at 7:30 PM.  Tickets will be $34 per person for upper bowl seating and a “Celebrate Faith” t-shirt.  For now, we need to know if you will be interested in coming, who you are, and how many you are.  Please reply to Brian Wilder by November 1 at bawilder@mtu.edu .  Any questions can also be directed to Brian.

EVANGELISM COMMITTEE MEETING
          In order to make the most of opportunities to proclaim the Gospel in our community, we need to budget our expenses and our time.  We will be meeting to determine our plans and to pray that God will bless them.  Our next Evangelism Committee meeting will be Sunday, November 10 at 11:15 AM.  All members are encouraged to participate in our Evangelism efforts, whether on the committee or not.  But we do need people who are willing to be on the committee to plan.

STEWARDSHIP COMMITTEE MEETING
          Our next Stewardship Committee meeting will be Sunday, November 10 at 11:15 AM.  The main purpose of our Stewardship Committee right now is to coordinate events to foster the bonds of fellowship among our members and to serve our community as well.  While we can come up with ideas, it is important that congregation is on board with these ideas to make them beneficial for us and for others.  In other words, we need your participation to make these events go well.  Got an idea?  Willing to make some phone calls?  Want to see our congregation more energetic and vibrant?  Then you can help.  Join us on Sunday, November 10 after church.

CALL FOR NAMES – SAINTS TRIUMPHANT (November 17)
Every year, we remember the names of loved ones who have died in the Christian faith, praising God for the mercy he has had upon them and thanking God for preserving them in that saving faith throughout their life.  Normally, the names of these departed souls are recalled in a prayer on All Saints' Day, which is November 1.  Since Good Shepherd does not have a specific All Saints' Day service, we transfer this prayer and these remembrances to the 3rd Sunday of End Times which focuses on Saints Triumphant.
Members of Good Shepherd who have been called to eternal rest this past year are automatically included.  Members of Good Shepherd, you may also submit the names of your own loved ones who have died in the Christian faith between November 18, 2018 and November 17, 2019. When submitting these names, please included
1.  the name of the deceased
2.  your name
3.  how he/she was related to you
4.  the dates of his/her birth and death, if known
All names submitted by Thursday, November 14 will be listed in the bulletin.  Names may still be submitted as late as Sunday morning, but will not be printed in the bulletin.

MICHIGAN RIGHT TO LIFE PETITION

For the month of November, you will have an opportunity to sign a petition, if you choose, to support a ballot measure which would outlaw the dismemberment of unborn children.  This is different than the heartbeat bill which several states have already passed.  (Michigan, in fact, has a stricter law on the books which is sadly not really enforced.)  This bill, if it should become law, would outlaw the dismembering of unborn children in the process of aborting them.  If you don't know what that really entails, I am sure you can find a description online—viewer beware.  There are several petitions which will be available to sign; be sure you find one which is designated for the county in which you live.

While Good Shepherd, the WELS, and your pastor makes no official endorsement of a particular political party or candidate, we will take a stand on moral issues since God's word deals directly with those.  We believe, teach, and confess that murder is wrong (5th Commandment), even if that is the murder of a person yet unborn.  This petition encourages a law which upholds that belief.  Nevertheless, each individual is free to act (that is, to sign the petition or not) as you choose.

NOTES from Huron Valley Lutheran High School (HVL)

Join HVL’s Mailing List - Go to www.HVLHS.org and click on “Sign up for Newsletter” or call or email the school office at mail@hvlhs.org to be added.

HVL Wreath & Poinsettia Sale

          The order deadline is November 15.  All orders will be delivered to HVL on November 26. HVL Boosters will receive $10 from every purchase. To purchase, or for more information go to our website at www.hvlhs.org or bit.ly/HVLWreathsale. 

OFFICE HOURS
        Regular office hours at Good Shepherd will be Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays from 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM. While there may be some flexibility to this schedule, we will try to keep it as regular as possible. 

DO YOU LIKE US?

Look for Good Shepherd on Facebook.  Then “LIKE” us for updates and other postings.

God bless you.

In Christ,

Pastor Schroeder

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

SUNDAY SCHOOL -- Sundays at 8:45 AM.

ADULT BIBLE CLASS -- Sundays at 8:45 AM and Wednesdays at 6:30 PM.

DIVINE SERVICES -- Sundays at 10:00 AM

GOOD SHEPHERD’S WEBSITE

www.GoodShepherdNovi.org

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

Good Shepherd Evangelical Lutheran Church
41415 W. Nine Mile Road
Novi, Michigan  48375-4306
+   +   +   +   +   +   +   +   +   +   +   +
Divine Services -- Sundays at 10:00 AM

Happy Reformation Day!

Happy Reformation Day!

As a Lutheran pastor, I feel obligated to note this day on my blog and to say something about it.  Well, I said something five years ago, and I think it still works, so here it is.

Castle Church door 

where the 95 Theses were posted.

Originally posted October 31, 2014

Today marks the 497th anniversary (502nd anniversary in 2019) of Martin Luther's posting of the 95 Theses, often regarded as the birthday of the Lutheran Reformation.  While many people are familiar with the words "95 Theses," the theses themselves remain somewhat unknown to most people even in Lutheran circles.  For a complete reading of Martin Luther's 95 Theses--at least one version of it-- you can click here.

For a little background about these theses, Luther recognized that people were being taught that the purchase of indulgences from Roman Catholic priests/salesmen was running rampant.  (For a definition of indulgences, you can visit this Roman Catholic source here.)  People were being led to believe (if they were not flat out being told so) that peace with God was something that could be purchased for florins and pfennings, that is, cash.  There was no talk of faith.  There was no encouragement to pursue good works.  The purchase of indulgences, rather, encouraged impious living.  After all, if you can buy your way out of punishments, why not sin all the more?  A few more florins means more forgiveness.  (For what it is worth, you will not find salesmen trafficking indulgences today, but that does not mean they are gone.  Click here for a recent article on it.)

Luther, at first, did not declare the sale of indulgences unscriptural.  The 95 Theses addressed mainly the abuse of the sale of indulgences.  And Luther's attack was not done to stir up dissension.  It was written in Latin for scholars to read.  It was an invitation for scholars to debate.

But it was quickly translated into German.  Pamphlets of Luther's 95 Theses were copied and sold.  It was a best seller in no time at all.  Luther's theses were appreciated and applauded by many people around Germany--both for noble (comfort for people's consciences) and misguided (keep Saxon florins in Saxony) reasons.

The debate Luther sought never really happened.  (His debate with Dr. Eck in Leipzig, 1519, was as close as he got to honest discussion about it.  But Eck was not interested in discussion.  Eck sought entrapment and condemnation.)  The 95 Theses, however, did get people questioning the practice of selling indulgences.  Luther went on not just to question the practice, but to condemn it.  He also began to question many practices in the Roman Catholic Church.  He compared everything to the Holy Scriptures.  Whatever was opposed to the Bible, he vehemently condemned--sometimes so vehemently that it would make modern readers blush.

Luther never intended to split the church, but he finally recognized that it had to be that way.  Rome had no interested in reforming itself, even though Rome acknowledge that it had problems.  Luther's only desire was that the Gospel of Jesus Christ, divine mercy and grace, justification by faith alone, and comfort for grief-stricken consciences by fully and freely proclaimed.  For preaching, promoting, and defending that doctrine, Luther was condemned and excommunicated.  So let it be known: Luther did not rebel and start something new; he preached Jesus and was ousted for doing so.  The Lord, however, saw fit to preserve Luther's life.  The Gospel was heard in clear tones for the first time in centuries.  It was cherished by some and despised by others.  The church today still stands divided, and for the same reasons.

In the interest of highlighting a few portions of Luther's 95 Theses, some of them are printed below.  Happy Reformation Day!

Disputation of Doctor Martin Luther
on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences
by Dr. Martin Luther (1517)

Out of love for the truth and the desire to bring it to light, the following propositions will be discussed at Wittenberg, under the presidency of the Reverend Father Martin Luther, Master of Arts and of Sacred Theology, and Lecturer in Ordinary on the same at that place. Wherefore he requests that those who are unable to be present and debate orally with us, may do so by letter.

In the Name our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

1. Our Lord and Master Jesus Christ, when He said Poenitentiam agite, (Repent! or literally, "Do repentance!") willed that the whole life of believers should be repentance.

2. This word cannot be understood to mean sacramental penance, i.e., confession and satisfaction, which is administered by the priests.

3. Yet it means not inward repentance only; nay, there is no inward repentance which does not outwardly work divers mortifications of the flesh.

4. The penalty [of sin], therefore, continues so long as hatred of self continues; for this is the true inward repentance, and continues until our entrance into the kingdom of heaven.

...

50. Christians are to be taught that if the pope knew the exactions of the pardon-preachers, he would rather that St. Peter's church should go to ashes, than that it should be built up with the skin, flesh and bones of his sheep.

...

52. The assurance of salvation by letters of pardon is vain, even though the commissary, nay, even though the pope himself, were to stake his soul upon it.

...

62. The true treasure of the Church is the Most Holy Gospel of the glory and the grace of God.

63. But this treasure is naturally most odious, for it makes the first to be last.

...

81. This unbridled preaching of pardons makes it no easy matter, even for learned men, to rescue the reverence due to the pope from slander, or even from the shrewd questionings of the laity.

82. To wit: -- "Why does not the pope empty purgatory, for the sake of holy love and of the dire need of the souls that are there, if he redeems an infinite number of souls for the sake of miserable money with which to build a Church? The former reasons would be most just; the latter is most trivial."

Bell Tower Progress

The first gift given for our bell tower had to have been given over ten years ago.  Slowly, over time, money trickled into that account.  "Bell Tower" was a line item in our restricted funds that seemed to taunt us month after month.

After Alice Laho died and left a generous estate to Good Shepherd, we decided to use a portion of that estate to complete the expense for completing the bell tower.  Then began plans, revisions, submission to the city of Novi for a permit, followed up by a win load study, then revisions, then resubmission for a permit, and then finally a permit.  From there, we delayed a bit, finally recognizing that if we don't get on this, the permit would expire (a 90 day permit) and the weather would make the pouring of the foundation unfeasible  Well, we got the foundation poured just under the gun before the weather takes a drastic turn.  The footings are in!

I don't know how soon the iron structure will be put into place, but we have at least seen tangible progress on the bell tower.  Here are a few photos from the work on Monday and Tuesday.

Something from ... Luther's "The Bondage of the Will" (Entry #15)

INTRODUCTORY NOTES:  During the life of Martin Luther, Dutch scholar Desiderius Erasmus, was urged by Roman Catholic Church leaders to challenge Luther’s teachings and to condemn him.  Although Erasmus would rather have kept the peace in the Church, Erasmus was finally goaded into attacking Luther.  Erasmus intended to defend the official Roman Catholic teaching that God’s grace was needed to do the works by which man could then merit additional grace.  Luther’s response to Erasmus is known as The Bondage of the Will (De Servo Arbitrio).  Although Luther had published a myriad of writings in his career, he did not consider them worth preserving.  Luther regarded The Bondage of the Will as a rare exception to that rule.  In it, Luther writes at length that “free will” in spiritual matters is a lie, and that, if man actually has free will, then God loses such attributes as grace, omnipotence, and even his right to be God.

            The quotations from Luther in this blog post come from The Bondage of the Will translated by J. I. Packer and O. R. Johnston, Baker Academic: Grand Rapids, MI. © 1957.

            The following are thoughts concerning Luther’s arguments, urging us to LET GOD BE GOD.  Something from Luther’s The Bondage of the Will.

LET GOD BE GOD: Let God be true and clear.

            Christians are often confused or grieved that there are so many denominations in Christendom.  Different denominations have resulted from different teachings.  Why the different teachings?  You have probably heard the claim: “Oh, it’s all a matter of interpretation.”  While this is supposed to answer the issue in a concise manner, it also allows for the idea (and probably intends to promote the idea) that all these different interpretations are valid, even when they conflict! 

            “It's all just a matter of interpretation.”  Is it really?  Is God’s word so vague that there are multiple ways to understand the very same verses of Scripture?  Is God’s word so murky that it can proclaim different messages?  Is the Bible so obscure that we really can’t know what God has to say, or is God so non-committal in his word that he leaves it up to us to find what we are looking for?

            St. Peter wrote of the Bible: “We have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place…” (2 Peter 1:19)  If God’s word is murky, how can we call it a shining lamp?  If the Bible is so obscure, how can anything be enlightened or confirmed by it?

            Granted, there are many interpretations of the Scriptures, and many teachings among the denominations conflict with each other.  The problem, however, is not that the Bible is obscure or that God’s message is murky.  The problem is that man, who exalts his reason above God’s word and desires to make God’s word more agreeable or sensible to him, explains what God meant to say so that it matches what man wishes he had said.  This is to darken God’s counsel.  This is to fail to pay attention to what God has said, to ignore the shining lamp, and to prefer the darkness.

            God’s word is clear.  Rather than expend energy in interpreting what it means, we read it to let God speak for himself.  God speaks plainly enough.  The Bible’s truth enlightens our hearts and minds.  Here is something from Luther who chastises Erasmus about his statement that the Bible is obscure and then declares the clarity and truth of God’s word.

            “Against you particularly, I would say of the whole Scripture that I do not allow any part of it to be called obscure.  There stands within it the statement which we quoted from Peter, that the word of God is to us a lamp shining in a dark place.  If part of the lamp does not shine, then it is a part of the dark place rather than of the lamp!  When he enlightened us, Christ did not intend that part of His Word should be left obscure to us, for He commands us to mark the Word; and this command is pointless if the Word is not clear.” (page 129)

Sermon -- Welcome Home Sunday (October 27, 2019)

HEBREWS 2:9-18

JESUS HAS BECOME OUR BROTHER

AND HAS MADE US GOD'S FAMILY.

In the name + of Jesus.

     There is a special relationship that families get to enjoy with one another.  While friends become near and dear to us, friends also come and go throughout life.  Chances are, you don't hang out with the friends you had in high school—even though, at the time, you were convinced they were the best friends you will ever have.  But new friends came along, because friends come and go.  A family, however, stays with you all your life long, in good times and in bad.  Your family is on your side.  And because they love you, they are not afraid to tell you that your choices are stupid, or wicked.  They care about your choices because they will live through the consequences with you.  Your family cares about your long-term well-being because they are in it for the long term.  God established the family, and God calls it good.
     There is a special relationship that families get to enjoy with one another.  Each family member has a stake in one another.  The neighbor kid may have been granted the privilege to walk into your house without knocking, but he never has the right to the inheritance.  Only family members have the special rights of the household.  If it is true for your flesh and blood family, it is all the more true for the family of God.  Now, dear Christians: You are the family of God.  And as the family of God, you have the special rights of the household.  You are brothers and sisters of one another.  No one here is more precious to God, and no one is less loved.  The reason we are all God's family is because Jesus Christ has become our brother and has made us God's family.
     God established the family, and God calls it good.  God was pleased to give you as a gift to your family when you were born to them.  But none of us has had an inherent right into the family of God.  On the contrary, we have not been obedient children; we have been rebels.  God reveals himself to us as our heavenly Father.  In one respect, God is the Father of all people; for he is the one who gives life to all.  What does God the Father do?  God has given us life and limb, provides clothing and shoes, house and home, our mind, our talents, and our abilities.  And the God who gives life also sustains it.  God causes the food to grow, the rains to fall, and the sun to shine.  He does this for all people—no matter how righteous or rotten they are.  Since God gives and sustains life, he also tells us how that live is to be lived with his Commandments. 
     And how do we respond?  We chafe under God's Commandments, looking for pleasure, satisfaction, and an easy life according to our own designs.  We find reasons to ignore or defy God's Commandments; and when we do, we still insist that we are good people.  We argue that his will is unfair and that our problems are God's fault.  We question his wisdom.  We think we would be better at being God than God is.  If you had a child who told you that the way you run your house is stupid, how would you respond?  Repent.  God's wrath is deserved, and our death has been earned; for the wages of sin is death. (Romans 6:23)
     But miracle of miracles—God does not treat us as our sins deserve.  Not only does God not condemn us, he acts to bring us into his family.  Jesus Christ became our brother in order to made us God's family.  God bound himself to us in order to deliver us out of our bondage to sin and death, and to nullify any claims the devil would have on us.  The writer to the Hebrews says: Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.  (Hebrews 2:14-15)  
     God has become one of us in order to make us members of God's family and to bring us to heavenly glory.  In order to do that, Jesus Christ became our brother.  He became a flesh and blood man to bind himself to us and to take up our cause.  Jesus became like us in every way, except that he was without sin.  That does not mean, however, that Jesus had it easy.  The writer to the Hebrews states: “It was fitting that (God) … should make the founder of their salvation—that is, Jesus—perfect through suffering.” (Hebrews 2:10)  Jesus had to endure what you and I are familiar with.  He submitted himself to the very Commandments you and I are to keep.  And the devil saw to it that Jesus would endure temptations to abandon God's will and to go his own way.  He tried to convince Jesus that he could attain everything without suffering and without loss.  By remaining faithful to his Father, Jesus had to endure people lying about him, plotting against him, betraying him, disowning him, and failing him.  He suffered under Pontius Pilate, and Caiaphas, and Judas, and Peter, and through the words and actions of many others.  In all of this, Jesus remained the perfectly faithful brother of us and the perfectly obedient Son of his Father.
     But instead of claiming a reward, Jesus endured rejection from his Father.  Jesus took the full curse of the Law when he went to the cross with our sins.  Jesus became man so that he might taste death for everyone. (Hebrews 2:9)  He diverted the wrath of God from you to himself.  This is what the writer to the Hebrews means when he says that Jesus made propitiation for the sins of the people.” (Hebrews 2:17)  Jesus gave himself as the sin offering which appeased God's wrath.  He absorbed the whole curse and all death by his death.  Jesus put an end to the power of death by his death.  He has not only tasted death for everyone, but death has been swallowed up in victory.  This man who is our brother has defeated death by his resurrection.  And so now you, who also share in flesh and blood, no longer need to be haunted by the fear of death.  Jesus lives, and because Jesus lives so will we.  Jesus has become our brother to bring us to life everlasting with him in heavenly glory.
     If you have been baptized into Christ, then you receive all that Jesus Christ has won for you.  In baptism, you have been marked as a child of God.  Whoever believes and has been baptized has the right to be children of God and receives the benefits of the household.  God's name rests upon you.  God's love and blessing are yours.  And you are heirs of the heavenly kingdom.  God has done all of this for you.  He does not merely tolerate you; he loves you and has made you his own forever.  Jesus became our brother and has made us the family of God.
     If you are the family of God, then you are brothers and sisters of one another as well.  It means that you all have a stake in one another.  We are stuck with one another in God's family in good times and in bad, and that is a good thing.  It means that we get to pray for one another, to encourage one another, to watch over one another for our protection and well-being, and to reach out to each other in love and concern.  It even means that, when you see a brother or sister engaging in sinful choices, you don't sit back and say, “Not my business, not my problem,”—or worse, “If this is what makes them happy, I say go for it.”  We recognize the consequences for anyone who flaunts defiance of God's will, and we know the blessings that belong to those who cling to God's will.  If we regard each other as a brother or sister in Jesus, we will act as the family of God toward each other.
     Jesus has become our brother and has made us God's family.  Families are good and come with great blessings.  But as much as we strive to be good and faithful brothers and sisters in the family of God, we are still sinners.  We may be oblivious to the challenges and pains of our fellow brothers and sisters, and we may even be forgetful of them because we are absorbed in our own lives.  But even if your brother or sister fails you, the Lord Jesus does not.  Jesus has become your brother and has made you God's family.  And he loves you perfectly.  Jesus does not dismiss you when you struggle in your weakness, and he does not disown you when you fall short.  He continues to declare to you that you are children of the Most High God, and that God's love is greater than your shortcomings. 
     Your place in God's family has been won by Jesus, and it is assured by Jesus.  That is why we gather together as the family of God each week.  God, our Father, summons us to receive his blessings.  Jesus, our brother, comes with his body and blood to sustain us in the faith.  The Spirit continues to confirm us in the faith and to conform our lives to Jesus.  And we get to rejoice together and to encourage one another—not just occasionally on a special Sunday, but continually.  This is good; for there is a special relationship that families get to enjoy with one another.  Jesus has become our brother.  God has made us his family.  He desires us to be his dear children now and forevermore.  There is no more special relationship than this one.  And it is good.

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

For Your Amusement -- Rik Emmett guitar solos

YouTube is especially good for nostolgia and amusement.  Both came together when I stumbled across this recording Rik Emmett who was the lead singer and guitar player for the Canadian rock band Triumph.  (I think he did much more than that for the group, but I am not overly familiar with his background.)

In any case, when I was in high school, I would listen to Triumph and owned a few of their albums.  Typically, I would listen to the songs on the album I knew and would skip over the others.  Eventually, I learned to take a chance.  If I liked what I was familiar with, perhaps I would like other recordings.  So, I let the album run its course.  If I am not mistaken, one of these two songs on the YouTube video was the final song on the side of the album (and maybe it was both, they both sound familiar).

I remember being stunned to find this kind of guitar virtuosity on a rock album.  It was a great surprise, and it is a pleasant surprise to run across it again.  Here is Rick Emmett playing Fantasy Serenade and Midsummer Daydreams on acoustic guitar.  Enjoy.

Update from Good Shepherd (October 24, 2019)

Greetings!

REGULAR SCHEDULE

        Divine Services are Sundays at 10:00 AM.

        Sunday School is on Sundays at 8:45 AM.

        Adult Bible Class is on Sundays at 8:45 AM and Wednesdays at 6:30 PM.

        Adult Bible Class will be working our way through the books of 1 & 2 Samuel, seeing how God continued to preserve his plan of salvation.  We will give special attention to the prophet Samuel and to the kings, Saul and David.  NOTE: Sunday morning and Wednesday evening are the same class.

RED WINGS GAME – DECEMBER 2

Good Shepherd will be sponsoring an outing to a Detroit Red Wings game on Monday, December 2.  The Red Wings will be facing off against the New York Islanders at 7:30 PM.  Tickets will be $34 per person for upper bowl seating and a “Celebrate Faith” t-shirt.  For now, we need to know if you will be interested in coming, who you are, and how many you are.  Please reply to Brian Wilder by November 1 at bawilder@mtu.edu .  Any questions can also be directed to Brian.

WELCOME HOME SUNDAY -- OCTOBER 27

The Church is a communion of saints, made up of brothers and sisters in Christ.  If we are brothers and sisters in Christ, we long to treat one another that way.  That means we rejoice to see one another, and the weekly opportunity to meet is at our Divine Services on Sundays.

Sadly, some of our brothers and sisters have become somewhat estranged.  For whatever reason (laziness, shame, burdens of guilt, struggles with doubt—it could be anything), they do not come often or almost never come to church at all.  It is for these brothers and sisters that we pray.  More than praying for them, we want to make an intentional effort to have them back with us.  Our focus for this is “Welcome Home Sunday,” on October 27.

We will be contacting all of our members in one fashion or another, and even reaching out to those who stopped coming to our church.  We want all of God's people joining together to receive the blessings of God, for the mutual encouragement of one another, and for a foretaste of all the saints who will be joined together in heavenly glory.  Can you imagine Good Shepherd packed wall-to-wall with people singing robust praises to God?  We'd rather not imagine it; we'd rather see it happen.

We hope to achieve a full attendance on Sunday, October 27, and we want those who have come back to continue coming.  Having a full house should not be the exception; it should be the goal every week.  Step one will be Welcome Home Sunday on October 27.  You are encouraged to reach out to people you have not seen for a while, and you are encouraged to invite others to be with us.  And if we should have many people back with us, make it a point to let them know that you long to see them again, and that you are glad they came home.

REFORMATION RALLY

To give thanks to God for the pure Gospel which was restored to the Chuch by Dr. Martin Luther, our area Reformation Rally will be held at Huron Valley Lutheran High School (33740 Cowan Road, Westland) on Sunday, October 27 at 4:00 PM.  Rev. Craig Birsching of St. John's Lutheran Church of Westland will serve as our preacher.  The choir from HVL will also be singing God's praises.

NOTES from Huron Valley Lutheran High School (HVL)

Join HVL’s Mailing List - Go to www.HVLHS.org and click on “Sign up for Newsletter” or call or email the school office at mail@hvlhs.org to be added.

OFFICE HOURS
        Regular office hours at Good Shepherd will be Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays from 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM. While there may be some flexibility to this schedule, we will try to keep it as regular as possible. 

DO YOU LIKE US?

Look for Good Shepherd on Facebook.  Then “LIKE” us for updates and other postings.

God bless you.

In Christ,

Pastor Schroeder

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

SUNDAY SCHOOL -- Sundays at 8:45 AM.

ADULT BIBLE CLASS -- Sundays at 8:45 AM and Wednesdays at 6:30 PM.

DIVINE SERVICES -- Sundays at 10:00 AM

GOOD SHEPHERD’S WEBSITE

www.GoodShepherdNovi.org

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

Good Shepherd Evangelical Lutheran Church
41415 W. Nine Mile Road
Novi, Michigan  48375-4306
+   +   +   +   +   +   +   +   +   +   +   +
Divine Services -- Sundays at 10:00 AM