Immanuel North, 2940 Charleston Court, Poplar Grove, IL (2026)

04/14/2026

Connected in The Word 4-14-26
That very day two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and they were talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. Luke 24:13-15

First, sorry for no devotion yesterday. I took my youngest on a college visit in Michigan. It was a long drive. My son and I talked about colleges, career opportunities, and about his sore left knee during the 6 ½ hour trip back home yesterday. But there were also hours of silence as none of us Richard men are big conversationalists. In the Gospel reading above, two disciples of Jesus are on a journey. It was only a seven-mile trip, but since they were walking, it took a while which meant they had time to talk – And they had lots to talk about! They had been following Jesus and hoped that He was the one to redeem Israel. However, over the last few days He had been arrested and crucified and now some of the women claim He is alive.

When major events take place in life, it’s nice to have someone to talk to. Spouses, friends, and other family members are great people to talk to about life. But sometimes we need to talk to and hear from someone with a different perspective.

I love talking to and hearing from my son about colleges, career choices, and even his sore knee. But sometimes he needs to talk to and hear from someone other than dad. He needs to have conversations with college advisors, people working in his fields of interest, and with doctors about his knee. I’m grateful for those “other” perspectives and people that come walk alongside me in my life. The greatest “other” perspective or person that walks alongside of us, is the same one that came up and walked alongside the disciples in the reading above – JESUS! He opens our eyes to see something we couldn’t see before. He gives us eyes of faith to see HIM AS SAVIOR! That’s the person, perspective, and God I want walking alongside all my kids no matter where their journey takes them!

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03/31/2024

TODAY IS A GREAT DAY!
May this GREAT DAY sustain you on your all your weak days!
We are gathering at 6:30, 8:00, 9:30 & 11:00 at the Main Campus (9:30 at North Campus) this morning if you want to come and celebrate the GREATNESS of today with us!

09/13/2022

Daily Devotion 9-13-22
The master commended the dishonest manager for his shrewdness. For the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light. Luke 16:8

There were many times in my teaching career when I had to hide the grin on my face and even my admiration for a student who had cleverly tried to weasel their way out of getting in trouble. If you’ve ever been a teacher, I’m guessing you can picture a student or two over the years that had the “street smarts” to dig themselves out of just about any hole. Desperation is sometimes a great motivation. I would never approve of a student’s dishonest or unrighteous actions, but there were times, while walking them to the principal’s office, that I wanted to congratulate them for making a valiant effort.

I wonder if that is what was going on in the verse above when the master commends the dishonest manager. The master had just fired the manager for being wasteful. But before the manager “turns in his keys” so to speak, he works out a deal (a dishonest one) with the master’s debtors so that he will have some friends after he is out of a job. The master is most likely a noble and merciful man and so he will probably honor the adjustments to the bills that the dishonest manager had made even though it will cost him money. I think the master had to grin and couldn’t help but congratulate the manager for his shrewdness.

I wonder if we “children of the light” couldn’t learn a thing or two from the manager in this parable. I’m not suggesting that we be dishonest or wasteful stewards of our Master’s gifts, but I wonder if we sometimes need a little fire lit under our backsides to get out there and get to work. We are not called to work for or earn our salvation, but we are called to use the things of this life to the best of our ability. The Gospel saved us, and now the Gospel motivates us to use earthly gifts to support the proclamation of the Gospel to a world that is desperately in need of Jesus.

09/12/2022

Daily Devotion 9-12-22
He also said to the disciples, “There was a rich man who had a manager, and charges were brought to him that this man was wasting his possessions. And he called him and said to him, ‘What is this that I hear about you? Turn in the account of your management, for you can no longer be manager.’ Luke 16:1-2

In the story above, a manager is caught red-handed wasting his master’s possessions. As a result, the manager loses his job. It sounds like a punishment, and yet it is pure mercy! You might say, “But the man is being fired. How is that merciful?” The man should have been thrown in jail, and yet his merciful master does not give him what he deserves. Yes, there is the natural consequence of not being able to be a manager anymore, but even this is a merciful move. The manager wasted his master’s possessions. What exactly this meant we don’t know, but it is probably safe to say that the manager was caught up in sin that revolved around money and possessions. What does his master do? He separates the manager from the environment that is leading him into sin. That’s not punishment – That’s MERCY!

This week’s Gospel reading from Luke 16:1-13 is a tough one to sort out. I’ll be working hard this week to sort it out myself. But after reading it several times, consulting a variety of other resources, and reflecting on my own life there seems to be an undeniable theme running through the entire story. That theme is the Master’s Mercy! On my best days, my worst days, and every day in between, I cling to nothing but the Mercy of the Master!

09/09/2022

Daily Devotion 9-9-22
And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.” Luke 15:2

Why does Jesus receive and eat with sinners? Is Jesus saying that living a sinful life is ok? The Pharisees didn’t have a clue, and sometimes people today don’t get it either. Jesus was NOT condoning sin. The Gospel is NOT do whatever you want because God loves you. That kind of “gospel” would be like be yelling out to a drowning person, “Don’t worry, go ahead and drown – No judgment here.” The Gospel (The life, death, and resurrection of Jesus for you) does not leave you in your sin. The Gospel rescues you from it!

Jesus comes to us as we are drowning in our sin and wraps Himself around us like a sort of Lifejacket. He holds you up, allows you to breathe, and saves your life. At the end of the Parable of the Lost Sheep, Jesus says there is rejoicing in heaven NOT over sinners, but over sinners who REPENT!

So, why does Jesus receive and eat with sinners? Because the REAL GOSPEL (Jesus lived, died, and rose for you) is what leads to repentance. Screaming the Law at people who don’t think they are sinners doesn’t lead to repentance. Telling people that they are ok in their sin doesn’t lead to repentance. Jesus receiving and eating with sinners is what leads to repentance. When the real Gospel penetrates the heart of a sinner leading to repentance, faith, and life – THERE IS GREAT JOY IN HEAVEN!

09/08/2022

Daily Devotion 9-8-22
“What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? Luke 15:4

Was it really worth it? If I had a 100 sheep and one of them wandered off, I’d still have 99. Is it worth going after the one? I confess I am speaking in ignorance since I know nothing about raising sheep, and I’ve grown up in a world of abundance. Lost a sheep? Amazon Prime can get one delivered to your house tomorrow if you order in the next two hours. You know I’m only half joking. But as I keep reading in Luke 15, I find Jesus telling two more parables that for me, progressively drive home the point He is trying to make.

Next, He speaks of a woman who has 10 silver coins and loses one. She searches the house until she finds it. Jesus got my attention a little more with this one. If the coin I lost was the most valuable of my collection, I too might search high and low. There are a few coins out there today that could cover college tuition. But it’s the final parable of the chapter that really hits home – The Parable of the Prodigal Son. I finally got it. My value before God is not Relative – It’s Absolute!

When it came to lost sheep and lost coins, I found myself weighing their value in relation to what I still had (99 sheep and 9 coins). Their value was relative. But when it comes to one of my children being lost, it is a different ball game. Their value is Absolute and has nothing to do with anything else. Your value before God is ABSOLUTE because (Some of you know what I am going to say) YOU ARE MADE AND SAVED! The Lord made you and the Lord save you through His life, death, and resurrection. You are ABSOLUTELY worth it!

04/22/2022

Whiting Road Clean-Up Day!
Saturday April 23rd - 9:00am
Meet at Old Immanuel North
Countryside Mall

03/02/2022

Daily Devotion 3-2-22
He must increase, but I must decrease. John 3:30

The cross of ashes I wear today is something I DO to remind me of something JESUS HAS DONE. The ashes (or anything else I do) don’t accomplish anything for me in terms of my salvation. They are simply a reminder. I think they are a great reminder, but they are still just a reminder.

The ashes remind me of my sin, and the cross reminds me of what Jesus did about my sin. During this season of Lent, we reflect on the fact that we are sinners and Christ is our Savior. The cross of ashes I bear is not a “look at me I went to church today” symbol. Instead, it is a “Jesus died for sinners, and I am one of them” symbol. The cross of ashes does not say, “Look at me.” The cross of ashes says, “Look at Jesus.” When I see the ashes on another person, I am reminded that I am not alone in my brokenness, sin, and shame. I am also reminded that I am not alone in my redemption.

Speaking of not being alone in my redemption, during this season of Lent I am going to step aside from writing my daily devotions and yield to another. Lutheran Hour Ministries (lhm.org) has produced a great Lenten devotional. We have hard copies of this Devotional booklet available in the back of church, but you can read these daily devotions online at https://www.lhm.org/lent/. We will continue to post these devotions on Facebook and Instagram and send them out by email. If you are local, we invite you to join us for Lenten worship at Immanuel today at noon and 7:00pm.

03/01/2022

Daily Devotion 3-1-22
Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Psalm 51:9-10a

Psalm 51 is one of my favorites. King David pleads with God to forgive his sin after the prophet Nathan confronts him about his adulterous relationship with Bathsheba and the arranged murder of her husband. David messed up big time and he knew it. David’s cry for mercy has two parts. He of course begs for forgiveness because he has sinned. But he also appeals to God for a New Heart and a Right Spirit.

Our sins may not be the same as David’s, but we do beg for mercy when confronted by the ugliness of our sin. I have confessed my sin, and desperately pleaded for God’s forgiveness. But I have also cried out to God in desperation to give me a New Heart and a Right Spirit. I hate my sin, but what I hate even more is the fact that I run back to my sin time and time again. I’m glad God forgives my sin, but what I really want is for Him to do an entire spiritual makeover. I need a New Heart and a Right Spirit!

The Good News of the Gospel is that God has given us a New Heart and a Right Spirit in Christ. There is no doubt I will struggle with my sinful nature every day in this life. But that doesn’t mean I am controlled by my sinful nature. I am (you are) a New Creation in Christ. You have a New Heart and a Right Spirit! As you battle with your sinful nature today, find your hope, peace, and strength in the New Heart and Right Spirit that are yours in Christ.

02/28/2022

Daily Devotion 2-28-22
“Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you… Matthew 6:1-2a

We all like to toot our own horn every now and then. There are times when we feel like our good works, accomplishments, or sacrifices don’t get the credit they deserve. Therefore, we make a little noise when we give to the poor, go to church, and do our good deeds so that everyone will see how virtuous we are.

On Ash Wednesday the Season of Lent begins. Some people give things up for Lent as a spiritual discipline to help them daily remember the sacrifice of Jesus. There’s no rule that says you should or should not make use of this practice. But it is a quiet and personal spiritual practice that honestly no one else even needs to know about. So, for the Season of Lent go ahead and put your “look at me” trumpet away. But that doesn’t mean you can’t make noise during Lent.

Lent is a time when we reflect on our sin. We don’t use a trumpet to boast about our sin, but we do use our mouth to confess our sin. We’d much rather use a trumpet to announce our good works. But imagine if a giant horn sounded every time you engaged in a sinful thought, word, or activity. Before God, all our sin is laid bare, so go ahead and make some noise this Lenten Season by confessing your sin. But don’t forget, that after Lent comes Easter when there will be plenty of trumpets sounding. It will be a joyful noise as we celebrate the Risen Jesus and our New Life in Him.

Immanuel North

04/14/2026

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09/13/2022

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