Immanuel Lutheran Sumter

04/06/2023

04/06/2023

Please join us tomorrow at 7:00 for GOOD FRIDAY SERVICE at Immanuel Lutheran Church, 430 Poinsett Dr., Sumter, SC.

04/06/2023

Please join us tonight at 7:30 for MAUNDY THURSDAY SERVICE at Immanuel Lutheran Church, 430 Poinsett Dr., Sumter, SC.

02/15/2023

Please join us February 22 at 7:00pm for our Ash Wednesday Service.

Why the Ashes on Ash Wednesday?

We put ashes on our foreheads in Lent to remember that we are sinners in need of God’s grace and mercy.

When our first parents, Adam and Eve, lived in the Garden of Eden they enjoyed perfect love and perfect communion with the Lord. God instructed them not to eat from the tree in the middle of the garden. But Satan, the enemy, twisted God’s words and created doubt in their minds. They won- dered, “Does God really have our best interests at heart? Can we really trust him or is he holding out some special secret or power from us?

The first couple believed the lie. They ate against God’s clear instructions. They wanted to be like the Creator, to control their
own lives rather than be obedient to God. This was the first sin - and every human since Adam and Eve has committed similar sins because we want to be in charge of our own lives rather than be faithful to God.

God searched for the couple after they had sinned. He knew they were ashamed and he covered them. But because of their disobedience they were cast from the garden and would spend their lives working the land and toiling for their needs. To the woman God pronounced pain in childbirth. To the serpent God cursed him to slither on the ground and eat dirt. And to Adam God said, “By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”

When ashes are rubbed on our forehead on Ash Wednesday, we hear these words, “Remember you are dust and to dust you shall return.”

These ashes are a sign of our sin, but also of God’s forgiveness. When God forgives us, it’s like he cleans our hearts from dirt and soot caused by sin.

Ashes were used in the old days to clean - strange idea isn’t it? But it’s true! Ash plus water makes a soap- like paste!

The ashes on our foreheads are also a symbol that we will someday die.

To understand that we have to remember the story of Adam and Eve.

God made Adam out of the dust when He breathed life into Adam’s body. When Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden by eating the fruit from the tree that God told them to stay away from, God sent them away and death became real. They would no longer live forever with God in that perfect garden. They would have to go our on their own and farm the fields for food and build their own shelter.

Ashes remind us of our sin, but they also remind us of God’s promise in Jesus Christ that we will live eternally with him. We can trust that God’s promises are true!

©2017 Sola Publishing. Permission granted to copy and use in SOWeR subscribing congregations.

02/15/2023

The 2023 Lenten Devotional, "Loved and Freed," is now available from the North American Lutheran Church! As we enter the ancient season of Lent, we are invited to walk with Jesus through His journey of sacrifice and triumph, from His baptism to His crucifixion and finally to His resurrection on Easter Sunday, where we find ultimate love and freedom.

Learn more about all the ways you can access this devotional, including the downloadable print version, as well as daily website posts, emails, texts, podcasts, and Facebook videos: thenalc.org/lent

01/03/2023

In Memory of the Rev. Dr. James Arne Nestingen
By Bishop Dan Selbo

"This past Saturday, December 31, 2022, we received the sad news that Dr. Jim Nestingen died suddenly from a heart attack in his home in St. Paul, Minnesota. This news was shocking, not only because it happened so suddenly but because Jim was one of those pillars of the faith that had been so instrumental in the establishment and continued development and strength of the North American Lutheran Church (NALC). He was also, for those who knew him, a model of the faith..."

Read more: https://conta.cc/3G37hcs

The Livestream of Dr. Nestingen's funeral on Friday, January 6 at 11 am, can be found here, along with the bulletin for the service: https://www.saintjameslutheran.com/View

12/20/2022

Please join us for our Christmas Eve candlelight worship service at 7:30

11/27/2022

Welcome to Immanuel Lutheran Church! Here’s a little about ourselves:

Immanuel Lutheran Church is in Sumter, SC, and is affiliated with the NALC. Although we are a small church, we try to give back to the community in many ways.

11/25/2022

Please join us for the first Sunday of Advent at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Sumter.
Service starts at 9 am at 140 Poinsett Drive

11/24/2022