Immanuel Lutheran Church

06/21/2026

05/31/2026

Today was Senior Sunday at Immanuel Lutheran Church, and we were blessed to celebrate Sammy and Mara.

We congratulate them on all they have accomplished and give thanks for the gifts, dedication, and spirit they have shared with our church family.

As they step into this next chapter, we pray for their success, their growth, and their continued trust in God’s guidance. No matter where life leads them, may they always know that the congregation of Immanuel will be here for them, cheering them on, praying for them, and welcoming them home.

04/02/2026

Tonight, many churches take part in a quiet and powerful tradition: stripping the altar.

After worship on Maundy Thursday, the altar is cleared. The linens are removed. Candles are extinguished. Decorations are taken away. What was once full and beautiful is left bare.

This is not done for appearance. It is done for meaning.

Maundy Thursday remembers the night Jesus shared the Last Supper with His disciples, prayed in the garden, and was then betrayed, arrested, and abandoned. As the altar is stripped, we reflect on how everything was taken from Him, His friends, His dignity, even His garments.

The empty altar becomes a visual reminder of that moment in history. It helps us feel the weight of what is coming on Good Friday.

It also invites us into stillness.

No celebration. No brightness. Just quiet reflection.

In many churches, people leave in silence after this service. There is no closing hymn and no benediction, because the story is not finished yet.

We wait.

We sit in the heaviness of it.

And we remember.