Pilgrim Lutheran Church - Waterloo, Iowa

Pilgrim Lutheran Church - Waterloo, Iowa Pilgrim Lutheran Church in Waterloo, Iowa is a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Synod (els.org) "My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.

Where can I go and meet with God?" (Ps 42:2)
At Pilgrim Lutheran Church, we want to connect all people with the living God. From our worship and Bible studies, Pilgrim is a place where your whole family can discover and grow in the living God. At Pilgrim, you will learn how much God loves you and cares about your life. God's Son, Jesus, laid down his life to give us life - eternal life waiting for

us in heaven and abundant life right here on earth. God has great plans for you and for your family - plans to prosper you, to give you hope and a future (Jer. 29 10-14). Search through our website and come visit us. We would love to help you discover the living and loving God at Pilgrim Lutheran Church.

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, there are certain needs in life that cannot be ignored for very long. A person may ...
05/30/2026

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, there are certain needs in life that cannot be ignored for very long. A person may delay sleep for a time. A person may skip a meal and continue on for a while. But thirst quickly becomes overwhelming. When someone is thirsty, it dominates everything else. The body cries out for water because without it there can be no life.

That is why the Scriptures often use thirst as an image for the condition of the human soul apart from God. The psalmist says, “My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.” Isaiah cries out, “Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters.” And here in our Gospel lesson Jesus stands in the temple courts and shouts above the crowds, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.”

On this Day of Pentecost, Jesus teaches us that He alone satisfies the deepest thirst of the human soul. The Holy Spirit, poured out upon the Church in Acts chapter 2, comes to deliver the living water of Christ’s salvation to thirsty sinners. Pentecost is not ultimately about wind, fire, or miraculous languages. Pentecost is about Christ giving the Holy Spirit so that sinners may receive forgiveness, life, and salvation through Him.

Join us this Sunday!Divine Service at 9:00 amNo Bible Study this SundayWhether you’re new, returning, or looking for a c...
05/23/2026

Join us this Sunday!

Divine Service at 9:00 am
No Bible Study this Sunday

Whether you’re new, returning, or looking for a church home, there’s a place for you here.

We’d love to welcome you this Sunday.

We had a wonderful morning planting some new flowers around our Church sign! They already look beautiful. Thank you to a...
05/23/2026

We had a wonderful morning planting some new flowers around our Church sign! They already look beautiful. Thank you to all who helped out!

Jesus says, “Repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in His name to all nations, beginning from Jerusale...
05/22/2026

Jesus says, “Repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in His name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.” This is the mission of the Church. Notice carefully what Jesus does not say. He does not say the Church’s mission is primarily political power, social influence, entertainment, or worldly success. He does not send the apostles out to build earthly kingdoms. He sends them to proclaim repentance and forgiveness.

That is still the Church’s calling today. The world does not like repentance. The sinful flesh does not like repentance. Our old Adam wants affirmation, not confession. He wants excuses, not absolution. He wants to justify himself rather than be justified by God. But Christ commands repentance because sin is real.

We have sinned against God in thought, word, and deed. We have not loved God with our whole heart. We have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We have cherished pride, lust, greed, bitterness, envy, and selfishness. Even our best works are stained with sin. And apart from Christ, sin leads only to death and condemnation. So the Church must preach repentance plainly and clearly. Not because God delights in condemning sinners, but because He desires to save sinners.

Christ joins repentance with forgiveness. “Repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in His name.” What sweet words these are! Forgiveness of sins!

There are certain departures in life that leave people uncertain and afraid. A child watches his father drive away for m...
05/21/2026

There are certain departures in life that leave people uncertain and afraid. A child watches his father drive away for military deployment. A congregation watches a beloved pastor accept a call elsewhere. A family stands beside a hospital bed for the final goodbye. In moments like these, people ask themselves: “What now? What happens next? How will we go on?”

The disciples must have felt something like that on the day of Ascension. For forty days the risen Christ had appeared to them. He had taught them, comforted them, eaten with them, shown them His hands and side. The terror of Good Friday had been replaced with Easter joy. But now Jesus is leaving. He lifts His hands in blessing, and while He blesses them, He is carried up into heaven.

And yet something surprising happens. St. Luke says the disciples “returned to Jerusalem with great joy.” Not fear. Not despair. Not confusion. But with Great joy.
Why? Because the Ascension is not Christ abandoning His Church. The Ascension is Christ reigning for His Church. The ascended Christ reigns to bless His people through repentance, forgiveness, and worship until He comes again.

05/17/2026

This is deeply important because Christians often look for God in the wrong places. We search for dramatic experiences, emotional highs, or visible signs of power. We assume God is closest when we feel spiritually energized.

But Jesus directs us somewhere else. He directs us to His promises. Where the Gospel is preached, Christ is present. Where sins are forgiven in His name, Christ is present. Where Baptism joins sinners to His death and resurrection, Christ is present. Where His true body and blood are given for the forgiveness of sins, Christ is present.

“I will come to you,” Jesus says. And He does. Sometimes Christians feel abandoned by God because life becomes painful. A diagnosis arrives. A marriage struggles. A child wanders from the faith. Financial burdens increase. Anxiety settles heavily upon the heart. Prayers seem unanswered. And Satan whispers, “You are alone.” But feelings are not the measure of God’s faithfulness. Christ’s promises are.

Join us this Sunday!Bible Study at 8:15 amDivine Service at 9:00 amWhether you’re new, returning, or looking for a churc...
05/17/2026

Join us this Sunday!

Bible Study at 8:15 am
Divine Service at 9:00 am

Whether you’re new, returning, or looking for a church home, there’s a place for you here.

We’d love to welcome you this Sunday.

In John 14, Jesus is preparing His disciples for His departure. The cross is coming. His suffering is near. The disciple...
05/13/2026

In John 14, Jesus is preparing His disciples for His departure. The cross is coming. His suffering is near. The disciples are confused and troubled. Their Teacher, their Lord, their Friend is speaking about going away. And in the midst of their fear, Jesus gives them this astonishing promise: “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.”
Those words are filled with comfort because they reveal the heart of Christ toward sinners. Jesus does not abandon His people. He does not rescue them once and then leave them to fend for themselves. He comes to them. He remains with them. He keeps them.

And He does this through what Jesus calls “another Helper,” the Spirit of truth. The Holy Spirit is not an impersonal force. He is the third Person of the Holy Trinity, sent by the Father through the Son to dwell with God’s people forever. This is one of the great treasures of the Easter season. Christ is risen from the dead, but He has not abandoned His Church. The risen Lord continues to come to His people through the Holy Spirit.

05/06/2026

And what does Jesus give them to believe in? “In My Father’s house are many rooms… I go to prepare a place for you.” This is pure Gospel. Jesus knows exactly what is about to happen. Within hours, He will be arrested, mocked, beaten, crucified, and buried. And yet He describes all of this as “going to prepare a place.”

How does He prepare that place? Not by building heavenly mansions with carpentry tools—but by going to the cross. Your place in the Father’s house is secured by His suffering. Your room is prepared by His death. Your welcome is guaranteed by His resurrection. This is the heart of Easter. Jesus did not rise from the dead just to prove a point. He rose to open the way home.

And notice how personal it is: “I go to prepare a place for you… I will come again and will take you to Myself, that where I am you may be also.” Not just “a place,” but Your place. Not just “people.” You. Jesus is not speaking in vague spiritual terms. He is making a concrete, personal promise: You belong in the Father’s house—and He Himself will bring you there.

Address

3815 Ansborough Avenue
Waterloo, IA
50701

Telephone

+13192342071

Website

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