Lutherfest 500 -- What a day it was!

Lutherfest 500 was almost a week ago--Saturday, October 28.  It was a great day.  So, first, some acknowledgements.  Then, at the bottom, some photos.

First of all, a big THANK YOU to all who gave of their time, efforts, and resources to plan, prepare, and perform at our Lutherfest 500 celebration.  There were practically no glitches to speak of, and there were LOTS of compliments about the event.  

Thank you to all who had made phone calls and obtained information for us, particularly in the early months of planning.  Even though some of the planning ideas had to be scrapped, it was essential for us to know what we could or could not do.  We do not consider the phone calls for pricing a waste of time even though some of our plans did not work out (the tent, for example).  Thank you to all who helped in this process.

Thank you to Kari for being our web-mistress and continuing in her service even after their family moved to Georgia.  We wish you could have been here for the event.

Thank you to all who contributed to the decorations around the school.  People enjoyed the festive atmosphere.  Thank you to Gary's Catering of Wixom for their great food.  Thank you to Die Dorfmusikanten for providing the music.  I wish I could have spent more time in the gym enjoying it.

Thank you to the characters and tour guides on the Reformation Walk.  This was vastly more popular than we ever thought it would be.  Even though we had scheduled only four times for the tour, the characters did their presentations about TEN times total.  Thank you for your extra efforts.

Thanks also to Becky and her team of seamstresses for making the characters much more authentic.

Thanks to Carol and her team of artists for the murals.  They were eye-popping and added a great deal to the decorations.

Thank you to Huron Valley Lutheran High School for agreeing to host this event and for giving us pretty much unlimited access to the building, amenities, and supplies.

Thank you to all who helped to promote this event.  We are estimating about 400 people made their way through HVL at some point throughout the day.

Thank you to all people who offered their time to work on the set-up, the Table of Duties for the various stations throughout the school on the festival day, and for helping convert the gymnasium from a festival ground to a worship place.

There are almost certainly some people we have overlooked or failed to mention by name who are also worthy of thanks.  Please forgive us if we have failed to mention you.  Your efforts are certainly appreciated.

Once again, there were LOTS of compliments about our Lutherfest 500 celebration.  This event could not have happened without all of the people who contributed, so those compliments are ultimately yours.

Finally, I hope that this event encouraged people to appreciate the Lutheran heritage that we have received and that people might be eager to learn more, to grow in their faith and understanding, and to be eager to evangelize with the Gospel we cherish.

Here are some photos from Lutherfest 500.

From the Kinder Platz.  We had anticipated a castle bouncy house to match the Reformation theme.
Once we found out that this is what we got, we quickly dubbed it the "Hello, Kitty my Rib" bouncy house.
("Kitty, my Rib" was a nickname Martin Luther had for his wife, Katie.)

Great food.  Great band.

Reformation Walk tour guides.

Reformation Walk stop #1 -- Hans & Margaretha Luther, parents of Martin Luther.

Reformation Walk stop #2 -- John Tetzel, seller of indulgences.

Reformation Walk stop #3 -- Martin Luther.

Reformation Walk stop #4 -- Elector Frederick the Wise, prince of Saxony.

Reformation Walk stop #5 -- Leonard Kopp, fish merchant who smuggled
Katharina von Bora and other nuns out of their abbey and delivered them to Luther.

Reformation Walk stop #6 -- Martin & Katie Luther in the Luther home in Wittenberg.

Reformation Walk stop #7 -- Frau Ursula Cotta, who took Martin Luther
into her home in Eisenach and encouraged his interest in music.

Reformation Walk stop #8 -- (Hans Lufft), printer, who also explained the significance of the Luther Rose.

A Pastoral Concern regarding the Reformation

Guess what!  Lutherans are still heretics!

So says a group of priests who have issued a Fraternal Correction to Pope Francis who is rebuking him for his apparent sympathies for Martin Luther.  In fact, these priests are emphatic that the Roman Catholic Church and the Evangelical Lutheran Church remain just as divided as ever.

Consider this description regarding how one is justified before God: 

The gospel does not teach that all sins will in fact be forgiven, nor that Christ alone experienced the ‘judgment’ or justice of God, leaving only mercy for the rest of mankind. While there is a ‘vicarious suffering’ of our Lord in order to expiate our sins, there is not a ‘vicarious punishment’, for Christ was made “sin for us” (cf. 2 Cor. 5:21) and not a sinner. Out of divine love, and not as the object of God’s wrath, Christ offered the supreme sacrifice of salvation to reconcile us with God, taking upon himself only the consequences of our sins (cf. Gal. 3:13). Hence, so that we may be justified and saved, it is not sufficient to have faith that our sins have been removed by a supposed vicarious punishment; our justification lies in a conformity to our Saviour achieved by that faith which works through charity (cf. Gal. 5:6).
Read more at http://www.patheos.com/blogs/geneveith/2017/11/the-gospel-as-heresy/#ezQsRSoYeP9qhRSD.99

So, there you have it.  Justification in Roman theology is not by faith alone (for an opposing view, read Romans 3:28), but rather by our deeds of love which spring out of faith.

While the Lutheran Church has never denied that deeds of love will spring out of faith (we agree with Titus 2:14 among others), we also state that such deeds do not save us (we agree with Ephesians 2:8-9).  If justification comes by "a conformity to our Saviour achieved by that faith which works through charity," how is that working out for you?  How well have you conformed to Jesus?  How do you know the number of your deeds are enough?  Or that they are good enough?  Or that your works are done with a pure enough motive?  Or that God is sufficiently pleased with them?

We do not take any joy that the western Church, after 500 years of schism (to be fair, a better date for official schism would be 1530 when the Lutherans officially presented the Augsburg Confession), remains divided.  But the division is at the very heart of the Gospel--how a man is saved.  Though we do not take joy over the schism, we recognize that the Reformation was necessary, we still take our stand on the Gospel teaching as discovered and proclaimed by Martin Luther, we still insist that we are the church catholic which teaches and confesses the apostolic word, and we pray that the Lord of the Church will continue to send faithful Gospel preachers into the world so that people can be confident and comforted by salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, based on Scripture alone, and in Jesus Christ alone.

A Prayer for All Saints' Day

A Prayer for All Saints' Day

          In our liturgical tradition, we offer up a prayer of remembrance for those who have died in the Christian faith in the past year.  Traditionally, this is done on All Saints' Day, November 1.  However, Good Shepherd does not hold a service on All Saints' Day.  We transfer this prayer to the 3rd Sunday of End Time which will be on November 19 this year.  The 3rd Sunday of End Time is also known in our congregation as "Saints Triumphant." 

          Below is the prayer that we will use.  We will add the names of members, members' family, and members' friends once they have been submitted.  

          "Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints." (Psalm 116:15)


PRAYER FOR ALL SAINTS’ DAY

Almighty God, today we recall with thanksgiving those saints who were taken from us in the Church Militant and carried by the angels to you and the Church Triumphant.  Especially, we give you praise for our departed family and friends who have gone before us in faith and all those who are in our hearts and minds this day:

(The names of those who are to be remembered are read.)

To these, you have granted eternal rest this past year.  We thank you for giving them new life in Christ while on this earth and for sustaining them in true and saving faith throughout their life.  We praise you for finally giving them the fulfillment of your promises of salvation and eternal life.  Strengthen and sustain us in this saving faith so that we may also join with the angels and archangels and all the company of heaven in joyful praise, peace, and rest forever; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Cong: Amen.

Something from ... Luther on this 500th anniversary of the Lutheran Reformation

This day marks the 500th anniversary of the day Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses to the Castle Church door in Wittenberg.  This is usually considered the event that kindled the Lutheran Reformation.  This momentary event was years in the making, and years of study, struggle, prayer, preaching, debating, writing, etc. continued well after October 31, 1517.


It is fitting to consider a comment from Martin Luther on this date.  And while there are so many valuable quotations to choose from, I submit this one to you for your consideration on this Reformation Day--500 years to the day when Martin Luther dared to question the practices which had invaded Christ's Church and directed people away from Christ. 


Luther's only goal was direct people to Jesus Christ whose life, sufferings, death, and resurrection had given him such solid assurance and enduring comfort for his own salvation.  It was an assurance and comfort he yearned for others to know as well.  With that in mind, I offer this from Martin Luther.


“Therefore, my dear Friar, learn Christ and him crucified.  Learn to praise him and, despairing of yourself, say, “'Lord Jesus, you are my righteousness, just as I am your sin.  You have taken upon yourself what is mine and have given to me what is yours. You have taken upon yourself what you were not and have given to me what I was not.'”
Martin Luther, Luther's Works: American Edition, Volume 48, p 12

This is the door frame of the Castle Church where Luther posted his 95 Theses.
The current doors are brass with the 95 Theses embossed on them.  The original wooden doors burned years ago.

Sermon -- 21st Sunday after Pentecost (October 29, 2017)

MATTHEW 22:1-14

THE KING HAS PREPARED A FEAST.

In the name + of Jesus.

     “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son...” (Matthew 22:2)  This very first sentence tells us a great deal about the kingdom of heaven.  It is ruled by a gracious King.  He invited many to the wedding feast for his Son.  He did not sell tickets or talk about a fee.  He supplied all things for his guests.  He prepared choice food for them at his own expense.  He had taken pains to let his subjects know that the feast was coming and that they would be the King's honored guests at his banquet.  When all things were ready, he invested the time and energy to gather those who had already been invited.  Finally, this was all done to honor the King's son to celebrate the union of him with his bride.  The King wanted to share his joy by graciously bringing many guests into his feast.
     So, the cry went out.  The King has prepared a feast.  But when these subjects were told that all things were now ready, they despised the King's feast and rejected the King's grace.  At first, they simply ignored the King's summons.  The King, ever gracious, sent out more servants to repeat the summons.  “The King has prepared a feast.  Come and rejoice!  Come to the wedding feast.”’  But they paid no attention and went off, one to his farm, another to his business, while the rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them. (Matthew 22:4-6)  
     While some of the king's subjects violently rejected the king's grace, others just shrugged it off.  One went to his farm, another to his business.  They did not go out to do anything wicked.  One could even argue that their pursuits were noble.  But no matter how noble their activities were, the fact is that they rejected the king's grace.  The king did not refuse them grace; they rejected it. 
     The King had prepared a feast, and it was despised and rejected.  Therefore, the king was angry, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. (Matthew 22:7)  It was not only the murderers who fell under the King's wrath and judgment; it was also the subjects who found other things to do than to go to the wedding feast.  Polite rejection is still rejection.  This, too, earns the King's wrath. 
     Jesus' parable was fulfilled shortly after his ascension.  The Jewish people who had rejected Jesus as their Messiah fell under God's judgment.  The Lord sent the Roman armies into Jerusalem who then destroyed the city and burned it to the ground.  Whether politely ignoring God's promises or plotted the death of God's Son, they had rejected God's grace.  They paid the price for it in 70 AD and even worse, eternally.
     Even though many fell under the King's judgment, the King was still determined to be gracious.  He said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not worthy.  Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.’” (Matthew 22:8-9)  The servants went out and found whoever they could.  They did not run background checks to see who was good or bad.  They gathered whomever they could, whether good or bad, so that the wedding banquet would be full.  For the King had prepared a feast, and the King was determined to have grace upon people.
     Now, the heavenly King has been most gracious to you.  He had no reason to choose you to be a part of his kingdom, but he did.  He has spared no expense to bring you into his kingdom.  The King sent his Son, Jesus Christ, to labor throughout his life, to resist all temptations, and to provide perfect obedience to all of God's Commandments.  Jesus did the work that we have not done so that God's Law would be fulfilled in perfect, willing obedience.  This work had to be done; and now we have one who has done the work.  More than that, Jesus did the work for us.  The holiness you need to have to dwell in God's kingdom Jesus supplies.
     And again, when it comes to taking away all that brings the King's wrath against you for resisting his word, failing to do what he commands, or even refusing to do what he commands, Jesus has done the work for you.  Jesus has suffered the curse for your sins.  Jesus has taken the wrath of God from you and was put to death in your place.  You, on the other hand, have been set free from guilt, from punishment, from wrath, from hell, and from a cursed death.  You have been brought into God's kingdom.  Jesus has secured your place at the heavenly feast. 
     The King desires to be gracious.  The King has prepared a feast for you.  St. John wrote, “Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” (Revelation 19:9)  This is eternal life in the heavenly kingdom where you will be forever free from problems, stress, temptations, and evil.  There, you will know only joy, celebration, happiness, and blessing.  The Lord Jesus has secured your place at this heavenly feast.  There is no greater blessing for you.
     But you do not need to wait until you die to partake in this feast.  The King has prepared a feast, and the fact is that he invites you to it Sunday after Sunday.  Look at this altar.  The feast is here.  It is not reserved for some special day when you have departed from this world.  It comes to you now.  And you need it now.  What is this feast?  Jesus himself tell you: It is the body and blood which Jesus gave into death to gain for you the forgiveness of sins, new life, and salvation.  This is the heavenly banquet which is delivered on earth.  Here, the King feeds you to forgive your sins, to deliver you from death and the devil, and to strengthen and sustain your faith against all the threats in the world which try to deceive you and rob you of your salvation. The King summons you to this feast not for his benefit, but for yours.  He desires to be gracious.  He desires to bring his salvation to you.
     But what does it mean when we politely reject the King's summons?  It was not just the murderers whom the King slaughtered in the parable; it was also the ones who politely declined coming to the King's feast because they had better things to do.  Polite rejection is still rejection.  It is telling the King, “I don't need your blessings; I have all I need.  Now excuse me, I have to get back to what matters to me.”  It is despising the King's grace for worldly goods, and it forfeits the good the King desires to give.
     The King has prepared a feast.  And the King desires to be gracious.  If we refuse his grace, he will find others to whom he will be gracious.  For the King desires to have his wedding hall filled with guests to whom he will be gracious.  What's more, the King even supplies the wedding garments for us so that we will not be like the guest who was cast out of the feast.  Naturally, the guest who had been pulled off the street would not have been wearing the right garment when he was brougth to the King's feast.  But the King is gracious.  He not only provides food for his guests, he would have even provided the garments.  But this guest, too, had rejected the King's grace.  He did not put on the garment the King had given him.
     The garment the King gives you is your baptism.  St. Paul wrote, “As many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” (Galatians 3:27)  We cannot stand before our Lord in our sinful garments.  Even our best works are filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6).  Therefore, the Lord covers us in the righteousness of Christ.  Your baptism supplies the very holiness God demands of you.  The King sees you now as holy and blameless and, therefore, worthy to have a place at the feast.  And it is through the feast that the King keeps you in his favor here until he finally delivers you to your place at the wedding feast of the Lamb forevermore.  The King has prepared a feast.  The King is eager to be gracious to you.  He rejoices that you are here, because he delights in being gracious to you and saving you.  And he will be eternally pleased that you will rejoice in his grace here and hereafter.

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

Lutherfest 500 -- TOMORROW, TOMORROW, TOMORROW!!!

IT COMES TOMORROW!!!

Tomorrow, Lutherfest 500 is finally here! 

The festival will be Saturday, October 28 from Noon - 5:00 PM at Huron Valley Lutheran High School.

Here is a schedule of events.

Here is our menu.

You can preview our polka band, Die Dorfmusikanten here.  If you don't know how to polka (horrors!), you can get a quick lesson here.  The video will start automatically.  (Scroll down just a little bit; look on the right side of the screen.)

You can get a sampling of our Luther Markt here.

You can get an idea what you might see at our Reformation Walk here.

If you want to sit down and watch a movie, you can see the movie Return to Grace Luther which was released just this year.  You can view the trailer here:

We will also have bouncy houses, games, and prizes for kids.  A $3 hand stamp allows for unlimited play.

You can test your knowledge of the Lutheran Reformation at our Trivia Station.

If you want some quiet time to consider the events of the Lutheran Reformation and, in particular, to read some of the writings of Martin Luther to see why we would dare call ourselves Lutheran, you can stop in the Quiet Room.

Please note that, while admission to the event itself is FREE, tickets for food, beverages, and games must be in cash only.  The Luther Markt is able to accept credit cards for any purchases you choose to make there.  Thank you for your consideration.

Join us!  For more details, check out the website: www.Lutherfest500.org.  Link it to your Facebook page.  Invite your friends.  Spread the word, and join us!  

Oh, and remember: It comes TOMORROW!

On Sunday, October 29 at 4:00 PM, we will have our festival worship service at HVL as well.

MLS Football vs. New Lothrop

This past weekend wrapped up a number of lasts for the Schroeder family.  It was the last games of the season for both JV and varsity.  It was Philip's last football game on the JV level.  It was Caleb's last home game, and it was his last game of high school football ever.  In the photos below, you will see his last catch which ended up completing a 2-point conversion.

Unfortunately, both games were heart-breakers.  On Thursday, October 19, the Michigan Lutheran Seminary JV Cardinals traveled to New Lothrop.  Laura and I could not make this last game because we were sitting in the Secretary of State for three hours.  Grandpa Schmidt got to represent the family.  His updates let us know that MLS was down 14-0, then came back to grab a 21-14 lead, only to lose in the final seconds 26-21.

The MLS Cardinals welcomed the Hornets of New Lothrop for the varsity contest on Friday, October 20.  It was Parents' Night, but Laura could not make this one either.  Peter had a living history presentation he had to make for St. Paul's. 

New Lothrop was a big team who ran their offense well.  MLS went into the locker room at halftime down, 14-7, but grabbed a lead in the 3rd quarter, 16-14.  Unfortunately, MLS could not put together any long drives, and New Lothrop continued to make theirs.  The final score was 35-24.

There are no photos from the JV game since I wasn't there, but here are some from the varsity game.

The last pre-game speech, delivered by Coach Karl Schmugge.

The last run under the banner.

Caleb on punt coverage.  If memory serves, he ended up making the tackle.

Halftime. One last chance to make adjustments.

The last catch, for a 2 point conversion.

Caleb walks off the field for the last time.

The last team huddle.

It has become a tradition for the seniors to walk the field after their final home game.  It is one of the most bitter-sweet moments of high school football.  So much work, so much dedication, so much camaraderie, so much sweat, and finally so many tears.  And now, it is delegated to memories.  It was so much fun to watch, and I will miss it as much as Caleb.

Teammates.  Seniors.

Grandpa Schmidt with Philip and Caleb