Lent 2024, “The Body of Jesus”

Lent 2024, “The Body of Jesus”

Dear Fellow Members of the Body of Jesus:

            During this Holy Lenten Season, we will be looking at “The Body of Jesus” as the Lent Midweek Theme at our sister congregation of Hope Lutheran Church in Countryside at their Wednesday Midweek Services. There are two ways that we can think of the Body of Jesus. One way is the manner in which I addressed you in the Salutation of this letter, “Members of the Body of Jesus.” In that case, I am referring to the Holy Christian Church as the “Body of Jesus.” That is a very biblical way of using that term. St. Paul uses the term that way in Romans 12:14, where he wrote, “So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another,” and in Ephesians 3:6: “That the Gentiles should be fellow heirs and of the same body, and partakers of the His promise in Christ by the Gospel.”

      The other way that we speak of “The Body of Jesus” is in reference to the actual physical flesh and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, His human body according to His human nature. This is what we will be contemplating this Holy Lenten Season. We confess that Jesus is the Immanuel, “God With Us,” that He is the very Creator of heaven and earth, come in human flesh, born of the Virgin Mary, in order to save us from our sin. This is the reality that we have just rejoiced in during Advent and Christmas Seasons.

      This Lent, we will be looking at The Body of Jesus in His Holy Passion. We will contemplate the divine reality that Jesus bore all the sin of the world in His Body, so that we might be restored to God. As St. Paul wrote to St. Timothy, “And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory” (1 Timothy 3:16). And as St. Peter wrote in his First Epistle, “Who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed” (1 Peter 2:24).

      You are invited to join your brothers and sisters at Hope Lutheran Church, 6455 Joliet Road, Countryside, for their Lenten Midweek Services. Ash Wednesday Divine Service with the Imposition of Ashes will be at 2pm on Wednesday, February 14 at Hope. The Service will be at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church at 7pm. The remaining Midweek Services will all be at Hope on Wednesdays at 1pm.

            LENT MIDWEEK SERVICES at HOPE LUTHERAN CHURCH

            February 21: “The Back of Jesus” (Isaiah 53:4-12, St. Mark 15:15-25)

            February 28: “The Head of Jesus” (Genesis 3:1-19, St. Matthew 27:27-31)

            March 6:         “The Hands of Jesus” (Isaiah 49:14-23, St. Luke 23:33-46)

            March 13:      “The Feet of Jesus” (Isaiah 52:7-10, St. Matthew 27:33-44)

            March 20:      “The Side of Jesus” (Genesis 2:18-25, St. John 19:31-37)

      HOLY WEEK SERVICES at GLORIA DEI LUTHERAN CHURCH

      March 24:      Palm Sunday (9 am)

      March 28:      Maundy Thursday (7 pm)

      March 29:      Good Friday (7pm)

      March 31:      The Resurrection of Our Lord/Easter Day (9 am)

            My prayer is that, as you consider the Body of Jesus in His Passion bearing all of your sin, you would be drawn ever closer to Him. May our Lord grant you a Holy Lent, hearing His Word and receiving Him in His Body and Blood for your life and salvation.

In Christ,



Pastor Steven Anderson

Living in Faith this Advent & Christmas

Living in Faith this Advent & Christmas

Dear People Living in Faith:

            In the month of December when children are little, conversations often turn to Santa Claus and if a boy or girl has been a “good enough” boy or girl to get gifts or if one might expect to get coal instead of presents. Perhaps you were a child who feared that you might be getting coal for Christmas. Perhaps there was a bit of fear that you had not really been “good enough” to get presents that year.

More recently, the shift has turned from the age-old question of “Will I get coal for Christmas?” to the watchful eye of that judgey, moralistic “Elf on the Shelf” who is allegedly keeping a spying eye on children to report any infractions to Santa. The fear that a child isn’t “good enough” seems to be increasing. But a Christian’s concern is not about Santa Claus, nor is it about the so-called Elf on the Shelf. Since these are not real, their opinions don’t matter. But the eternal and all-powerful Lord God is real, and He has told you in His Holy Word that you should be ready for His return. And this has nothing to do with coal or gifts, but has everything to do with His faithfulness and grace for you. 

            As the Church enters the season of eager expectation known as Advent (which means: Coming), we are waiting and watching for the return of Christ. Scripture is clear that our Lord comes to judge the world. Jesus has words of preparation for His Church in St. Matthew, chapter 25, and part of that chapter was read on the Last Sunday in Church Year. But when Jesus returns, what does that actually mean for the Church? Should we fear His return, or should we eagerly anticipate it? As we live by faith, we look forward to the return of Christ, not in fear but in eager expectation. For Christians, our Lord’s return this is the coming of our King. The readings of the Advent season look forward to the presence of Jesus with joy. We pray along with the psalmist in Psalm 24 that the gates be opened and lifted up as Jesus comes for our salvation. There is comfort for God’s people in Jesus’ Return. 

            This season of Advent bears the Latin title “Advent” which, as I said above, simply means “coming.” Each year, the Church celebrates the coming of Jesus, not only as the Baby of Bethlehem in the manger at Christmas, but when He comes at the end of time in glory. Instead of the Church warning children about coal in their Christmas stockings or looking at the ever-watchful spying Elf on the Shelf, the Church speaks to Christians and non-Christians alike, speaking the absolute truth that, “Jesus is coming. Now – this day – is the time to repent and believe.” Jesus is real – and He is really returning to judge the living and the dead.

            So repent (that is, turn from sin) and believe the Good News of Jesus Christ. Do not merely do this to avoid judgement or punishment, but do this to receive the gifts of Christ. Your Lord loves you such that He took on flesh, and was born for you. God in the flesh died for you and rose from the dead for you and He is coming again, having been judged in your place on the Cross, so that He might receive all those believe in Him into His Kingdom to live with Him in righteousness and blessedness forever. This is the love of Jesus for His people, and so this is the love of Jesus for you. Do not be afraid of His coming judgment, but rather, life up your heads with joy at His return, and believe in the promises of God for you. 

            As the radio plays songs about getting ready for Christmas and ready for Santa, most importantly turn your attention to the return of Christ. He is coming for you, not in a sleigh or with presents under a tree, but with the greatest present: the gift of eternal life with Him. Be ready for Jesus, because He is coming for you, one of those He so dearly loves!

            I hope to see you in God’s House this Advent, Christmas, and beyond!

In Christ’s peace,

Pastor Steven Anderson

All the Saints & a Blesséd Christian Funeral

All the Saints & a Blesséd Christian Funeral

November 2019

“Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!”

 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” – St. Matthew 5:4

            Dear Saints in Christ:

            The first Sunday of every November is a Sunday that we look forward to with both joy and sadness. We observe the Feast of All the Saints (November 1 is the actual day, but just as we observe Reformation on the last Sunday in October, we do the same with All Saints).  Jesus preaches to us from the Beatitudes, the opening words of His Sermon on the Mount, and we hear again, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”

            We mourn because we die, and we long for comfort because we grieve. We grieve for many reasons, but it all comes down to death. We know that we die because of our sin, but – thanks be to God – we have the hope of everlasting life through Jesus’ victory over the grave! Our Lord Jesus came from heaven to earth to live our life, die our death, and rise from the grave to sit at the right hand of the Father in glory, interceding for us and sending the Comforter, His Holy Spirit, to continue to work among us and in us through the Means of Grace – the Word and the Sacraments. Baptized and forgiven, we are God’s beloved children by faith.  It is our joy – in all things – to confess this faith.

            One of the most important confessions of our Faith is the one we make when we die and are buried. God’s children die in the sure and certain hope of the resurrection of the body to life everlasting, and the worship that surrounds the death of a Christian must confess this. To that end, your pastor strives to work with individuals and families before and at the time of death to faithfully prepare and conduct the Funeral Liturgy with this Christian confession in mind. The readings, the sermon, the hymns, the prayers, and the visitation – all of them serve to provide Christian comfort to all of us as we grieve and hope together in God’s Resurrection Promises in Christ.

            Now – perhaps more than ever – the world around us is becoming more and more confused about death and dying, and our funerals (yes, often even Christian Funerals) are being driven more and more by our “me-centered” culture, and turned into occasions to express our individuality and provide some kind of emotional catharsis instead of pointing at the consolation Christ gives in the midst of death, which is the purpose of Christ-confessing Christian Funeral Service.

            The answer to this “me-driven” culture that is all around us is to follow God and His Holy Word. The Lord who promised that those blesséd ones who mourn would be comforted is the One who not only accomplishes that comfort through His own death and resurrection, but also consoles us with His gifts in Holy Baptism, His Word, and the Lord’s Supper. The world tells you that you must leave your mark, your legacy behind you; but for the Christian, the only mark that matters is the one placed upon you at your baptism to mark you as one redeemed by Christ the Crucified – the one who will raise you from the dead!

            I encourage all Gloria Dei members – as you are able – to consider planning ahead by thinking about the readings and hymns you would like to be read and sung at your Christian Funeral Service. Your pastor would be glad to assist you if you would like help.  I hope to include a Service Planning sheet in an upcoming Gloria Dei Messenger for this purpose. You will be invited fill it out, and return it to the Gloria Dei Church Office.

            And so, this All Saints’ Day and always, we rejoice with all the saints on earth and with all the saints who have gone before us marked with the sign of Faith: the Cross of Christ. We celebrate All Saints’ Sunday in both joy and sadness to be sure, but mainly with great joy: joy in the crucified and risen Jesus, who has born all sins in His flesh and risen for us triumphantly over death and the grave. Let us confess Him with our lips and with our lives in life, and let us confess Him with the confession of our Christian Funeral Service in death, as we sing with all the saints in glory.

            Alleluia, Christ is risen!  He is risen, indeed, Alleluia!