HEALTH CONCERNS: Joyce & Jerry Alexander; Mia Anderson (great-granddaughter of Joan Vukelich); Claire Baud (friend of Rachel DeWitt); Beau Brown (friend of Ann Carroll); Connie Bruns (cousin of Mary Appleby); Brad Butler (friend of Hilgendorfs); Chelle Carson (friend of Dave Holzrichter); Rena Carson (friend of Dave Holzrichter); Darla Combs (friend of Dave Holzrichter); Darren Cooper (friend of Joan Vukelich); Crystal Davis (friend of Dave Slaughter); Ben, LaNéce, & Baby Dyer (family of Greg & Celeste Nau); Tim Flynn (friend of Dave Holzrichter); Nash Foreman (friend of Sofie Reifsteck); Rick Hardesty (family of the Hoels); Kim Hausman (friend of Ann Carroll); Julie Holzrichter (sister-in-law of Dave Holzrichter); Mary Houvanagle (friend of Hilgendorfs); Ashley Kerns (friend of Joan Vukelich); John Lamkin (friend of Dave Slaughter); Mike Marana (friend of Josh Whitson); Candace McElhaney (daughter of Corky Fields); Lisa McGill (friend of Dave Holzrichter); Steven Pingolt (friend of Mathew Waldrop); Emma Silver; Dave Slaughter; John Stewart (grandson of Laura VanCleave); Margaret Stilwell; Janet Stumeier; Kim Travis (friend of Jaimee Whitson); Lausanne Walter (mother of Tiffany Cash); Lynn Whitson (father of Mark Whitson).

SEMINARY STUDENT: Jacob Garrison; Nicholas Sinatra.

MISSIONARIES: The Jastram Family (Japan); The Preus Family (Romania).

HOMEBOUND: Bernita Ashwill; Janet Pollock; Joan Rahn; Norma Uthe.

MILITARY: Carl Crawford; Josh Dyer; Jeremy Gordon; Jack Leonard; Jake Lindgren; Raymond Longtin; Scott Walter.

NEXT WEEK’S READINGS . . . Genesis 32:22–32; 1 Thess 4:1–7; Matt 15:21–28.

ABOUT THIS WEEK’S READINGS . . . In the Garden, man exalts himself to be a god in place of God (Gen 3:1–21). He succumbs to the temptation of the devil, and eating of the forbidden fruit, he receives death. But in the sin-cursed wilderness, God humbles Himself to become man in place of man (Matt 4:1–11). He does not eat but fasts and bears the onslaughts of the devil for us that we may be restored to life. Jesus stands as David in our place to do battle against the Goliath, Satan (1 Sam 17:40–51). Though outwardly Jesus appears weak, yet He comes in the name of the Lord of hosts. He draws from the five smooth stones of the books of Moses and slings the Word of God. The stone sinks into the forehead, and the enemy falls. In Christ we are victorious over the devil. Let us therefore not receive the grace of God in vain (2 Cor 6:1–10), but seeing that we have a great High Priest, let us come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain help in time of need (Heb 4:14–16).

THOUGHTS ABOUT STEWARDSHIP . . . Matthew 4:4  “But he answered, ‘It is written, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”’” What good are all the things of this world (food, drink, house, home, wealth, etc.) if we lose the things of God? What’s more important? How should our priorities be arranged?

ALTAR GUILD & COFFEE COMMITTEE . . . For March, the Altar Guild is Ann Carroll & Willa Braaten. Coffee Committee is Krista Freebairn.

LENTEN MIDWEEK SUPPERS . . . will be served this year before the Midweek services beginning on Ash Wednesday. Serving time will be 5:30 pm–6:45 pm. Here is the schedule.

• March 12, Midweek Lent 1—Board of Christian Education
• March 19, Midweek Lent 2—Youth Group
• March 26, Midweek Lent 3—Board of Mission & Evangelism
• April 2, Midweek Lent 4—Boards of Stewardship and Church Council (Chair, Vice-Chair, Treasurer, Financial Secretary)
• April 9, Midweek Lent 5—Boards of Elders and Trustees

LENTEN MIDWEEK SERMON SERIES . . . will be going through the Book of Galatians. Each week will focus on one chapter from the book. Galatians, for Luther, emphasizes the central doctrine of justification by faith alone. He saw Galatians as the heart of the gospel, where Paul fiercely defends the freedom of the Christian from the bondage of the Law. Luther stressed that righteousness comes not by works but through faith in Christ, who has redeemed believers from sin and death. In his Preface to Galatians, he wrote that this epistle is “my epistle, to which I have wedded myself,” highlighting its importance in his theology. Luther also warned against the dangers of legalism and works-righteousness, urging Christians to rest solely in God’s grace. Galatians, for Luther, was the cornerstone of Christian liberty and a safeguard against any teaching that compromised the sufficiency of Christ’s atonement.

LENTEN BIBLE CHALLENGE . . . Since we will be meditating on the Book of Galatians through our Lenten midweeks, let us read through the book each week in preparation for the midweek services.

THE 2025 FLOWER CHART IS AVAILABLE . . . Please sign up on the bulletin board across from the member mailboxes. 2025 flowers are $35.00 and can be special ordered. Flowers can be taken home after the Sunday service.

ALTAR GUILD . . . Please sign up for a month to serve on the Altar Guild, caring for our Lord’s body & blood just as the woman who went to be tomb sought to care for the body of Jesus. There are spots available for Junior members to sign up.

FUNERAL CHAIR . . . Please sign up for a month to serve as funeral chair; the chair is responsible for placing calls requesting food donations and volunteers to help with serving and cleaning up after the funeral dinner. The current call list is included with the chair sign-up list on the clipboard located in the Narthex.

RATE & REVIEW IMMANUEL ON GOOGLE . . . Did you know that throughout the United States each month over 2 million people search on Google for “Churches Near Me.”? That’s how a majority of people find churches to visit. Therefore, being visible on Google as one of the top results for searches is important to get found. One way to increase your visibility on Google is through their Rate & Review feature. Please consider rating and review Immanuel on Google by going to: https://g.page/r/CdbSahe0h2B0EAI/review

MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR VBS . . . This year’s VBS is June 9–13. The theme for this year is UNSHAKEABLE: A Journey through God’s Promises. Registration will begin in May.

MARTIN + KATIE CONFERENCE . . . They’re doing it again! The second Martin + Katie conference will soon be here (March 29), and the organizers at University Lutheran Chapel on the campus of the U of I have been working diligently to plan this event. Christian men and women ages 18–30, married or single, are invited to come meet new friends, get to know one another, and have fun with fellow believers. Last year’s event brought over 100 attendees! Registration is required, as capacity is limited. Info and registration are available at http://martinpluskatie.org.

Here is where you come in. According to the organizers, “It is always helpful to have money donated, for with money we can buy whatever is needed at any time (name tags, sharpies, meat, buns, toilet paper, mustard, all the things). If people would prefer to donate individual items other than money, we can always use bags of potato chips (any variety), bags of M&Ms (no peanuts), homemade cookies (no nuts), a couple of bottles of ketchup and mustard.”

Deadline for donations will be Sunday, March 23. Please place any donations in the box in the narthex and Lauren will take the items to campus. Thank you, in advance, for your generosity and support of these young men and women.