Immanuel

Immanuel Immanuel Lutheran Church is located in the heart of the Tonawandas.

09/04/2026

Daily Devotion
Friday 9/4/26
Be patient in the Lord
Read Genesis 16:1-2
God answers prayer in one of three ways: “yes,” “no,” or “not yet.” This last reply is possibly the most dreaded—and for good reason. Waiting requires us to trust God’s plan when we can’t yet see it. However, patience is an important trait for the Christian, as Scripture repeatedly teaches us in stories, proverbs, psalms, and epistles.
Waiting on God to unlock a door is always wiser than attempting to open it ourselves. After God promised him descendants (Genesis 12:2), Abraham waited 25 years with an answer of “not yet.” That is a long time to hold on to a promise!
Abraham and Sarah were human, and eventually they came up with their own plan to get an heir. Sarah’s servant Hagar bore Ishmael. It’s easy to understand the impulse; the waiting must have felt unbearable. But the consequences were painful. Bitterness and blame touched every member of the family (Genesis 16:4-6; Genesis 21:9-10). When the divine “yes” finally came through Isaac, it arrived in God’s timing and on His terms—as it always does.
Our patience isn’t to give God more time—He doesn’t need it. But waiting deepens our trust and prepares us for what He has on the other side of that door (Isaiah 40:31). His timing is always worth trusting in, especially when the waiting is hard.

09/03/2026

Daily Devotion
Thursday 9/3/26
Knock and any door will be open to you
Read Acts 16:5-12
It’s natural to feel disappointed when a door of opportunity closes. But our heavenly Father will often prevent us from going forward when He wants to redirect our steps toward a wiser path. What shapes our journey is our reaction: Will we beat against the barred door or look for a new opening?
Paul’s second missionary journey included a series of divine “no admittance” signs. He set out to visit the churches he’d started across Asia, but the Holy Spirit led him away from city after city. Considering the apostle’s sense of urgency for the gospel, each closed door must have been deeply disorienting.
But Paul kept traveling in search of a place to plant a new church, and at last the Lord revealed an open door to Macedonia. The new route led into key cities with great promise. Philippi, Corinth, and Ephesus were major commerce centers teeming with dignitaries and traders who could carry the gospel farther and faster than the apostle ever could alone.
The Bible tells us to trust in the Lord instead of our own understanding (Proverbs 3:5). When we learn to follow the Spirit’s prompting—even past doors we hoped would open—He directs our steps through the right ones.

09/02/2026

Daily Devotion
Wednesday 9/2/26
Follow Me
Read John 1:35-42
When the disciple Andrew asked Jesus, “Rabbi ... where are You staying?” (John 1:38), he revealed he was hoping to spend time with the Messiah and learn from Him. That desire for sweet fellowship with the Lord wasn’t something Andrew kept to himself. His devotion to Christ naturally deepened his desire to share that joy with others—and he did so at every opportunity.
We find evidence of his mindset throughout the Gospels. Immediately after meeting Jesus, Andrew found his brother Simon and brought him to the Savior (John 1:41-42). Later, when a great multitude was hungry, he came across a boy who was willing to share his lunch. Andrew connected him with the Lord by means of the five loaves and two fish (John 6:8-9). And when some Greeks wanted to meet Christ, Andrew and Philip made the introductions (John 12:20-22). The disciple’s actions show he clearly saw the importance and the blessing of knowing the Messiah.
When Andrew answered the call to discipleship, Jesus said he would be catching men instead of fish (Matthew 4:18-19). As followers of Christ, we also have this same wondrous goal. Though our personalities, circles of influence, and opportunities to do so may vary, we’re each blessed with the chance to bring others to Jesus.

09/01/2026

Daily Devotion
Tuesday 9/1/26
Pray Constantly Let God Worry
Read Proverbs 2:1-5
Learning to listen to God is an essential part of following His will. He speaks to His children through …
Scripture. The Bible is a rich revelation of who God is—His character, His promises, and His purposes (2 Timothy 3:16-17). It is an invaluable source that can help Christians discover what He is like and develop trust in Him. As we take in His Word, we can listen for the ways He might be directing us to apply it.
Prayer. God designed prayer to be a conversation, not a monologue. When we bring our heart to Him, we should linger—making space for Him to speak into our stillness (Psalm 46:10).
Circumstances. Throughout Scripture, the Lord revealed His ways to men and women through their circumstances—and He hasn’t stopped. Situations change, but our God does not.
Others. Pastors, friends, and mentors can all speak truth into our life. The Lord places believers in community so they can be encouraged, challenged, and helped.
In order to reach His children, God uses all four of these avenues, often working through two or more simultaneously. Our part is to stay attentive—always remembering that a message from the Lord will agree with His Word. What might He be saying to you today?

08/31/2026

Daily Devotion
Monday 8/31/26
Trust in the Lord

If you’ve ever brought a prayer to God and heard only silence in return, you’re in good company. The psalmists knew that experience well.

What’s remarkable about these songs to God is their honesty. David doesn’t tidy up his pain before bringing it to his heavenly Father. He cries out, complains, and even argues: “How long, O Lord? Will You forget me forever?” (Ps. 13:1). There’s no performance here, no careful phrasing. This is the honest cry of a man laying his anguish before the One he trusts with it. That trust is the thread that runs through the psalms, even the ones written in the darkest moments.

Lament in Scripture is never simply complaint—it’s complaint addressed to Someone. The grief is real, but so is the conviction that the One who hears is present and capable of acting. The psalmist doesn’t lose sight of who God is, even when he can’t see what the Lord is doing. This is the kind of prayer God invites. Not polished words but honest ones. Not certainty that everything will resolve the way we hope but, rather, faith that He is with us in the waiting—and that He is good. When we don’t know what to say, the Psalms give us words. And they remind us that crying out to God is itself an act of faith.

08/30/2026

Immanuel Lutheran Tonawanda
Fourteenth Sunday After Pentecost
Rev. Michael Dobler Pastor
www.ilctny.org

08/29/2026

Daily Devotion
Saturday 8/29/26
Love God with all you might
Read James 4:7-8
We all want to see evidence that we’re growing in faith, but the signs aren’t always dramatic. Most of the time, they show up quietly, in the everyday moments of life.
Spiritual growth often shows up in our relationships. We find ourselves offering forgiveness where we once held grudges. We extend patience to people who used to exhaust us. Consider our Savior, who asked God to forgive the very ones crucifying Him (Luke 23:34). That kind of love doesn’t come naturally to us; it’s the fruit of a life increasingly shaped by God’s presence.
Growth also changes what satisfies us. Over time, we find less fulfillment in what the world offers and more in simply drawing near to God. As our trust deepens, we discover how faithful He truly is, which becomes its own invitation to trust Him more.
Eventually, obedience stops feeling like obligation. The psalmist wrote, “O how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day” (Psalm 119:97). That delight is born not from duty but from love—the natural response of a heart that has come to know God’s goodness firsthand.
These aren’t achievements to strive for. They’re signs of what God is already doing in us. Intentionally seek time in His presence and watch how good things take root.

08/28/2026

Daily Devotion
Friday 8/28/26
I am the vine, you are the branches
Read 2 Peter 3:17-18
Do you ever wonder if you’re actually growing spiritually or just going through the motions? It’s a fair question. Many of us show up to church, pray, and read our Bible—but genuine transformation can be harder to measure.
Thankfully, spiritual growth isn’t mysterious. God is at work in us, and the following are evidence of His transforming power:
Growing hunger for Christ. When we taste what life with Jesus is like, we want more. He calls Himself the bread of life (John 6:35), and the more we experience Him, the more we crave His presence because we’ve discovered something genuinely satisfying.
Sharpening discernment. The closer we walk with Jesus, the clearer we see. We recognize what’s true, as opposed to what just sounds good. The Holy Spirit trains our spiritual senses to perceive what we once would have missed.
Expanding capacity to love. Perhaps the clearest sign of growth is that we care about people we once would have ignored. The Holy Spirit softens our heart toward difficult people and enables us to love beyond our natural capacity.
Growth isn’t about spiritual perfection—it’s about transformation. And that’s something to celebrate.

08/27/2026

Daily Devotion
Thursday 8/27/26
I am with you always
Read Luke 12:16-21
In today’s passage, Jesus tells a parable about a wealthy man whose fields produced abundantly. Instead of sharing his surplus, he planned to tear down his barns and build bigger ones to store everything for himself. He could live comfortably for years on what he’d accumulated—eating, drinking, taking life easy.
The problem wasn’t the man’s wealth. It was what he chose to do with it. His focus was on himself: “my crops,” “my barns,” “my goods.” This rich man didn’t choose to share with those in need or be generous toward God. He believed he could secure his future through accumulation, mistaking material abundance for true security.
The parable exposes a deeper foolishness: treating the soul as if it can be satisfied with possessions. But death came suddenly, proving that spiritual needs can never be fully satisfied by things that provide physical comfort.
Jesus says that this is how it will be with whoever stores up things for himself but is not “rich toward God” (v. 21). Doing that means using what we have generously, recognizing that all we possess is meant for stewardship, not hoarding (Matthew 6:19-21). True security isn’t found in “bigger barns” but in trusting God and living with open hands toward others.

Address

107 Scott Street
Tonawanda, NY
14150

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 2pm
Tuesday 9am - 2pm
Wednesday 8am - 12pm
Thursday 9am - 2pm
Friday 8am - 12pm
Saturday 4pm - 6:30pm
Sunday 9am - 11:45am

Telephone

+17166926200

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Immanuel posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Place Of Worship

Send a message to Immanuel:

Shortcuts

Share

Category