Devotion

• Romans 10:12-21

Announcements

• Review
  • MN Pastoral Conference
  • CLC Teachers’ Conference
• Upcoming
  • Board of Deacons (Thursday 5:00pm)
  • Church Choir (Thurs 6:15pm)
  • Men’s Breakfast (Friday 6:30am)
  • Ladies Bible Study (Friday 7:00pm)
  • Youth Group Fall Festival Farmamerica (Saturday 11:00am)
  • Worship
    • Bible Class: Tithing and Jeremiah 29:11
    • Sunday School: Call of Abram & Abram and Lot
  • Quarterly Voters’ Meeting (Monday 7pm)
  • Ladies’ Auxiliary (Tuesday 2pm)
  • Board of Elders (Tuesday 5:15pm)

Prayer List

• Jim Lien - Hospice
• Lynette Roehl
• Kathy Greve’s Sister Becky - Uterine Cancer
• Blake Frank - Neck Surgery October 8
• Rachel Mariner
• Bailey and Josie Reichel - Baby Amelia
• David Lueck - 80th birthday
• Lori Drummer - Sandee Curtis friend, on hospice
• Nephew of Julie Heinze - lawn mower accident
• Teachers’ Conference
• Pastoral Conference
• Kenya (East Africa)

Hymn of the Day:

• TLH 505 “May God Bestow on Us His Grace”

This week we take up our "Hymn of the Week," which is the hymn that develops the theme of our service and in this case, is based on our sermon text. We are looking at TLH 453, which was written by a largely unfamiliar German hymnwriter named Carl Spitta. Spitta had a very difficult life, dealing with a severe illness for four years in his childhood that left him academically behind, and loosing his father at only four years of age. But these challenges led Spitta closer to His Savior, and motivated him to pursue the ministry. He also had a gift for poetry from a young age. While this gift was used for worldly purposes in his youth, by the age of 25, Spitta came to realize that God had a greater purpose for those gifts. He wrote: "In the manner in which I formerly sang I sing no more. To the Lord I consecrate my life and my love, and likewise my song. His love is the one great theme of all my songs; to praise and exalt it worthily is the desire of the Christian singer. He gave to me song and melody; I give it back to Him." What a beautiful Christian sentiment and realization!

This hymn is based primarily on Romans 14:7-9, where the Apostle Paul writes: "For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself. For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. For to this end Christ died and rose and lived again, that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living."

In the four verses of this hymn Spitta points to the confidence we have in life and in death because we are the Lord's. Christ's life and death is the reason we are the Lord's. And His work of redemption motivate us to live for Him as Paul says in 1 Corinthians 6:20: "For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s," and as Peter says 1 Peter 1:17-18: "conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear; knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct."

But that confidence is not just in life, but also in death. Spitta concludes: "No pangs of death shall even then appal us. Death we shall vanquish, for we are the Lord’s."

Rejoice that you are the Lord's! Live in a way that reflects that you are the Lord's. Die in the absolute certainty that Jesus has defeated death for you, because you are His!

The LORD bless your worship and reflection on this truth this weekend!

God's people have worshiped Him from the very beginning. Able offered sacrifices to the LORD. Noah and Abraham built altars to worship the true God. Moses constructed the tabernacle for worship, and Solomon built the LORD a temple. God people gathered around humble altars, and glorious temples to worship. For what reason?

This hymn, and the Psalm that it is based on (Psalm 100) answers that questions.

The Psalmist describes God's people: "Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name." Psalm 100:4

The Psalmist also describes why God's people do this: "For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations." Psalm 100:5

Remember why you come to church: The LORD is good.

Remember what that means: Jesus paid the debt of your sin through His life and death.

That changes us. He has given us a new life, freedom from ourselves and freedom to serve Him.

O enter then His gates with praise, Approach with joy His courts unto; Praise, laud, and bless His name always, For it is seemly so to do. (TLH 14:3)

The LORD bless your worship of Him this weekend, and give you joyful hearts for all that He has done for YOU!

Devotion

• Romans 9:14-24

Announcements

• Review
  • Mission Festival
• Upcoming
  • ILS Brainstorming Meeting
  • Church Choir
  • Board of Education
  • Men’s Breakfast
  • Ladies’ Bible Study
  • Time and Talent Offering
  • Worship this Weekend
  • Freshman Carnival
  • Board of Elders

Prayer List

• Jim Lien
• Lynette Roehl
• Becky
• Nepal Flooding
• Sherri Collier
• Teachers - Mrs. Greve, Mr. Fischer
• Mission in Bangladesh

Hymn of the Day

• TLH 472 “Rise, Ye Children of Salvation”

This recording is a condensed version of the sermon preached at Immanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church in Mankato, Minnesota on September 27, 2026. You can watch the full recording on our YouTube Channel.

Sermon Text: Ecclesiastes 5:1-7 (NKJV)

Walk prudently when you go to the house of God; and draw near to hear rather than to give the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they do evil. 2 Do not be rash with your mouth, And let not your heart utter anything hastily before God. For God is in heaven, and you on earth; Therefore let your words be few. 3 For a dream comes through much activity, And a fool’s voice is known by his many words.

4 When you make a vow to God, do not delay to pay it; For He has no pleasure in fools. Pay what you have vowed— 5 Better not to vow than to vow and not pay. 6 Do not let your mouth cause your flesh to sin, nor say before the messenger of God that it was an error. Why should God be angry at your excuse and destroy the work of your hands? 7 For in the multitude of dreams and many words there is also vanity. But fear God.

Theme: Stand in Awe of God!

1. It guides our prayers 2. It sustains our promises

Devotion

• Romans 9:25-33

Announcements

• Review
  • ILS Brainstorming Meeting
  • Time and Talent Offering
  • Freshman Carnival
• Upcoming
  • Church Choir
  • Men’s Breakfast
  • Ladies’ Bible Study
  • Teaching Timothy’s and Preparing Phoebe’s (Saturday - 10am)
  • Worship this Weekend
  • Outreach Meeting
  • Building Committee
  • Church Council

Prayer List

• Jim Lien
• Lynette Roehl
• Becky
• Mincey Wedding
• Nicholson Baptism
• Teachers - Mr. Schrader, Mrs. Roettger
• Mission in Nepal

Hymn of the Day

• TLH 479 “Zion, Rise, Zion, Rise”

This weekend we are going to sing two Lent hymns. That might seem strange in the middle of the Trinity season. But we are reflecting on how salvation seems impossible, but it isn't with God. These hymns point to the great price that God willingly paid in order to redeem sinful mankind to Himself: The sacrifice of His Son on the cross.

The hymn is largely based on Isaiah 53, but also weaves in many other passages pointing to Jesus as the Messiah from the Old Testament, and the New Testament.

The hymnwriter, Thomas Kelly, reminds us that we should not just look at the physical agony that Jesus endured, but understand that His true agony was suffering the punishment of all sin at the hand of God. Jesus was "smitten by God and afflicted!"

When we understand this, it put our own sin in a different light as well. A true understanding of Christ's sacrifice will lead us to understand the horrible nature of our sin. We can't look at sin and say "It's no big deal!" Not when we see what God had to pay because of our sin.

Jesus, who is the "sacrifice appointed" and the "one who bears the awful load" is our hope, our foundation. His is the name that we have to boast about and in. Thanks be to God!

Rejoice in that HOPE, and build on that Foundation!

Devotion

• Romans 10:1-11

Announcements

• Review
  • Worship
  • Outreach Committee
• Upcoming
  • Immanuel Building Committee
  • Church Choir
  • Church Council
  • Men’s Breakfast
  • Women Who Hike
  • Worship this Weekend
  • Pastoral Conference
  • Teachers' Conference

Prayer List

• Jim Lien
• Lynette Roehl
• Becky
• Blake Frank
• Family of Laura (Ude) Stutzman
• Tom and Diane Lentz - 40 year anniversary
• Teachers - Mr. Hanel, Mrs. Busch
• Mission in the Philippines

Hymn of the Day

• TLH 465 “Christ Is Our Cornerstone”