Here is the Divine Service from Sunday, May 12, 2024. It is the Ascension service transferred from Thursday, May 9--the actual day of Ascension, 40 days after Easter.
Thursday, May 16, 2024
Update from Good Shepherd (May 16, 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 meets on Wednesdays 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.
BIBLE MATTERS
Our spring session for Bible Matters, a discussion group, is working through 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.
ICE CREAM SOCIAL
Following the service on Sunday, May 19, we will have an ice cream social. A cake will be provided in honor of the confirmation class, and the ice cream will be provided by the church. If you are interested in providing toppings to round out your ice cream, look for a SignUpGenius form to indicate what you would be willing to donate. (Sorry, I don't have the link. Check the email blast which comes from church.)
CHURCH COUNCIL HIGHLIGHTS (April)
> 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.
> 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).
> 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 4th 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.
> 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 May 12, 2024: Good Shepherd Novi, Divine Service, May 12, 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 meets on Wednesdays at 6:30 PM.
GOOD SHEPHERD’S WEBSITE
www.GoodShepherdNovi.org
PASTOR SCHROEDER’S BLOG
www.LutheranSubject.blogspot.com
Monday, May 13, 2024
Mothers' Day Prayer
This is the prayer we offered for Mothers' Day yesterday.
O Almighty God, who did send forth your Son to be born of a woman, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and who by His holy incarnation did in truth cause her to be the very Mother of God, thereby crowning and honoring all motherhood, grant your perpetual favor and blessing upon all of our mothers, that they in turn may be a blessing to all their children. Bless the memory of those of our mothers who have passed on from this vale of tears, and leave us not comfortless. Grant also to the Holy Christian Church, which is the Mother of us all, prosperity in faithfulness, that we through her pure milk of the Word may gain everlasting joy, through the Son of Mary, your only Son Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Sunday, May 12, 2024
Sermon -- The Ascension of our Lord, transferred (May 12, 2024)
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OUR ASCENDED LORD ESTABLISHES AN EVERLASTING KINGDOM.
In the name + of Jesus.
M: Alleluia!
Christ is risen!
C: He is risen indeed! Alleluia!
After Jesus rose from the dead, Jesus “presented himself alive to (his apostles) after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God” (Acts 1:3). Just as Moses spent 40 days on Mt. Sinai receiving the Law from God, so also Jesus spent 40 days with his apostles after his resurrection teaching them the word of God. I don’t know if the apostles had any idea how long these appearances would last, but Jesus knew. Since the time was short, Jesus was focused on what mattered. Jesus spoke to them about the kingdom of God. Our ascended Lord establishes an everlasting kingdom.
Still, old ideas die hard deaths. Israel had waited a long time for the Messiah
and for the establishment of the Messianic kingdom. In their minds, the Messianic kingdom was as
much an earthly kingdom as it was a heavenly one. I suppose some had no craving for a heavenly
kingdom at all. They envisioned the days
of David and Solomon restored, and even greater. This meant glory, prosperity, and peace in
Jerusalem and the rest of Israel. If
God’s people were ruling over everything, then everything would be right with
the world.
The apostles were not immune to these
ideas. That’s why they asked Jesus, just
before he ascended into heaven, “Lord, will you at
this time restore the kingdom to Israel” (Acts 1:6)? Jesus had done everything he had been
sent to do. The kingdom of God had been
established, and Jesus held authority over all things. The last thing to be done, in the apostles’
mind, was to reestablish the kingdom of Israel.
If Jesus is the king who lives and reigns over all things, it stood to
reason that Israel would be the chief beneficiaries of his power. Perhaps the apostles had visions of being
princes in that new kingdom. But Jesus
gave no instructions about a political movement which would challenge the house
of Herod for the rule in Jerusalem.
There were no plans drafted to subvert Roman rule. Jesus focused them on the kingdom of God.
Old ideas die
hard deaths. There are still people who
envision a United States government ruled by Christians, as if that will cure
all the problems in this world. Now, on
the one hand, having a Christian influence in the government might prevent laws
that support or promote wickedness.
Jesus does not call us the salt of the earth for nothing. The government is a gift of God which is
established to promote righteousness and to punish wickedness. How well any government does this is always a
topic of debate. No earthly government
will ever be perfect because sinners are in it and sinners live under it. People will always have different ideas about
the righteousness which should be promoted and the wickedness that should be
punished. If there are more Christians
in government, those moral standards are more likely to be in line with God’s
word. That would be a good thing.
It is important
for us to understand that we live under two kingdoms. One is this worldly kingdom ruled by government. But we also live under another kingdom—the
kingdom of God. That kingdom was
established by Jesus’ death and resurrection.
Jesus entered his glory by fulfilling all that the Father had given him
to do. He was sent to atone for our
unholy lives by his holy life. And Jesus
was sent to atone for our rebellious hearts and hands with his sacrificial
death. Jesus’ hands were nailed to the
cross and his heart was run through with a spear to atone for us. To affirm that Jesus’ life and death achieved
all that Jesus was sent to do, he was raised from the dead. The Father vindicated Jesus and validated his
atoning work.
Our ascended
Lord, who lives and reigns forever, established an everlasting kingdom. This kingdom is ruled by grace. In the kingdom of God, all sins are
forgiven. God’s love is poured out. The devil is destroyed. Death is overcome by eternal life. And the shame of sin is covered by the glory
of God. You were baptized into this
kingdom. Through your baptism, Jesus has
snatched you from the power of Satan and the terrors of death. Jesus brought you into a kingdom of peace. Our ascended Lord establishes an everlasting
kingdom, and it is the only kingdom that will ever last.
That is why
Jesus responded to the apostles’ question as he did. He told them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the
Father has fixed by his own authority.
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon
you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea
and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:7-8). The apostles always
had some interest in the earthly kingdoms that ruled over them. They had to pay their taxes and to abide by
laws, some of which were unjust and oppressive.
They had to live under these
governments which were not kind to Christians.
Who wouldn’t want relief from that?
Nevertheless, Jesus told his apostles not to be concerned about it. He had a greater kingdom for them to rejoice
in and to proclaim. Our ascended Lord
establishes an everlasting kingdom.
We live in two kingdoms—and earthly one
and a heavenly one. We often give more
attention to the earthly kingdom than we ought.
I suppose because that is what is in front of us every day. With a presidential election coming up in
November, we may think about it even more.
Politicians make promises and present ideas to make the world a better
place. Who doesn’t want the world to be
a better place? But understand this: The
kingdoms of this world are limited in power and duration. Either the kingdom will pass away or you
will. But our ascended Lord establishes
an everlasting kingdom. The kingdom, the
power, and the glory are his forever.
The apostles and the early Christian
Church did not live under a government in which governing officials were elected. They had to live with the governor, king, or
emperor they were stuck with. We do have
the privilege to elect our leaders. When
we support a particular candidate, we all have our own agendas we would like to
see met. It has been said that we vote
with our wallets. That is probably true
for everyone. We want to be sure that we
have enough money to buy what we need and what we want. Some want the environment to be
pristine. Some want health care to be
more affordable or more accessible. Some
want to see an end to shootings, riots, crime, and wars. Others simply want people to get along and
their communities at peace. What do you
pray for and long for to make your life better?
All of the blessings we pray for God
grants to us according to his wisdom.
Sometimes God’s wisdom means he will let wicked, greedy men accumulate
worldly gains at the expense of our wealth, our health, world peace, or the
environment. God often lets sinners
freely act as sinners. And lest you
think it is inexcusable for God to do that, he lets you do it, too. He does not seal up your mouth when you slander,
sass, or curse. He does not have you go
blind or deaf when you look at or listen to things you should not. But God does not let wicked men have total
control. Jesus Christ lives and reigns
over all things. He orchestrates world
events so that kingdoms rise and fall and empires come and go. Therefore, it is not our place to try to
unravel what God is doing in world history.
And it is certainly not our place to declare on God’s behalf what God is
doing. He has not told us, so we can’t
know.
But we do know this: Our ascended Lord
establishes an everlasting kingdom. That
means it will not pass away into the dustbins of history. That means his blessings will always be given—forgiveness
of sins, new life, and salvation. More
than that, our ascended Lord will bless us with the world we long for and pray
for. It will not look like it in a world
of sorrows. Not even Jesus was spared
from false accusations, charges of demon possession, and other insulting remarks. Jesus endured watching loved ones die, and he
did not raise them all from the dead.
Their graves are still full.
Jesus also endured his own death as wicked men insulted and slandered
him. But Jesus did not establish a
kingdom for this world. Jesus’ eternal
kingdom is a heavenly kingdom.
Jesus rose from the dead and ascended to
heaven to establish an everlasting kingdom.
What can we expect from this kingdom?
St. John gave us a glimpse of the eternal kingdom: “God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes,
and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor
crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away”
(Revelation 21:3-4). Money won’t matter; we will have
everything we need. Sorrows will be
gone; there will be no pain or loss to grieve over. Health care won’t be necessary because our bodies
will be incorruptible. Our resurrected
bodies will be perfected for eternal life.
In other words, all the things we long for will be given to us in
measures beyond our grasp. What the world
screams over, we simply wait for. This
is the glory of our ascended Lord’s everlasting kingdom.
St. Luke wrote, “In
the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus
began to do and teach, until the day
when he was taken up” (Acts 1:1-2). Did you catch that? The Gospel of Luke recorded everything that Jesus
began to do and teach. He has ascended
into heaven and is physically removed from our sight, but Jesus is still at
work. He worked through the apostles who
performed the same miraculous signs Jesus did.
He worked through the apostles who passed on Jesus’ teachings in the
words of the New Testament.
While the miraculous
signs ended with the apostles, the teaching did not. To this day, the Church proclaims the kingdom
of God to all people—people who long for peace, for hope, for a joyful future,
for deliverance from death, and for relief from guilt and shame. You have what they need. So, when I say that the Church proclaims the kingdom
of God to all people, understand that you are the Church. You have friends who need to be rescued from
the deceptions of the devil, from the terrors of death, and from a life without
any real purpose. If they are going to
hear about the kingdom of God from “the Church,” no committee or board is going
to find your friends. You are the one to
proclaim it. And Jesus will work through
you to snatch people from the power of the devil and to bring them into an everlasting
kingdom of grace and glory.
Jesus Christ lives and reigns over all things. His kingdom is in good hands. Jesus Christ lives and reigns forever. Therefore, his kingdom cannot pass away. Our ascended Savior establishes an everlasting kingdom, and he has established you in it.
In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Thursday, May 9, 2024
Update from Good Shepherd (May 9, 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 meets on Wednesdays 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.
ADULT BIBLE CLASS
Our Bible study, entitled, “Oh, Come, Let Us Adore Him!” will have its final session this Sunday, May 12. We will consider the Church Year, weddings, and funerals, particularly how Lutheran theology guides us in them.
Adult Bible Class beings promptly at 9:00 AM. All are welcome.
BIBLE MATTERS
Our spring session for Bible Matters, a discussion group, is working through 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.
Throughout the 40 days from Easter until Ascension, we have seen the Paschal Candle lit. This Sunday (May 12), we will observe Ascension Day (transferred from Thursday, May 9--the actual 40th day after Easter). The Paschal Candle will be removed from our midst. For some details regarding this ceremony, check out this link: Lutheran Subject (Schroeder's blog): Worship Notes for Ascension Day.
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.
ICE CREAM SOCIAL
Following the service on Sunday, May 19, we will have an ice cream social. A cake will be provided in honor of the confirmation class, and the ice cream will be provided by the church. If you are interested in providing toppings to round out your ice cream, look for a SignUpGenius form to indicate what you would be willing to donate.
CHURCH COUNCIL HIGHLIGHTS (April)
> 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.
> 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).
> 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 4th 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.
> 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 May 5, 2024: Good Shepherd Novi, Divine Service, May 5, 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 meets on Wednesdays at 6:30 PM.
GOOD SHEPHERD’S WEBSITE
www.GoodShepherdNovi.org
PASTOR SCHROEDER’S BLOG
www.LutheranSubject.blogspot.com
Wednesday, May 8, 2024
Tuesday, May 7, 2024
Worship Notes for Ascension Day
On Sunday, May 12, we will celebrate
the Ascension of our Lord, transferred from Thursday, May 9. The readings will note Jesus’ visible departure from this world. He has
ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father
Almighty.
Jesus’ departure is
symbolized by the departure of the Paschal Candle from the nave as the gospel
lesson is read. Although it is carried
out of our sight, its light is not extinguished. For, though Jesus is no longer visible to his
Church, the Light of the word has not been extinguished. He is with us whenever we gather in his name
to receive his blessings and salvation through the word rightly preached and the sacrament rightly administered.
The Paschal Candle will be lit for any baptisms and funerals conducted the remainder of the year, proclaiming that we are baptized and buried in Christ.
Sunday, May 5, 2024
Sermon -- 6th Sunday of Easter (May 5, 2024)
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ABIDE IN JESUS’ LOVE.
In the name + of Jesus.
M: Alleluia! Christ is risen!
C: He is risen indeed! Alleluia!
The readings today have a lot to say about
love. The Father loves Jesus, and Jesus
loves the Father. Jesus loves us, and we
should abide in that love. If we love
Jesus we would also love our neighbor.
And if anyone does not love his neighbor he cannot truly say that he
loves God. I suppose the readings today
should be widely accepted by all kinds of people, whether they are Christians
or not. No one is going to argue that we
should not be filled with love for one another.
However, people who agree that we should
be filled with love have different and even contradictory ideas about what that
means. The word “love” has so many
shades of meaning that it has almost lost its definition. A man loves his wife. He loves his children. He loves his dog. He loves his country. He loves his job. He loves football, beer, and pizza. Is it all the same love? I hope not.
When we hear people talk about love, they
usually mean what makes them happy and what gives them pleasure. If it doesn’t make you happy or give you
pleasure, then you don’t love it. This
is what often happens between a husband or wife. When they get married, they confess their
great love for one another. But then
they discover that marriage is more work than they were prepared for. It involves more sacrifices than they were
ready to make. It’s not that either was unfaithful
or abusive. But they were no longer
getting pleasure out of their marriage.
It was not as exciting as they thought it would be. Visions of romantic gestures got replaced by
paying bills, arranging schedules, and folding laundry. So, rather than remaining committed to one
another as they had vowed, they abandon the marriage. They say they no longer love each other. What they mean is that they are not getting
the pleasure they thought they should have.
This is what happens when love is about what makes you happy.
When Jesus Christ speaks about love, he looks
in the opposite direction. He said, “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved
you. Greater love has no one than
this, that someone lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:12-13). In fact, our Savior’s love far exceeds
that. Jesus did not come to save the
people who like him. Jesus came to save all
people, even those who despise him.
Jesus suffered and died for people who try to keep God’s Commandments
and fail, and for people who reject the Commandments as stupid and oppressive; for
people who have a great interest in religion, and for people who deny God’s
existence; for the women who wept at Jesus’ cross when he died, and for the men
who mocked and laughed at him while he hung in tortured anguish. Jesus came to suffer and die for every single
person. He laid down his life to secure
your place in eternal life. This is
love—that Jesus gave up everything for your good. Abide in Jesus’ love.
The entire Bible
defines love as seeking the good of someone else. It doesn’t matter if they deserve it or
not. Jesus taught his disciples, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your
neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say
to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you”
(Matthew 5:43-44). Your enemy does not deserve your love. Those who persecute you do not deserve your
prayers. But love does not ask what
people deserve; love gives what people need.
That is why Jesus came to save you.
It is not that you deserve it; it is that you need it. Abide in Jesus’ love.
The Lord also sets a standard for love.
That goes in the opposite direction of the world’s standard, too. First, the world says that love is what
brings me pleasure and makes me happy.
Then, the world says love is letting people do what they like as long as
it doesn’t hurt you. You might think it
is fine that some guy blares rock music until 3 AM and that love means letting
him enjoy his life. But you might feel
differently if he lives next door to you.
Love does not mean letting people do what they want how they want and
when they want. That is letting
selfishness run amuck.
Jesus says that love’s standard is set by
God’s word. He said, “As
the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide
in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in
his love” (John 15:9-10). God’s
Commandments tell us what is good, and it tells us what is evil. The Commandments are not oppressive. They instruct you on how to love your
neighbor and to do good to him. The
Commandments do not ask you to consider if your neighbor deserves your kindness
and goodness. It tells you to do it
because that is how God treats mankind, no matter how wicked they are. Jesus said, “[The Father] makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good,
and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what
reward do you have? Do not even the tax
collectors do the same” (Matthew 5:45-46)? Now if you find that this is
hard, or even impossible, to do, then you have discovered that you are not
perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.
When God created the heavens and the
earth, he created everything with a purpose.
Everything was designed to work a certain way for the honor of God and
for the good of one another. But sin
perverts God’s intended purposes. God
gave each of us a mouth to use. You can
use it to sing God’s praises, to pray, to speak calming words to someone who is
scared, comforting words to someone who is grieving, or kind words to someone
who is having a bad day. Or you can use
your mouth to shout at other people, to belittle them, to spew out obscenities,
to tell lies, or to slander. Obviously,
one way serves the good of our neighbor; the other way does him no good
whatsoever—even if it makes you happy to do him harm.
Other examples abound. The Scriptures, on the one hand, teach, “God (brings) forth food from the
earth and wine to gladden the heart of man” (Psalm 104:14-15).
So, there is a proper use for wine, but Scripture warns of its abuse and
condemns drunkenness. Even intimacy is a
gift of God, but it has its proper use.
This is what the Lord says, “Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the
marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and
adulterous” (Hebrews 13:4). Intimacy is a blessing for the marriage bed, and it is
restricted to a married man and woman.
It is even called pure within the bonds of marriage. It allows the husband and wife to tighten the
marriage bond between them, each knowing that they are not just being used for
the pleasure of another. And, if a
pregnancy should result, it is a cause for joy, not grief or panic. People will argue that stepping outside of
God’s design will make them happy and bring them pleasure, but stepping outside
of God’s design is never victimless or harmless. A stable family is good for society; unbridled
passions and affairs are not. To misuse,
abuse, or pervert God’s gifts is to earn his wrath and not to seek the good for
one’s neighbor.
Abide in Jesus’
love. That always begins with Jesus’
love for you. To recognize that God’s
Commandments guide us into thoughts, words, and actions that are truly good for
us and for our neighbor, you have to be able to recognize that the God who gave
those Commandments has your best interest in mind. For you to believe that about God, God has to
demonstrate his own love. “God is
love” (1 John 4:8), says St. John.
It is more than God is loving. It
is that the essence of love is God. And
God personified is Jesus Christ. He
demonstrated that perfect love in the way he dealt with sinners.
St. John wrote, “In this the love of God was made
manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we
might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he
loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 John
4:9-10). The propitiation is the substitutionary
sacrifice that Jesus became for us. All
of God’s wrath which we have earned because we have sought our own happiness in
defiance of God and pursued our own pleasure at the expense of our neighbor—all
this Jesus took upon himself. Our sins
were transferred to him. Therefore,
God’s wrath was targeted upon Jesus.
Jesus suffered and died for sins he did not commit and died under a
curse he did not deserve. God offered up
his own Son so that he would not lose you to eternal death and hell. This is how God loves you.
That is the kind
of love you want to abide in. It seeks
only your good. It provides for you
nothing but blessing. And since Jesus
rose from the dead, it bestows upon you the resurrection to everlasting
glory. If this is what the Lord has done
to deliver you from death and hell, won’t his Commandments also seek your good
in this life?
Abide in Jesus’ love. Receive the
benefits of his saving work, and then in response to his love for you, go forth
and show love for your neighbor. This
means serving him according to God’s word.
Love for your neighbor will not mean giving him what he deserves. It may not mean letting him do whatever he wants,
but it always means treating him according to his need. It means being kind to the wicked and the
good. St. Paul encourages you, “Let
us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do
not give up. So then, as we have
opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who
are of the household of faith” (Galatians 6:9-10). Love for your neighbor may mean you will need
to warn or to correct him so that he is not deceived by Satanic lies or swept
away by worldly influence. It always means
that you confess God’s truth, but it also means confessing God’s truth in a way
that shows you are rescuing the lost rather than rubbing his face in his sins. Your neighbor does not need your scorn, but
your mercy—and even more, Jesus’ mercy. Love
for your neighbor means yearning for his eternal well-being and his temporal
good.
Abide in Jesus’ love. Jesus said, “These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full” (John 15:11). It brings Jesus great joy that you are his and benefit from his saving work. This is our joy as well. And since we know that God is love, we strive to live like him. In this world, we struggle to do it. In the heavenly kingdom, we all will be perfected in it. And this will make our joy complete.
In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Thursday, May 2, 2024
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