Here is the service from Sunday, February 14, 2021.
Monday, February 15, 2021
Sunday, February 14, 2021
Sermon -- Transfiguration of our Lord (February 14, 2021)
MARK 9:2-9
TO SEE THE GLORY, YOU MUST LISTEN.
In the name + of Jesus.
We are on the threshold of Lent—a season which is somber and highlights our
sinfulness. But before we enter Lent, we
pause for a moment to reflect on the glory of Jesus. The glory of Jesus
was seen only in glimpses throughout his ministry. On the night Jesus was
born, the glory of the Lord was not really seen in the manger. The eyes
which beheld the baby Jesus saw a Jewish baby. It was only the message of
the angel which revealed that this baby is the Christ and the Lord. Jesus
taught and acted as one with authority. He commanded and the demons were
driven out. He touched and bodies were healed. He even forgave the sins of men. While
the eyes saw the miraculous signs, those same eyes beheld a Jewish man.
Many never saw beyond that. Many marveled. Others were offended.
Even Jesus’ own disciples, after he silenced the winds and the waves on the Sea
of Galilee, wondered, “Who is this?” They caught the glimpse of Jesus’
glory, but seeing was not enough. To really see his glory, they had to
listen to his words. It is the words which reveal who this really is and
what he comes to do.
On Transfiguration Sunday, we see the glory of the Lord in Jesus. Here,
it is most vivid, most striking, most pronounced. We see Jesus as true
God, just as we sing at Christmas: “Veiled in flesh, the Godhead
see, Hail the incarnate Deity” (Hark! The Herald Angels Sing, v 2).
But on the mountain, the veil was pulled back.
The disciples saw the Deity more than the incarnation. “He
was transfigured before them, and his clothes became radiant,
intensely white, as no one on earth could bleach them. And there
appeared to them Elijah with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus.” (Mark
9:2-4)
The glory was obvious. The Son of Man looked like the
Son of God. Even the saints of the past made an appearance.
Prophets who had foretold the Christ appeared with the Christ. It
certainly was worth gazing at and soaking in. That’s why Peter suggested
putting up three tabernacles: “one for you and one for Moses and one
for Elijah.” (Mark 9:5) This way, others could come up to the
mountain. They could see the glory, too. But like the miracles,
this was only to be a glimpse of Jesus’ glory. To really see the glory,
you must listen.
Peter, James, and John would have found much more comfort in listening than in
gazing. Yes, Moses and Elijah were there, but what were they
doing? “They were talking with Jesus.” (Mark 9:4) Wouldn’t
it have been wonderful if St. Mark had recorded what they were talking about as
well as what it looked like? While we don’t have those words recorded,
the Holy Spirit has preserved the words of Moses and Elijah in the Old
Testament. We have plenty to ponder there. In addition, God the
Father redirected the attention of Peter, James, and John. “A
cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud, ‘This is
my beloved Son; listen to him.’” (Mark 9:7) To see the glory,
you must listen.
Without a doubt, what Peter, James, and John saw was glorious. They got a glimpse of the Church which lives
in glory. Our Lord is the God of the living. Peter, James, and John
got to see that the saints of the past are alive and well. Moses and
Elijah were not figments of their imagination. Though believers may
depart from life on earth, they continually live in the kingdom of God. And
so it is for your loved ones who die in the Christian faith. Though their
bodies have given out, their souls go to dwell in the Lord’s glory and
communicate with him. They live together with Moses, Elijah, and all the
saints who have gone before us.
But the glory at Jesus’ transfiguration was only a glimpse. His fuller
glory was to come at Mt. Calvary. When you look around the church, you
notice that we have crosses and crucifixes on display. I don’t think we
have any rendition of the transfiguration of our Lord, except on the bulletin cover.
The reason we focus on what is gruesome is because of the word of the
Lord. To see the glory, you must listen.
There was no payment for sins on the mount of Transfiguration. Satan was
not crushed underfoot on that mountain. Death was not overcome on that mountain.
Peter, James, and John found reasons to be amazed, but not salvation. The
scene on the mount of transfiguration was something to stare at in amazement;
the scene on Mt. Calvary was something that would make you turn your head and
gag. But that is where God’s glory was truly seen; for that is where sins
were paid for. That is where death was being battled. That is where
Satan lost his grip on you. To see that glory, you must listen.
Many
people saw Jesus and the works he performed. This is why they brought all
their sick people to Jesus. They sang their praises of Jesus,
declaring, “He has done everything well. He even makes the deaf
hear and the mute speak!” (Mark 7:37) Now, that was true, but it
misses the point. They came for bodily
cures, but not for forgiveness of sins. Seeing the miracles did not
make people trust in Jesus as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the
world. Some said he was John the Baptist. Others said he was Elijah
or one of the prophets of old. So much for simple observation. To
see the glory, you must listen.
God the Father tells us what to pay attention to when it comes to Jesus. “A
cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud, ‘This is
my beloved Son; listen to him.’” (Mark 9:7) The apostles had
listened fairly well. They all confessed to Jesus, “You are the
Christ.” (Mark 8:29) But then they failed to listen to everything
Jesus had told them. Jesus told them what his mission was and how they
would truly see his glory. “He began to teach them
that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by
the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after
three days rise again. And he said this plainly.” (Mark
8:31-32) Peter did not
remember this. He preferred three tents so that Jesus, Moses, and Elijah
could always be visited, so that everyone could bask in a moment of glory.
We always long for glory that we
can see or feel. We delight in our victories because others see our accomplishments,
and it makes us feel good. We delight in the benefits that result from
earthly glory. We get fame and fortune, popularity, pride, and
power. We also fall into the temptation of finding our value in such
glory. We feel that we are failures if we don’t have our moments of glory,
or if we don’t have them often enough. If you feel that your worth is
connected to how the world sees you (or how you think the
world sees you), you are being fed a line by the devil. Worldly glory
feels good for a moment, just as sins feel good for a moment. In both
cases, the feelings are addictive. We
crave the rush we get from the admiration we receive, just as we crave the
thrill from the sins which gratify our base desires. And in both cases—in our lust for glory and
in our lust for sins—the good feelings are deceptive and fleeting. If you
crave it, if you feed it, and even if your moment of glory is well deserved,
you will end up feeling hollow. The glory that Peter, James,
and John witnessed on the mountain was never going to be permanent—not for them.
Perfect and permanent glory does not exist on this earth. It is always
soiled, interrupted, or stolen. Even if
you are impressed by it, it will not last.
Just ask Tiglath-Pileser, Amenhotep, and Diocletian. “Who?” you ask? Oh, those were kings and emperors. Aren’t you impressed? No, because no one envies kings or kingdoms
lying in dust.
Jesus delivers to you a greater
glory. He rescues you from the corrupted, deceptive glories of the earth
and even from the dust of death. If you
want to see that glory, you must listen to him. He tells you what
he does to atone for your sins of loving the world and its glory. It is
shown to you by the bloody, shameful death he suffers for you. He was
assigned the guilt for all sins so that you are found innocent. He was
stripped of his garments so that you are clothed in his righteousness. He
was crowned with thorns so that you will be crowned with glory. He was
put to death so that you will have everlasting life. As horrid as
crucifixion looked, and as brutally as Jesus was mocked while he was enduring
it, Jesus tells you that all of it is for the payment of your sins and for the
deliverance out of death into a life of immortal glory. This is the glory
of the Lord—that he loves and saves sinners. It does not look like it,
but that is what is proclaimed. To see the glory, you must listen.
It is also necessary to listen to
him to know how you can be sure you have this glory. If you believe your
own story, you will try to convince yourself that you are destined for eternal
life—either because you believe you are good enough or because you don’t want
the alternative. But you also know your sins, so you cannot trust your
own goodness. Your friends might tell you how wonderful you are, but as
flattering as it is to have people glorify your name, their fondness of you won’t
save you. To see eternal glory, you must listen to Jesus and no one else.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be
born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from
the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable,
undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you. (1 Peter 1:3-4) It is kept in heaven for you,
but it is delivered here to you on earth. To see this glory, listen to him. Jesus promises, “Whoever believes and his
baptized shall be saved.” (Mark 16:16) He summons you to eat and
drink his body and blood for the forgiveness of your sins. He tells you
that he is your refuge and strength—your refuge from sin and death, and your
strength against deception and temptation. Jesus tells you that you are
children of God. Granted, that is not a glory you can see and feel right
now, but this is God’s declaration. If
you listen to him, you can be assured of your salvation.
On the Last Day at the resurrection of all flesh, the Lord Jesus will come again in his everlasting glory. On that day, you will appear and feel like the children of God he declares you to be. On that day, Jesus will deliver you into the kingdom where the glory will never fade or fail. On that day, you will not merely catch a glimpse of Jesus in his glory, but you will dwell with him in glory forevermore. To see that everlasting glory, listen to him. For this is the promise of God for you.
In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Friday, February 12, 2021
Worship Notes: Lenten Season
Worship Notes regarding the Lenten
Season
Throughout the Bible, the number 40 is associated with a time of testing or repentance (e.g., 40 days and nights of the rains falling at the Flood, 40 years of Israel’s wandering in the wilderness to the Promised Land, 40 days of Jesus’ fasting and temptation in the wilderness, 40 days between Jesus’ resurrection and his ascension, et al.). Therefore, the Church has adopted a Lenten season of 40 days prior to Easter. Incidentally, the word “Lenten” comes from an Old English word lencten which means “to lengthen,” as in, the day light hours are lengthening.
Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust
The season
of Lent begins on Ash Wednesday. (Ash
Wednesday is March 6 this year.) It is
“Ash” Wednesday because of the Church’s custom to put the mark of the cross on
the head of the worshipers with ashes.
These ashes are a reminder that we are going to die one day. As the ashes are applied, the pastor
proclaims to each person: “Remember that
you are dust, and to dust you will return,” a paraphrase of Genesis 3:19.
This reminder is awkward and uncomfortable. But sin and death ought to make us feel awkward and uncomfortable. Such a grave reminder of our sinfulness and mortality is a proper way to begin the Lenten season. These forty days are a time of penitence and reflection. While the whole life of a Christian is to be one of repentance, the Lenten season especially focuses us on our need for repentance.
A “Fast” Season
Fasting is
a practice that has long been observed by God’s people, going well back into
Old Testament times. In fact, our Lord
seems to expect that we will do it. In
Matthew 6:16, he states, “When you fast…”, not “IF you fast.”
Fasting
goes hand in hand with repentance (Psalm 35:13; Jonah 3:7-9) and with prayer
(Esther 4:15,16). Fasting is a ceremony
by which we express our repentance in a physical manner. It is depriving ourselves of something
physical to focus on the spiritual. It
is praying with the body.
Fasting also trains our bodies and souls. We discipline our flesh to teach it that it
is not to control us. We deny ourselves
in those parts of our lives in which we are most prone to temptation. When you
intentionally deprive your soul of what it wants, it has to get by
without. Why is that important? Your desires, uncontrolled, give in to
temptation. They lead you into sin. Uncontrolled desires make idols of what
your soul wants: desiring excess food is gluttony; desiring extravagant
clothing or cars or décor is greed; desiring a man or woman outside of marriage
is adultery. Desiring anything outside
of God’s order makes you an idolater.
Most commonly, fasting involves denying oneself at mealtime. It does not necessarily mean total abstention from food. Rather, meals are scaled back. Instead of eating three full meals a day, one eats the equivalent of about 1 ½ meals. The time that one would have spent eating is then devoted to prayer and meditation. The money that one saves can be given to the poor or to a charity. You could also fast in a way that addresses a temptation or weakness that is particular to you. Think about what tempts you, and limit your exposure. If shopping is your weakness, no shopping sprees or comfort purchases during Lent. Too much time wasted on the internet, or visiting sites you shouldn’t be? Only use it at work or when someone else is with you. If you need encouragement, counsel, or more ideas talk with your pastor.
Should
you choose to observe this discipline, do not feel that you have to go all
out. Perhaps you will limit your fasting
to just Wednesdays and Fridays, as Christians traditionally did throughout the
year. Or instead of scaling all the way
back to 1 ½ meals, perhaps you will simply omit one of the meals, as well as
snacking in between. In any case, fasting
is not something we do to seek reward from our Lord. It is a way that we can more intently focus
on our Lord, to meditate, and to pray.
Note: Sundays are never fast days, so go ahead and enjoy the good gifts of creation to their fullest on these days! Also, expectant or nursing mothers, children, and the ill are never expected to fast from food, but to provide the nourishment their bodies need.
A Season of Passion
During the Lenten season, the Christian Church generally
increases the opportunities Christians have to pray and to hear the word. On the Wednesday evenings (7:00 PM)
throughout Lent following Ash Wednesday, Good Shepherd offers Lenten Vespers
(an evening prayer service, from the Latin vespera,
meaning “evening”). The focus of Lenten
Vespers is the Passion of our Lord. The
word Passion is derived from the Latin word passio
which means “suffering.” The Lord’s
passion (zeal) to redeem us drove him to his Passion (suffering) for us. At each Vespers, we will hear a portion of
our Savior’s Passion, beginning with the Last Supper and concluding with the
death and burial of our Lord. This year
(2021), we will read through the Passion of our Lord from the Gospel according
to St. Mark. (In other years, the
Passion readings are from the Gospels according to St. Matthew or St. Luke.)
It should also be noted that, on Good Friday, the Passion of our Lord is read in its entirety from the Gospel according to St. John.
Little Easters
If you count the days from Ash
Wednesday to Easter Sunday, you will get more than forty days. The reason is that the Sundays in Lent are
not counted. They are Sundays in Lent,
not Sundays of Lent. The focus on these
Sundays continues to be the words and works of Jesus, our Messiah, who battles
and conquers sin, death, and Satan for us.
While the Lent is a penitential season, the Sundays in Lent are feast
days and serve as “little Easters” even within the season of Lent.
Farewell to Alleluia
While
Sundays are little Easters, we do not forget that we are in Lent. To reflect the penitential nature of the
season, we mute the joy and praise in our Divine Services. This is noticed mainly by the omission of the
Gloria in Excelsis (Glory to God in
the Highest) and the Alleluias. We also
remove the flowers from the altar during Lent.
As we continue to make our way closer to Holy Week, our fast intensifies. We will notice that organ music is restricted
to the support of congregational singing.
The Gloria Patri (Glory be to
the Father) is removed from the Psalms.
Paintings, statues, and icons are either removed or veiled. The season becomes more somber as we get
closer to the cross, until finally on Good Friday, the altar has been
completely stripped.
A Prayerful and Penitential Lent
One more practice you may want to consider this Lenten season is making use of Private Confession and Absolution. This is a rite in which the penitent can hear in a very personal manner the voice of Jesus declaring through his minister, “I forgive you.” The order of Private Confession and Absolution has been made available at the bulletin board so that you can be familiar with it before you come to your pastor. The pastor would be pleased to walk through the rite with you to help you understand the how’s and the why’s. Confession teaches us to recognize our sins, and the Absolution allows us to hear Christ proclaim his forgiveness for those sins that grieve us and torment us. You may contact the pastor to schedule Private Confession and Absolution.
May God bless you this Lenten season as you prepare to celebrate the joys of Easter.
Thursday, February 11, 2021
Today's Earworm -- Juice Newton: Love's Been a Little Bit Hard on Me
I don't know how or why, but here is today's earworm from Juice Newton, "Love's Been a Little Bit Hard on Me." Recorded in 1982, on the album "Quiet Lies." I probably have not heard this song since the 80's; nevertheless, there it is in my brain. Here's the video.
Update from Good Shepherd (February 11, 2021)
Greetings!
REGULAR SCHEDULE
Divine Services are at 10:00 AM on Sundays, in person and on Facebook Live. Share our services and invite friends to tune in.
Sunday School is on Sundays at 8:45 AM.
Adult Bible Class is on Sundays at 8:45 AM. We are continuing our series on Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The schedule can be found at this link.
Lenten Vespers -- Wednesdays at 7:00 PM (through March 24). You can see the schedule here.
OFFICE HOURS
Office hours are Monday-Thursday, 9:00 AM – Noon.
The pastor will be in his office unless a meeting has been scheduled elsewhere (consult the weekly schedule). The pastor is also available by appointment. Call or text (248-719-5218). You may also email (welsnovi@aol.com), but the response may be slower.
Good Shepherd 40th Anniversary Photo Compilation
This year is the 40th anniversary of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church! To commemorate the occasion we would like to put together a compilation of photos to develop into a video. If you're interested, please find up to 6 photos of your time with the congregation that you would like to share and email them to Brian Wilder, Pastor, or Dan LeFevre so we can compile them into a video. Also, if anyone has experience developing a video for this type of project and would like to assist in the creation any help would be greatly appreciated! Please submit your photos no later than March 17 (Ash Wednesday).
EASTER FOR KIDS PREP MEETING
This Sunday (February 14), we will be having a meeting to plan for our Easter for Kids event. We will be offering packets to be picked up by drive-through. From there, participation will be at home. We will need to plan ahead so that children who are involved in Easter for Kids will still feel a connection to Good Shepherd.
Among the participation we will need: Recording the lesson; Recording instructions for the craft; Posting those recordings to YouTube (setting up the link); Packet assembly (late March); Set up and manning the drive-through booth (Saturday, March 27, 9:00-11:00 AM); Publicizing Easter for Kids in the community. If you are unable to attend this meeting but are willing to help with the preparation, publication, and/or distribution of materials, please speak to Pastor Schroeder.
CHANGES TO THE SERVICE
With a reasonable amount of precautions already in place, we will be returning more elements to the service. Beginning in Lent, we will return the order of Holy Communion to the regular part of the service rather than do it separately after the live-stream has concluded. Those who worship online will still be able to sing a hymn during the distribution of the sacrament. We will add more singing to the service as well, particularly the canticles during the Communion portion of the service.
If you have any concerns about these additions, please speak to Pastor Schroeder or one of our elders—Dan Rauchholz, Ken Reisig, and Dan Schneider. We want to strike an appropriate balance, but we will need people to let us know if they believe the balance is off.
As always, let us continue to pray for one another and to seek each other’s good.
If you have any concerns about these additions, please speak to Pastor Schroeder or one of our elders—Dan Rauchholz, Ken Reisig, and Dan Schneider. We want to strike an appropriate balance, but we will need people to let us know if they believe the balance is off.
As always, let us continue to pray for one another and to seek each other’s good.
ANNUAL MEETING / OPEN FORUM / VOTERS’ MEETING
On Sunday, February 21, we will have our Annual Meeting after church. This will be done in person and over Zoom. Registration will be necessary for Zoom. Please contact Pastor Schroeder for Zoom links.
The Annual Meeting is where we report what has been accomplished in this past year, but more importantly what we want to do this year and in the longer term. Some plans have already been made, but other plans need people to help. We can set goals and strive to achieve them based on how much our own members are invested in them. All of us can play a part, and this meeting is where we all get to see what can be done.
After the Open Forum, the Voters’ Meeting will be held. All confirmed men in the congregation are urged to participate. Men, God called you to be leaders. We need you to lead, which is both honorable and necessary. If you are new to the Voters’ Assembly, then come and get familiar with what we are doing.
After the Open Forum, the Voters’ Meeting will be held. All confirmed men in the congregation are urged to participate. Men, God called you to be leaders. We need you to lead, which is both honorable and necessary. If you are new to the Voters’ Assembly, then come and get familiar with what we are doing.
CONCERNING PASTORAL CARE
Pastor Schroeder is available for private devotions, Holy Absolution, and Holy Communion to members in small groups or to individuals. You may call to set up an appointment at any time. Visits by appointment can be done either at church or at your home.
If you want to ask for intercessions for loved ones, we will certainly remember them in our prayers, too. If your loved one has no pastor, ask if they would like Pastor Schroeder to visit them.
GOOD SHEPHERD ON YOUTUBE
Feel free to share the videos. For other services, do a search for "Good Shepherd Novi." The service from February 7 is here: Good Shepherd Novi, Divine Service - Feb. 7, 2021 - YouTube
Bulletins for services can be downloaded from here (scroll down):
OFFERINGS
While we may not be meeting for worship, we do have financial obligations to meet. You may either mail your offering into Good Shepherd, or you can set up your offering to be transferred electronically from your bank. If you are interested in the automatic transfer of funds for your offering, please contact the church at (248) 349-0565 or welsnovi@aol.com.
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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!
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!
BAD WEATHER POLICY FOR SERVICES AT GOOD SHEPHERD
We will always have services as scheduled at Good Shepherd. Since I live across the parking lot, I can get to the church no matter how bad the weather gets. Even if the service is just me and my family, we will be here. For everyone else, please use your God-given common sense to determine whether or not you will get on the road to attend any service when the weather is bad. We don't want anyone to risk his or her life to be here. But if you do venture out, the scheduled service will take place. It may be only a handful with a cappella singing and/or spoken liturgy, but we will be here.
Bible Classes and meetings may be canceled due to weather. Check your email regarding announcements to see if any of those scheduled events is canceled. If there is no email about it, it is not canceled. But again, use common sense to determine if you can make it, and call the pastor to let him know if you will not be coming.
In Christ,
Pastor Schroeder
==============================
REGULAR SCHEDULE
DIVINE SERVICES -- Sundays at 10:00 AM (We also stream on Facebook Live )
SUNDAY SCHOOL & ADULT BIBLE CLASS on Sundays at 8:45 AM.
ASH WEDNESDAY is February 17.
GOOD SHEPHERD’S WEBSITE
Monday, February 8, 2021
Lenten Vespers -- 2021
Lenten Vespers
2021
Vespers is at 7:00 PM.
February 17 ASH WEDNESDAY
Divine Service with the Imposition of Ashes
Hands of Misguided Zeal (Peter)
John 18:4-11
February 24 Hands of Repentance (Tax Collector)
Luke 18:9-14
March 3 Hands of Betrayal (Judas Iscariot)
John 13:21-30
March 10 Hands of Self Preservation (Pontius Pilate)
Matthew 27:15-26
March 17 Hands of Hypocrisy (Caiaphas)
Mark 14:55-65
March 24 Hands of Brutality (Roman Soldiers)
Matthew 27:27-31
John 18:4-11
February 24 Hands of Repentance (Tax Collector)
Luke 18:9-14
March 3 Hands of Betrayal (Judas Iscariot)
John 13:21-30
March 10 Hands of Self Preservation (Pontius Pilate)
Matthew 27:15-26
March 17 Hands of Hypocrisy (Caiaphas)
Mark 14:55-65
March 24 Hands of Brutality (Roman Soldiers)
Matthew 27:27-31
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