Lent 2024, “The Body of Jesus”

05Feb

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

12Dec

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

Living Under God’s Gracious Care

14AugAugust 14, 2023

Late Summer 2023 Pastoral Letter

Dear Saints of God in Christ our Lord:

I have a confession to make, and my guess is that I am not alone. It is just this: That I am a little bit of a control freak. For example: I do not do so well when other people drive and I am a passenger – that is: I am not in control of the car. I do not like it very much when plans suddenly change, and things have to be decided on the fly. I do not like it when other people are not prepared when they should be. And, as I said above, I doubt that I am alone in this.

The reality is, that most people like to be in control. Most people like to have a sense of how things are going to work, what is going to happen, and most people do not like surprises or sudden changes in plans. There is always a bit of a dance of trying to balance being in control and having someone else be in control that can be a tricky thing for people to manage. For example, the relationship between parents and children is full of this challenge. Where children very often try to have autonomy, parents try to keep their children safe, which very often means not allowing their children to have autonomy. An employee and their supervisor can tread into the same territory, where the employee might want to do things on their own authority but their supervisor or manager wants to make sure that they know how to do the task, and that it gets done correctly.

And then there is our relationship with God – our Creator. This is not the same as parents and children or employees and supervisors. God is God, and He is in charge of all things. We are not God – we are part of His creation. God calls us to do things in creation and gives us responsibilities, but that is not the same as being in charge.

When we are confronted with Scripture passages that remind us to honor and obey God, we sometimes struggle because we want to be in control, and God calls us to recognize that He is in control. One of these Scripture passages is 1 Peter 5:6, which says, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time He may exalt you.” The thing about humbling yourself before anyone is that you are no longer in control. When you humble yourself under God’s hand, you wait for Him to exalt you at the proper time. But His view of the proper time might not be your view of the proper time. God calls you to be under His authority and under His care, and that means that you are not in control – you are not in charge. And, for sinful people like you and me, that is a really difficult place to be. We like to call the shots.

This is another chance for you and me and every Christian to continue to learn what the First Commandment means. There God says, “You shall have no other gods before Me.” As Dr. Luther reminds us, a god is what you look to when you are going through difficult times or when you need help. Usually, the person you trust most in difficulty is yourself. The Lord calls you to recognize that as sinful and to repent. You are not in control, and when you are uncomfortable that you are not in control, He calls you to repent. Turn from your sinful need to be control of all things, and recognize that the God who created all things, is in control!

Living under God’s loving care and trusting Him alone as the One in charge is not the terrible thing that it might initially sound like. Instead, it is a blessing to live under God’s loving care! He will exalt you. He knows what you need and when you need it. He is the Creator, and you are the creation. You do not need an answer to all of life’s questions. You do not need to know how everything will work out. You do not need all the details of God’s plans for your life. What you need to know is exactly what God reveals to you – that He is in control and that He cares for you. He cares for you so much that Jesus Christ died and rose for you, and has promised to prepare a place for you to live with Him forever. As uncomfortable as it may sometimes be, living under God’s loving care is exactly what you need. He is the Giver of every good and perfect gift for you.

I hope and pray that the remainder of your summer in Christ is a good one. If you have had times of recreation or you still have those times to look forward to, I hope that you will come often to the LORD’s House to hear His Word and receive His Gifts found for you there!

In Service to our Gracious King,

Pastor Steven J. Anderson