First Immanuel Lutheran Church

We consider a feeling that often strikes us when we are unprepared—anxiety. We become anxious when situations are out of our control. Anxiety causes us to panic, to lose control, to withdraw. The peace we need in times of anxiety comes from a trust in the love of the God who created us and redeemed us. Sermon from Pastor Randy Raasch on December 6, 2020.

Sermon from Pastor Randy Raasch on December 2, 2020.

"How are you feeling?"  It's a phrase we commonly use, but there are so many answers to this seemingly simple question.  In this sermon series "Deck the Halls with All Your Feelings" we look at the well known people of the Christmas narrative and reflect on what they must have been feeling on that first Christmas.  Today we look at Zechariah and Elizabeth.  They were advanced in years and had never had the privilege of being a parent.  Even though they were faithful followers of God, you can imagine they still felt empty.  Their emptiness was filled, with a baby named John!  Today we check our faith tank, and fill it up, for with Jesus we are not empty! Sermon from Pastor Tim Seban on November 29, 2020. 

As we gather we are reminded that in the presidential proclamation for Thanksgiving Day in 1863, President Abraham Lincoln had this to say:

"It is the duty of nations as well as of citizens to owe their dependence upon the overruling power of God; to confess their sins and transgressions in humble sorrow, yet with assured hope that genuine repentance will lead to mercy and pardon; and to recognize the sublime truth, announced in the Holy Scriptures and proven by all history, that those nations are blessed whose God is the Lord....

"We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of heaven; we have been preserved these many years in peace and prosperity; we have grown in numbers, wealth and power as no other nation has ever grown. But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us, and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us.

"It has seemed to me fit and proper that God should be solemnly, reverently, and gratefully acknowledged, as with one heart and one voice, by the whole American people. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November as a day of Thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens." Sermon from Pastor Randy Raasch on November 26, 2020. 

We encounter situations and circumstances in our lives that bring us to our knees, that wipe out everything we've known. When faced with the wind and waves of the storms, we are easily overwhelmed. But there is a God speaking in the midst of the whirlwind, and his words to you today are "PEACE! Be still!"

We listen to His voice among the noises of the world.  There are many who call us to follow them, but their paths lead to pains and problems.  It is the voice of our Good Shepherd who guides us to green pastures of peace and still waters of contentment.   

We are reminded that life, even for Christians, isn’t always pleasant or pain free. In this sin-filled world we experience challenges in body, mind and soul. Today we consider the emotional challenges that seem to put us in a prison. Jesus conquered the prisons we face and the eternal prison of hell, that we may, in the face of all challenges, be confident of Jesus presence, power and promise of heaven. Sermon from Pastor Randy Raasch on November 8, 2020. 

Being thankful isn’t something we set aside for one day each year, instead it is to be a part of who we are each day.  God’s people haven’t had it easy, and that isn’t going to change.  Sin causes suffering, suffering leads to pain and heartache.  Yet we are called to be thankful.  Thankful in the good times, thankful in the bad, and everything in between.  This series will walk us through Psalm 107 which demonstrates thankfulness even in the midst of suffering. Sermon from Pastor Tim Seban on November 1, 2020.

We have been elected to two positions.  However, we have not been elected to rule, but to serve.  We live in the world and in the Church and have responsibilities to both.  Are we ready to live our faith in both? Sermon from Pastor Randy Raasch on October 25, 2020.

Are you worried you’re not qualified? You’ve failed, time and time again. Morally, spiritually, fiscally. Your actions have not measured up to your promises. Your resume is not impressive. Can you get kicked out of the kingdom of God? Join us as we answer the question Can you get recalled? Sermon from Pastor Randy Raasch on October 18, 2020.