Emanuel Lutheran Church

09/06/2026

When church people refer to “Matthew 18,” it is the gospel for today that they are thinking of, with its advice about how Christians are to deal with controversies within the believing community. The good news in the reading is especially the last line: that Christ is among us always. Please join us for worship at 10:00 a.m., either onsite or online, as we receive Christ’s gift of himself in word, sacrament, and community.

“Owe no one anything, except to love one another.”
—Romans 13:8

There is one debt we never finish paying: love.
Not love only for those who agree with us.
Not love only when it is convenient.
Not love only when it is returned.

The love Christ calls us to keeps reaching outward.
It looks like mercy when judgment would be easier.

Truth spoken with compassion.
Courage in the face of injustice.
Forgiveness that opens a way forward.
Care for the neighbor whose needs we might rather not see.

We will never reach a day when we can say, “I have loved enough.”

There will always be another opportunity to love.

On this Sunday, may we receive God's abundant grace and carry that grace with us into a world still hungry for love.

08/23/2026

In the gospel reading for today, we hear that Peter received the “keys of the kingdom.” In our baptism, it is as if we too have received keys that open God to us and open ourselves to others. Please join us for worship this morning at 10 a.m., either onsite or online, to be opened to the word and welcomed at the table.

“But who do you say that I am?” — Matthew 16:15

Jesus’ question to the disciples is deeply personal. It cannot be answered only with what others have said or what we have been taught.

Who is Jesus to us?

And perhaps just as importantly: What does our answer look like in the way we live?

If we confess Jesus as the Christ, that confession takes flesh in lives shaped by compassion, mercy, justice, courage, and love.

We answer Jesus’ question not only with our words, but in the ways we serve our neighbors, welcome the stranger, accompany those who are hurting, and work for a world where all people may flourish.

“Who do you say that I am?”

May our lives be part of the answer.

08/16/2026

In the gospel reading for this Sunday, a Canaanite woman (an exemplar outsider) persistently argues her case before Jesus, and in the end she is blessed. Please join us for worship this morning at 10 a.m., either onsite or online, to hear this interesting story, and join us for mercy at the Master’s table.

“Woman, great is your faith!” — Matthew 15:28

In today’s Gospel, a Canaanite woman comes to Jesus seeking healing for her daughter.

Others would send her away. She is an outsider whose voice could easily be ignored. Yet she persists.

She speaks. She challenges. She trusts. And Jesus listens.

Her story invites us to ask whose voices are too easily ignored in our own communities. Who is asking to be heard? And are we willing not only to welcome them, but also to listen and allow ourselves to be changed?

Faith active in love listens, crosses boundaries, and makes room for voices the world too often pushes aside.

08/09/2026

Do you know the old song that goes “When the storms of life are raging, stand by me”? That song is about the gospel for this Sunday. Please join us for worship at 10 a.m., either onsite or online, to encounter Christ standing by you, no matter the storms, and to stand with others, to be the presence of Christ for them.

“Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him.”
— Matthew 14:31

Peter had stepped out of the boat in faith. But then he noticed the wind. Fear took hold, and he began to sink.

“Save me!” he cried.

And immediately, Jesus reached out.

There was no demand that Peter overcome his fear first. No requirement that he somehow find stronger faith before receiving help. Jesus simply reached for him.

Perhaps that is part of the grace in this story. Faith does not mean we will never be frightened, overwhelmed, or uncertain. Sometimes faith is simply the cry, “Help me.”

And when the storms of life leave us struggling to stay above water, Christ meets us there with compassion, mercy, and a hand extended toward us.

Our fear does not put us beyond Christ’s reach. Neither does our doubt.
Thanks be to God.

08/02/2026

In the gospel reading for this Sunday, Jesus feeds the multitude with only a little bread. He is still doing this today. Please join us for worship this morning at 10 a.m., either onsite or online, to hear about this blessing and to be nourished by the food that our Savior gives to us. Immediately after worship, we will have a Special Meeting of our congregation followed by our quarterly potluck luncheon which we are sharing with our neighbors. See you soon!

“You give them something to eat.” — Matthew 14:16

When Jesus saw the hungry crowd, he responded with compassion. But he also invited his disciples to become part of that response.

The feeding of the five thousand reminds us that following Christ means noticing the needs around us and offering what we have: our gifts, our resources, our voices, our hands, our hearts.

God can do remarkable things with what we are willing to share.

Where are you being called to offer what you have today?

07/31/2026

Disability Pride Month may be coming to a close, but inclusion is a year-round calling.

We celebrate the voices and contributions of people with disabilities, and we give thanks for the many ways in which they better our communities and our church.

07/31/2026

Presiding Bishop Yehiel Curry has issued his third in a series of monthly messages that continue through the end of this year, titled “All Together in One Place."

Each message will share a pastoral word, rooted in Scripture, that witnesses to God's presence today, our rich theological tradition and the social teaching that connects us.

Read his latest message, "Choosing Reconciliation Over Division in a Multifaith America," here: elca.org/news/all-together-in-one-place-3

07/26/2026

This month's Green Team newsletter is available here! https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ajNnBZncYkLbfWNRoLab2ZbFWMYnAkcV/view?usp=sharing

07/26/2026

The gospel reading for this Sunday includes six very brief parables about what Matthew calls “the kingdom of heaven,” referred to elsewhere as the “kingdom of God.” Which pictures of the grace and mercy of God will we choose to focus on this morning? Join us for worship at 10:00 a.m., either onsite or online, to find out, and hear how you can trust in the radical and abundant grace of God.

We often think we are searching for God. Yet today's readings remind us of a beautiful truth: before we ever begin seeking, God is already seeking us.

Jesus compares the reign of God to a tiny seed that becomes a shelter, yeast that transforms dough, and a treasure so valuable it changes everything. God's work often begins quietly, growing in ways we cannot always see.

As deaconesses know, ministry is not about finding God through extraordinary achievements. It is about recognizing that God's grace has already found us and is inviting us to join in the work of love, compassion, and service.

Where have you seen God's work unfolding in your life this week?