I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord’ (Luke 13:35b).

Read Luke 13:31–35

The Lutheran church is known as a confessional and liturgical church. This means that we have documented confessional statements that set out the basis of our beliefs and teaching. We are also liturgical – our worship services are set out in a format that takes from Scripture elements that set out the story of salvation. The gospel is proclaimed to us through the liturgy itself.

If you have ever worshipped in a church where the language spoken is not your own, it can be alienating. But if it is a liturgical church, there is a rhythm, a flow to the service that can be familiar and welcoming. By the tone of the responses, and the actions of the pastor, we can gauge where we are in the service. We can identify the confession and absolution, the collect for the day, the kyrie (Lord have mercy), the sermon, the offering of thanksgiving and the blessing. This enables us to participate in spirit without saying aloud the words.

The event that Jesus refers to in our text today is his arrival in Jerusalem on Palm Sunday when the people cry out, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord’. And, in our communion liturgy, we repeat this phrase just before the institution of holy communion.

Because this is where Jesus comes to us, in the bread and wine of holy communion. He comes to us! We may ‘go’ to communion, but it is where Jesus comes to us. As the song says, ‘Here we meet you once again, God of mercy, God of grace … ’.

Through our liturgy, Palm Sunday is every Sunday when we celebrate the Lord’s Supper. It is part of remembering that last supper, the recognition that our salvation is God’s action at every step of the way and we, like those at the first Palm Sunday, cry out in thankfulness – ‘Hosanna, hosanna in the highest’.

God of mercy, God of grace, we thank and praise you for the gift of the sacrament of holy communion in which you come to us to forgive us and strengthen us through your love. Amen.

Faye Schmidt continues her diaconal calling through governance, having served on the Vic–Tas District Church Board, the General Church Board and currently as chair of the Standing Committee on Constitutions and her congregation, Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Adelaide. Having lived and worked in many locations within Australia and overseas, Faye has a heart for the stranger and the newcomer and for being open to new ideas, learning from others and responding to needs.

What shall I compare the kingdom of God to? It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about 60 pounds of flour until it worked all through the dough (Luke 13:20,21).

Read Luke 13:18-30

Have you ever baked your bread? During the COVID lockdowns across the country, there was a shortage of flour, as people found themselves confined to their homes with time to challenge themselves to make their own bread.

It all starts with the yeast, the smallest ingredient used in the process that makes everything happen. But what is yeast? A dictionary tells me it is a ‘single-cell organism, called Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which needs food, warmth and moisture to thrive’.

So, although yeast has much power, left to sit on a shelf it does nothing except deteriorate in effectiveness if not used when fresh. The yeast also needs flour, warmth and moisture to yield a product.

Scripture teaches us that those who are baptised and believe in Christ as their Saviour are already part of God’s kingdom. We may not be many – we may be out-numbered in our family or community. But our text tells us that we are like the yeast, where we are fed with God’s word and the sacraments, bathed in the warmth of fellow believers and daily aware of the waters of our baptism, the kingdom thrives.

So let us always remember that it is God’s kingdom. Although the world looks to demonstrations of might and power as giving things meaning, our God looks to the small, and the humble, and despite their humility and size, have an influence that outstrips everything else.

That humility came into focus through Christ who humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on the cross.

We praise and thank you Heavenly Father that you accept us, your children and heirs of your kingdom. through the death and resurrection of your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd (John 10:16).

Read John 10:11–18

The image of Jesus as the good shepherd is a beloved image that demonstrates the love, care and gentleness of God to his people. It is a very personal image, with the shepherd declaring that he knows us, and we know him. Psalm 23 also supports this thinking when we say with the psalmist, ‘The Lord is my shepherd’.

But the text shows us that we are not just a scattering of individuals but part of a flock, a community, a family. The dangers are to the flock, not just the individual sheep. In verse 12, we read, ‘… the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it’.Division, and disharmony result.

In Isaiah 53:6, we read, ‘We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all’.

So, what does it mean to be a sheep of Jesus’ flock? It means that we enter through his gate. Jesus is the way to salvation. We know his voice and follow him. He cares for us, keeping us safe. And when we wander away, which we know we do all too often, he comes and searches for us.

These are wonderful, comforting images, but this passage includes another challenging thought. The good shepherd decides who is in the sheepfold; we do not. ‘I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold’ (John 10:16). The Pharisees and disciples thought they knew God’s chosen ones. But this shepherd is telling them, and telling us, that there will be ‘one flock, one shepherd’, and it is God, in Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit – not us – who brings together that flock.

Dear Heavenly Father, we pray you will send your Holy Spirit to those who do not know you and that they may hear your voice, come to know you and be welcomed in the fold as members of your flock. Amen.

Faye Schmidt continues her diaconal calling through governance, having served on the Vic–Tas District Church Board, the General Church Board and currently as chair of the Standing Committee on Constitutions and her congregation, Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Adelaide. Having lived and worked in many locations within Australia and overseas, Faye has a heart for the stranger and the newcomer and for being open to new ideas, learning from others, and responding to needs.