Immanuel Lutheran Church

01/25/2026

There will be no church service tomorrow due to the frigid temperatures.

12/30/2025

Updated Hours:

Sunday Service at 11:00 a.m.
Bible Study immediately following the service
Pastor: Jody Walter

06/23/2023

08/31/2022

We’re celebrating the 175th anniversary of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod and we’re encouraging students to join us! Students are invited to submit a project to LCEF’s art contest, “The Only Jesus,” for the chance to win an LCEF gift card and have their submission displayed during the National Convention in July 2023.

Details ▶️ https://lcef.org/artcontest/

*Entries can be submitted beginning September 6.

01/10/2022

We invite you to memorize Psalm 27:1 with us this week.
Memorizing Scripture is a valuable practice for Christians, even in a digital age. Join us each week as we hide God's Word in our hearts.
Learn more at https://lcms.org/memoryverse.

01/07/2022

We invite you to memorize Matthew 5:16 with us this week.
Memorizing Scripture is a valuable practice for Christians, even in a digital age. Join us each week as we hide God's Word in our hearts.
Learn more at https://lcms.org/memoryverse.

12/28/2021

Today, the Holy Church remembers the Festival of the Holy Innocents, Martyrs.
Contemplating the three festivals after Christmas, the Church has long noted a curious fact: St. Stephen was a martyr for Christ in both will and deed. St. John was His martyr in will, but not in deed. The Holy Innocents were His martyrs not in will, but in deed.
On Herod's orders, after he heard from the Magi about a king born in Bethlehem, the soldiers ruthlessly killed every male child two year old or younger that they found in that town. The evangelist in Matthew proclaimed in the infant blood spilled in Bethlehem a fulfillment of the words of Jeremiah 31.

12/28/2021

We invite you to memorize 2 Samuel 7:22 with us this week.
Memorizing Scripture is a valuable practice for Christians, even in a digital age. Join us each week as we hide God's Word in our hearts.
Learn more at https://lcms.org/memoryverse.

12/26/2021

+Service of the Word+
First Sunday after Christmas
December 26, 2021

Old Testament Reading Exodus 13:1–3a, 11–15
1The LORD said to Moses, 2“Consecrate to me all the firstborn. Whatever is the first to open the womb among the people of Israel, both of man and of beast, is mine.”
3Then Moses said to the people, “Remember this day in which you came out from Egypt, out of the house of slavery, for by a strong hand the LORD brought you out from this place. . . .
11“When the LORD brings you into the land of the Canaanites, as he swore to you and your fathers, and shall give it to you, 12you shall set apart to the LORD all that first opens the womb. All the firstborn of your animals that are males shall be the LORD’s. 13Every firstborn of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb, or if you will not redeem it you shall break its neck. Every firstborn of man among your sons you shall redeem. 14And when in time to come your son asks you, ‘What does this mean?’ you shall say to him, ‘By a strong hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt, from the house of slavery. 15For when Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the LORD killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man and the firstborn of animals. Therefore I sacrifice to the LORD all the males that first open the womb, but all the firstborn of my sons I redeem.’”

Epistle Colossians 3:12–17
12Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. 15And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. 16Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Holy Gospel Luke 2:22–40
22When the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, [Mary and Joseph] brought [Jesus] up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23(as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”) 24and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.” 25Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. 27And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, 28he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said,
29“Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace,
according to your word;
30for my eyes have seen your salvation
31that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
32a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and for glory to your people Israel.”
33And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him. 34And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed 35(and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”
36And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin, 37and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. 38And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.
39And when they had performed everything according to the Law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. 40And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. And the favor of God was upon him.

Alleluia and Verse Luke 2:30, 32
Alleluia. My eyes have seen your salvation; a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel. Alleluia.

Collect of the Day
O God, our Maker and Redeemer, You wonderfully created us and in the incarnation of Your Son yet more wondrously restored our human nature. Grant that we may ever be alive in Him who made Himself to be like us; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

12/24/2021

+Service of the Word+
Christmas Eve
December 24, 2021

Gradual Isaiah 9:6; Psalm 98:1a
To us a child is born, to us a son is | given;*
and the government shall be upon his | shoulder.
And his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, | Mighty God,*
Everlasting Father, | Prince of Peace.
Sing to the Lord a | new song,*
for he has done | marvelous things!

Old Testament Reading Isaiah 7:10–14
10Again the LORD spoke to Ahaz, 11“Ask a sign of the LORD your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven.” 12But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, and I will not put the LORD to the test.” 13And he said, “Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary men, that you weary my God also? 14Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”

Psalm Psalm 110:1–4; antiphon: v. 2a
1The LORD says to my Lord:
“Sit at my | right hand,*
until I make your enemies your | footstool.”
2The LORD sends forth from Zion
your mighty | scepter.*
Rule in the midst of your | enemies!
3Your people will offer themselves freely
on the day of your power,
in holy | garments;*
from the womb of the morning,
the dew of your youth | will be yours.
4The LORD has sworn
and will not | change his mind,*
“You are a priest forever
after the order of Mel- | chizedek.”

Epistle 1 John 4:7–16
7Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 8Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.
13By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. 14And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 16So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.

Holy Gospel Matthew 1:18–25
18Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 19And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 20But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 22All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:
23“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall call his name Immanuel”
(which means, God with us). 24When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, 25but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.

Collect of the Day
O God, You make us glad with the yearly remembrance of the birth of Your only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ. Grant that as we joyfully receive Him as our Redeemer, we may with sure confidence behold Him when He comes to be our Judge; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

12/23/2021

O Emmanuel, our king and our Lord, the anointed for the nations and their Savior: Come and save us, O Lord our God. – Antiphon for December 23

As we pray this seventh antiphon, we are filled with an expectant joy. As a child waits expectantly for the presents to be opened under the Christmas tree, so we await the great day of Christ’s return. When we pray, “Come and save us, O Lord our God!” we are anticipating the great day when all the rigors of this life will be done and we shall be with Christ forever. This is not just anticipation for the day of our death, but for the day of our resurrection. That divine baby of Bethlehem who came in humility to suffer and die, will come again in glory with all of His holy angels with Him. On that awesome day our bodies shall rise from the dust and be united with our souls to live forever in our Savior’s presence. Then, we will experience the fullness of Emmanuel, for God will be with us and we shall be with God!

During this Advent Season, may the Holy Spirit enlighten us to pray the ancient “O Antiphons” with reverent awe and confident expectancy. But today, when you pray, “O Emmanuel, our king and our Lord, the anointed for the nations and their Savior: Come and save us, O Lord our God!” may you pray it with bubbly joy! After all, He who is our Emmanuel, our King, our Lord, our Savior, our God is coming to save us. Come, Lord Jesus, quickly come! Amen.

12/23/2021

“O King of the nations, and their desire, the cornerstone making both one: Come and save the human race, which you fashioned from clay.” – Antiphon for December 22

The great “O Antiphons,” and particularly this one designed for December 22, bring comfort to troubled hearts by pointing us once again to the coming of Jesus. The ancient traditions deserve another look because their wisdom often defies the ravages of time. These antiphons have helped us progress, in our longing for the coming Savior, through various revelations of His work for us. We have read how He is our coming Wisdom, Lord, Root, Key, Dawn. In today’s text, for the first time, the image of His coming is not so much focused on the Church as it is on the nations of the world. Jesus comes for everyone.

The poetic imagery of this antiphon is startling. The juxtaposition of the words King and clay at once reveal how much Jesus had to give up in order to come and also that His coming is for all mankind. The fact that we don’t commonly use these two words in close proximity reminds us that God’s ways are not our ways and that this coming will occur in a manner we had not anticipated. We might expect King and crown, not King and clay.

When the King comes, He comes in the common substance that unites all mankind. He comes in the clay: clay that suffers griefs and sorrows, clay that submits to the sling of a whip, clay that is gouged by thorns, clay that is easily pierced by nails. As important as Christmas may be, it is not the birth of Christ that unites mankind in faith; it is His holy death, His resurrection and His promised return. This is why we sing for Him to come. This is how He comes to save mankind.