Friends of Immanuel,

“Who or what are you following?” was a key question coming out of yesterday’s worship. Throughout our Darkness Overcome series, we’ve been exploring darkness from lots of different angles. I gave a number of big-picture global examples and could’ve given a lot more! I could’ve added the brutal persecution and murder of Christians around the world, which is particularly making headlines in Nigeria, the deadly train wreck in Spain that killed at least 41 and injured dozens more, the Swiss fire disaster that killed 40 just three weeks ago, and any number of other natural disasters, including this monster winter storm that blanketed the United States this past week. There is no lack of darkness in our broken world. And I know that every one of us could add our own personal list of “darkness” related things in our own lives – from health to jobs to stress to finances and so much more. The darkness is real!

When it comes to following Jesus, the devil likes nothing more than to cultivate chaos and confusion, to cause all sorts of arguing, quarrelling, fighting, and disagreeing. That’s what he accomplished in the church in Corinth that we read about in 1 Corinthians 1:10-13. I invited you to think about all the things that we follow – from the Broncos and Packers (and other sports teams and sports celebrities) to various social media to political figures to whatever is comfortable to the things I like and want. And the fact of the matter is, we all follow lots of things in our lives.

However, when it comes to following Jesus, this is different. Jesus is not just an “add-on” to all the other things we follow and things that we do. When Jesus calls us to follow Him, that’s our starting point. This relationship with Jesus into which we’ve been called must be our top priority. It doesn’t mean we have to disregard or get rid of everything else in our lives. But it does require discretion from us – to keep proper perspective on all the good things that the Lord has poured into our lives.

How does that happen? By being actively engaged with our Lord and our faith in Him through the work of the Holy Spirit in our hearts and minds. That includes weekly worship, being in God’s Word each day and listening to Him, praying daily, giving of ourselves and serving others. These are some of Immanuel’s Marks of Discipleship, the basics from God’s Word on what it means to follow Him.

What does following Jesus look like in your own life? That’s what I invited you to explore with this week’s What Now? –

What Now?

Take some time to reflect on your following of Jesus. What does following Jesus entail for you? What difference does it make in your life? 

I encourage you to take this seriously and have some more conversation with your spouse or family or friends. If you’re open to it, I’d love to hear from you – send me an email or text and share what following Jesus entails for you.

Jesus is our Hope and our Life! Following Him and putting our full faith, trust, and confidence in Him sets us up for quite an adventure! Let His light, the light of His love and grace and forgiveness, continue to shine brightly in each of us and through each of us as we strive to follow Him each day.

Serving together in Christ alone!
Pastor Glen

Friends of Immanuel,
Last Sunday was recognized by many churches across the United States as National Sanctity of Human Life Sunday. As a congregation of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, Immanuel affirms God’s gift of life, from conception to natural death. While I did not preach on the sanctity of life this year (as I often do), we did include it in our time of prayer, and I want to take time in my article today to hold up this important matter.

Today, January 22^nd, marks the anniversary of the Roe v. Wade abortion decision from 1973. However, I’ve researched a bit about what has happened since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade on June 24^th, 2022, and I am sad to say that abortions have continued to increase. And that is why we must, as followers of Jesus who stand firmly on the Truth of His Word, continue to loudly and boldly, lovingly and in grace-filled ways, fight for and uphold life, from conception to natural death, proclaiming Life as a gift of God.

We hear throughout God’s Word how life is a gift God gives us. Let me share just a couple passages of Scripture here and then I encourage you to simply Google “sanctity of human life bible verses,” or check out this link for a plethora of scripture that speaks about life (https://www.openbible.info/topics/the_sanctity_of_life).

Psalm 139:13-16 – “¹³ For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. ¹⁴ I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. ¹⁵ My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. ¹⁶ Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.”

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 – “¹⁹ Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; ²⁰ you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.”

Jeremiah 1:4-5 – “The word of the Lord came to me, saying, ^5 ’Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.’”

Isaiah 43:1 – “But now, this is what the Lord says—he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: ‘Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are mine.’”

As I said, God’s Word is filled with affirmations of life, with God Himself as the Author of life. As Paul wrote in Ephesians 2:10, we are God’s handiwork, His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus.

Immanuel is hosting a Life Event called, “Life Before Birth,” on Sunday, February 1^st at 6:30pm. Take a look at the article in today’s update for more details about what this event will entail and plan to attend!

Also, mark your calendar for the Colorado March for Life on April 17^th, 2026 at the Capital building in Denver. More details can be found at https://marchforlife.org/colorado/ and I’ll also try to keep everyone appraised of more information as it comes out and as we get closer to that date.

For today, be affirmed and encouraged that YOU, and the life God has given you, are gifts from God. I appreciate each and every one of you who call Immanuel “home” and are part of the Lord’s ministry here. What a joy to live the lives we do, assured that we are loved, we are redeemed, we are called by name by our Creator and Savior, and we are His!

Serving together in Christ alone!
Pastor Glen

Friends of Immanuel,

Darkness and Light – images and metaphors that have received a lot of attention over the last three weeks (and will continue to get that attention through the middle of February) in our Epiphany worship series Darkness Overcome. On Sunday I invited everyone to roll with me on the idea that we can actually see in the dark – literally with regard to how rarely we find ourselves in places that are absolutely and totally blacked out, and also figuratively when it comes to the darkness of evil and sin which surrounds us regularly in our world.

Along those lines, we’ve learned to function in the dark, for better or for worse. Sadly, there are plenty of people who relish the darkness and who actively and willingly live and function in it, seeking the cover it provides to do things that are nefarious, evil, and sinful. For those of us who are followers of Jesus, while we are not exempt from following our own sinful temptations to try to use the cover of darkness to hide our own sin, we at least recognize what we are doing and, with the work of the Holy Spirit in our hearts, are actively working to repent of our sin and to walk out of that darkness into the light of Jesus and His love and forgiveness. As followers of Jesus, we have learned to function in what can be a very dark world – we see the headlines of tragedies, shootings, wars, and other terrible things happening in our communities and world, and, again, by the leading of the Holy Spirit, are led to do what we can to shine the light of Jesus’ love, forgiveness, healing, and hope, wherever we can and into whatever darkness we see.

We will continue to have to live in a world covered in darkness until Jesus returns at the end of time. And as we do, our Lord helps us see our way through the darkness – not to embrace it, not to succumb to it, and not to ignore it, but to shine Jesus’ Light into it as we pray about it and over it, as we speak to others about the hope we have because of Jesus, as we help and serve others who are hurting, and as we strive to live a faithful and faith-filled life of being filled with Jesus’ light and letting that light shine through us.

So I encourage you, as you live in this dark world, to remember and embrace the promise that all this darkness has indeed been overcome by Jesus. His death and resurrection are what bring us forgiveness, hope, and life. Take to heart this week’s What Now?:

What Now?

Try your best to “see in the dark” this week and extend an invitation to someone you know to “come and see” the One who has come to shine Light into all of our darkness.

Serving together in Christ alone!

Pastor Glen

Friends of Immanuel,

At our December Voting Assembly/Congregational meeting, we voted to move forward with a Ministry Campaign, as recommended by LCEF (the Lutheran Church Extension Fund, who provided the three studies for our ministries). With that, I want to let you know that the wheels are already turning on this Ministry Campaign. This past Monday and Tuesday our LCEF campaign consultant, Kris Kunkel, was here at Immanuel to work with me and the campaign’s Executive Team. The purpose of Kris’s visit was to get to know us at Immanuel a little better, to provide us with an overall understanding of how the campaign is going to work, to provide training for the Executive Team, and to set calendar dates for his return visits and the major events of the campaign. His visit and training were excellent, and I feel very positive and encouraged about what we will be accomplishing together throughout this campaign.

Much more information will be coming out about the campaign over the next several months. That information will include the specific reasons behind Immanuel needing a campaign right now, the goals that have been set, and how everyone can be involved as we work and serve together here in our ministry of Immanuel.

I want to introduce you to the individuals who have agreed to serve as leaders of our campaign and are on the Executive Team. Becky York is serving as the Campaign Director. She will be the face and the voice of the campaign. Most of the communication and information shared will be from Becky, including emails, letters, printed information, and speaking at our major campaign events. Becky just finished serving as the chair of our Board of Christian Day School for our school ministry. Her leadership, passion, enthusiasm, and love for the Lord and His ministry here at Immanuel will be a tremendous asset as she leads us in this campaign.

Annette Bures is serving as the Campaign Manager. She will be doing much of the administrative work of the campaign, making sure all leaders are staying on track, tasks are being accomplished, and the campaign is moving forward on all fronts. Annette served as an administrative assistant in the church office for several years and was also in charge of the vendors for Immanuel’s annual Christmas Bazaar for a number of years. I’m thankful for her willingness to lend her organizational and administrative skills to this important endeavor.

Justin Logston is serving as the Communications Manager. He will be overseeing all forms of communication that will be part of this campaign, including graphic design, printed materials, videos, and more. Justin and his wife Jordan are Immanuel’s missionaries currently serving in the Dominican Republic but are stateside as they await the birth of their next child. They anticipate being here in Loveland through May before returning to the Dominican Republic. For Justin to lend his time and creative gifts to this campaign is awesome.

When you see these individuals, please thank them for their willingness to serve in these important capacities! I am in the process of recruiting the next layer of leadership that will be needed to carry out our campaign. I invite your prayers as I reach out to a number of you here at Immanuel.

Thank you for your continuing prayers for all the leadership here at Immanuel, including the Executive Council, the Board of Elders, and the Board of Christian Day School, as well as all who will be serving as leaders of this ministry campaign. I’m looking forward to this opportunity for all of us to grow stronger in our faith and in our ministry together.

Serving together in Christ alone!
Pastor Glen

Friends of Immanuel,

Yesterday we continued our Epiphany series, Darkness Overcome, focusing on Jesus’ baptism by John in the Jordan River and the theme, Darkness Washed Away. I offered the following for this week’s What Now? and I thought it might be helpful to share a bit more about how significant baptism is for our daily lives.

What Now?

Every time you wash your hands or take a shower this week, remember the gift of your baptism and God’s promise of washing away your darkness. 

If you haven’t been baptized and would like to, or if you have questions about it, reach out to Pastor Glen - he’d love to talk with you!

As I stated yesterday, I would urge us to think about baptism not as a choice or a decision, but first and foremost as a gift – pure gift from the heart of our Savior. We know and believe from God’s Word that there is power in baptism – from 1 Peter 3:21, Peter is writing about Noah and connects it to baptism by stating, “…and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also… It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.” We believe baptism is far more than a representative or symbolic washing. We also believe that baptism isn’t something we do for God – it’s not a mere act of obedience. Rather, baptism is something that God does for us, in us, and to us – all as a gift. When we are baptized, the Holy Spirit is given, sins are forgiven, and faith is created (in the case of infants or young children) or strengthened (in the case of older children and adults).

Baptism is not an automatic ticket for eternal life that we can simply put in our back pocket and we’re good to go. Sadly, even this amazing and powerful gift of God is something we can say “No!” to and reject and walk away from. That’s why, in the case of babies or children, we often will have godparents or baptismal sponsors. While godparents or sponsors are not spoken of in Scripture, it’s a practice that can be helpful in walking together, encouraging faith development, and mutual support as sisters and brothers in Christ. The primary role of godparents or sponsors is to pray for the child and to make sure the parents of the child are doing everything they need to do to help their child grow in their faith.

While baptism isn’t an automatic ticket to eternity, God always stands firm on what He promises in baptism. That is to say, even though we may walk away from the gift of baptism and the faith we’ve been given, God never does. He continues to pursue those who may choose to walk away from Him in any number of ways – the prayers of people close to that individual, putting faith-filled people into their lives, the examples and encouragement of others, and the assurance that while we may leave Him, He has promised never to leave us. So when there is a return to Jesus and to faith, that, too is a gift and the work of the Lord in that person’s heart.

Martin Luther spoke about remembering your baptism daily from his own experience of the reality of the devil and Satan’s ongoing temptations. There are some famous stories of times when Luther was especially troubled or discouraged that he would shout at the devil, reminding the devil that he has no business bothering him because he is baptized child of God. And he would tell him, “Away with you, devil!” Baptism is truly a spiritual weapon we can use against the devil’s temptations in our own lives. Baptism signifies our identity in Christ and our freedom from sin because Jesus has overcome the darkness! So it can be helpful to remind ourselves that baptism is a lifelong covenant that seals God’s promises of salvation and empowers us as believers to stand firm in the faith against any of the devil’s accusations. It takes us back to St. Paul’s inspired words in Romans 6 and how baptism is an ongoing reality, a daily drowning of the old self and rising to new life in Christ every single day. So don’t think of your baptism as a one-time event in your life – rather, see it as a powerful and significant part of your daily life as you walk in the Lord.

P.S. Unrelated to baptism, but I want you to be aware that we are still having trouble with our phones at Immanuel and are not able to receive or make calls at this time. We are continuing to work at resolving this issue. Thanks for your patience!

Serving together in Christ alone!
Pastor Glen

Friends of Immanuel,

We’re now a full week into the new year and I’m guessing that, like me, you’re getting back into the regular routines of life, work, eating, school, recreation, exercise, etc., after our Christmas and New Years celebrations. That’s happening here at Immanuel, too! I’m excited about what 2026 will hold for us as we continue to carry out our Lord’s mission and vision for us in this time and place!

As we start the year, I want to hold up Immanuel’s Mission and Vision, so we can keep that in the front of our minds as we serve our Savior together.

Immanuel’s Mission
Transform lives by Loving, Learning, and Living in Jesus

Immanuel’s Vision
We reveal the love and grace of Jesus to our community by our Radical Hospitality, Transformational Learning, and Fearless Living

Our school ministry is a significant part of who we are here at Immanuel and, when it comes to carrying out our mission and vision, the school is definitely one of the important ways we do that here at Immanuel! Let me share some good news to start the year. Starting this month, we have 2 new toddlers, 2 new 3-year-old preschoolers, and 1 new 5-year-old preschooler! There were over 50 inquiries made about the school in December, and more tours continue to happen. Praise God!

We have an amazing school ministry with an amazing staff of gifted teachers, who love the Lord, and who readily share that love throughout the course of every given day. I encourage you to spread the word about our school to families with toddlers through high school and who may be looking for alternatives to public school or homeschooling. We have also worked with homeschool families providing various classes or extra-curricular activities or sports that their children can be involved in.

If you have questions, would like more information, or want to set up a tour, go online to https://school.immanuelloveland.org/, or contact Cheryl or Carrie directly at 970-667-7606, or SchoolOffice@ImmanuelLoveland.org. Enrollment for the 2026-2027 school year will open on Monday, January 26^th at 8:00am for currently enrolled families and there will be open enrollment for new families on Monday, March 2^nd.

Also in this update is a poster about an Immanuel celebration happening on Thursday, January 29^th from 5:30pm-6:30pm. It will be a fun night to gather our community together and thank all of our school’s amazing families and supporters, which is all of you! Appetizers and refreshments will be served. Free childcare with pizza and activities will be provided. There will also be a standup comedian as part of our fun celebration. You can RSVP for the Immanuel Celebration here by 1/23.  Or you can use the QR code on the poster later in the update. I hope you can take time to come together to celebrate and be encouraged as we promote our school ministry and give thanks to God for the work He is doing here!

Thank you for being part of this community of faith at Immanuel. And thank you for joining me and many others as we follow Jesus wherever He may be leading us together into this new year!

Serving together in Christ alone!
Pastor Glen

Friends of Immanuel,

Yesterday in worship we celebrated the Epiphany of our Lord, which traditionally includes the reading in Matthew 2 about the coming of the Magi or Wisemen and the reading from Isaiah 60 about darkness and light. This begins a new season of the church year and a new worship series for us at Immanuel. This new series, entitled Darkness Overcome, will take us through the middle of February.

Epiphany is a season that emphasizes both light and outreach, beginning with the actual day and celebration of the Epiphany of Our Lord, which is on January 6^th, the twelfth day of Christmas. Throughout this season, we’re using the theme, Darkness Overcome, considering the powerful themes of light and darkness The darkness we see all around us, as well as the darkness we see in ourselves, is all very real: sin, broken relationships, health issues, accidents, tragedies, death.

In this series, we’ll have the opportunity to address the darkness – but even more importantly, the truth of Darkness Overcome! Jesus has overcome the darkness through His death and resurrection, and He continues to overcome the darkness by His grace and forgiveness. As we’ll explore throughout the series, there are a variety of ways that Jesus demonstrates Darkness Overcome, not just by shining His light into that darkness but by other means of grace as well. The victory is secure and darkness is overcome – and that is a message all people need to hear! I’m looking forward to journey through this Epiphany season with all of you as we explore these important matters of faith and life!

Yesterday’s launching of the series took us to the Old Testament prophet Isaiah and in the opening verses of chapter 6, Isaiah speaks of the realities of darkness and of light. His charge to God’s people in exile is the same charge given to us today – to “Arise! Shine!” and be about what the Lord has called us to do. Here is this week’s What Now? that I pray will offer some direction and encouragement for all of us as we begin this new week.

What Now?

Look for opportunities to “Arise! Shine!” to let Jesus and His light (and love!) shine into the darkness of your life as well as the darkness that is so evident around us – in our world and in the lives of people around us.

Serving together in Christ alone!
Pastor Glen

Friends of Immanuel,

Well, it’s all things Christmas this week! Whether it’s in our homes, our offices, or here at Immanuel, we’re all working on those final details, making sure everything that is needed is as together as it can be.

One encouragement I want to offer you today and is to take the time today and tomorrow (if you haven’t already!) to extend invitations to your family members, friends, acquaintances, co-workers, and neighbors, to join you for one of our Christmas worship services. Go the extra mile and offer to pick them up or meet them in the parking lot – remember that for people who have never been here or perhaps have never been in a church before, it can be very scary not knowing what to expect. To have a friendly face and a hand to guide them can go a long way in easing some anxiety.

For those who haven’t experienced Christmas worship at Immanuel, I’ve expounded below on the various worship services so you know what to expect and can select which service or services you’d like to come and be part of.

On a final note, because this is the last email update going out until Monday, January 5^th, I’ve included all the information you need to know in regard to ministries, events, and activities coming up into early January.

Blessings to all of you on this week and in these wonderful and holy days before Christmas!

Serving together in Christ alone!
Pastor Glen