HEALTH CONCERNS: Joyce & Jerry Alexander; Mia Anderson (great-granddaughter of Joan Vukelich); Claire Baud (friend of Rachel DeWitt); Beau Brown (friend of Ann Carroll); 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); Layla Harp 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); Bob Kresin; 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; Mike Scott (father of Celeste Nau); 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: David Scarborough, Jackson Scofield.

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

HOMEBOUND: Bernita Ashwill; Leona Czerwonka; Janet Pollock; Ruth Sims; Glen Stumeier.

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

NEXT WEEK’S READINGS . . . Zechariah 9:9–12; Philippians 2:5–11; Matthew 21:1–9.

ABOUT THIS WEEK’S READINGS . . . In the temple Jesus said, “If anyone keeps my word, he will never see death” (John 8:51). For Jesus came to taste death for us—to drink the cup of suffering to the dregs in order that we might be released from its power. Clinging to His life-giving words, we are delivered from death’s sting and its eternal judgment. Christ is our High Priest, who entered the Most Holy Place and with His own blood obtained everlasting redemption for His people (Heb. 9:11–15). He is the One who was before Abraham was, and yet is his descendant. He is the promised Son who carries the wood up the mountain for the sacrifice, who is bound and laid upon the altar of the cross. He is the ram who is offered in our place, who is willingly caught in the thicket of our sin, and who wears the crown of thorns upon His head (Gen. 22:1–14). Though Jesus is dishonored by the sons of the devil, He is vindicated by the Father through the cross.

THOUGHTS ABOUT STEWARDSHIP . . . Genesis 22:2 He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” It’s hard for us to even fathom a faith as strong as Abraham’s: he follows the Lord’s Word even when it seems impossibly hard. But he does so because he knows that the Lord only means to bless. What happened here to Abraham should be an encouragement for us: trust the Lord and keep His Word.

ALTAR GUILD & COFFEE COMMITTEE . . . For April, the Altar Guild is Sarah & Savana Andresen. Coffee Committee is Dorothy Hostetler.

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.

• 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.

PALM SUNDAY CANTATA . . . You are invited to attend the community Easter Cantata at First Christian Church in Villa Grove at 4:00 pm, Sunday, April 13, Palm Sunday. The cantata is called The Rose of Calvary. It’s the perfect way to begin Holy Week and the celebration of Easter. Two of our own are performing in this cantata: Gretchen Krieger and Willa Braaten.

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.

CHANGE TO SATURDAY NIGHT SERVICE . . . In consultation with the Board of Elders, beginning on Memorial Day Weekend (May 24–25) and, at least, throughout the summer, there will be no Saturday night service. Instead, on Wednesday evenings at 6:00 pm, a spoken Divine Service will be offered. This service will have a different sermon than Sunday morning. This will accommodate anyone who travels or works weekends, or would like another opportunity to attend the Divine Service.

SEMINARIAN JACOB GARRISON . . . is with us this weekend, preaching at both services. Sem. Garrison is one of the seminary students from Fort Wayne, Indiana, we adopted this year.

EASTER BREAKFAST SIGN-UP. . . Easter is right around the corner and each year our congregation and guests come together between services to enjoy an Easter Breakfast in celebration of our risen Lord. The sign-up sheets are now available in the back of the narthex for those that are able to bring a breakfast item. We look forward to celebrating together on April 20!

THIS SUMMER . . . Immanuel will be hosting a summer vicar: Seminarian Reece Parlier. This summer fieldwork opportunity is made possible by the generosity of the Board for Mission & Evangelism and all the saints at Immanuel who have given to our mission. His work will be two-fold. First, it is a time of learning and training. He will learn first-hand knowledge and gain experience serving a congregation that is similar to most congregations throughout the LCMS. He will see how crucial being active in a community is as well as the many people who help to make church possible. Second, he will help pastor continue to canvas the town, host VBS, our June outreach event at the Community Building, and our Not Ashamed Conference. Be on the look out for more information about Vicar Parlier in upcoming announcements.