Friends of Immanuel,

A blessed Maundy Thursday to you! Holy Week is filled with so much for us to take in from our Lord – it’s almost too much! You read about Maundy Thursday in my email yesterday, you can read more about Good Friday tomorrow, and then one more Saturday Easter Edition will fill out this Holy Week! In my article today, I want to offer some encouragement.

So much has been leading up to this week – it has, very appropriately, been our focus as a ministry. However, there is still more ministry, events, activities, and

celebrations to come in the weeks and months ahead. One of the more significant aspects of ministry approaching quickly is our Ministry Campaign, Run with Perseverance, based on Hebrews 12:1-3. We will officially launch the campaign on Sunday, April 12^th. We’ll celebrate with donuts! You’ll find them right inside the entrance along with some information about the campaign. Campaign booklets will be in your church mailbox that morning with extras available on the donut table that will include lots of helpful information about the campaign, some inspiring stories, and lots of encouragement as we look to Run with Perseverance together in the coming months! Additional information will be shared at several congregational forums where questions can be asked. Those forums will be:

• Sunday, April 19—Ministry Campaign Congregational Forums after 8am & after 10:30am Worship
• Tuesday, April 21—Ministry Campaign Forum for members of Elected Boards, 6:30pm
• Monday, April 27—Ministry Campaign Congregational Forum, 6:30pm

There will be a worship series based on our Run with Perseverance theme starting on May 10^th, culminating with our Commitment Sunday celebration on Sunday, May 31^st, when we will have a single worship service at 9:00am where will be prayerfully bring our 3-year commitments before the Lord, followed by a time of food and fellowship.

In addition to this important facet of our ministry together, there’s a lot more coming. This includes our upcoming Easter worship series entitled Joy in the Journey, welcoming new members on April 19^th, young adult men’s and young adult women’s Bible studies starting up, Confirmation Sunday on May 3^rd with those youth who are confirming their faith sharing their Expressions of Faith during the Education Hour, the Young at Hearts gatherings around some interesting topics and enjoying fellowshipping and eating together, 8^th grade graduation for our school on May 14^th, blessing of our High School graduates, Kings Kids Summer Camp gearing up, the shift to our summer worship schedule, the Sweetheart City Car Show, Vacation Bible School, Family Camping, Outdoor Worship beginning in July, and summer camp for the kids down at Lutheran Valley Retreat. Believe it or not, there are plenty of other “regular” and ongoing ministries in-between all of that!

I share this to remind us all that God is working in some amazing and varied ways! The ministry campaign and each of these different ministries provides opportunities for us to participate, to grow in various ways, to use our gifts by helping to lead, to invite others to come and be part of God’s fun and God’s work here, to support and give of ourselves, and to celebrate the joy in the journey of our life in Jesus.

So read through today’s email update and give thanks to God for the opportunities all around us to be part of God’s work in this time and place! Step into those areas that are of interest to you and let God work in and through you. Thank you for being part of the Lord’s Church here at Immanuel!

Serving together in Christ alone!
Pastor Glen

Friends of Immanuel,

Tomorrow is Maundy Thursday. “Maundy” comes from the Latin word mandatum where we get our English word “mandate.” Among many other things, what Jesus gave to His disciples (and to us!) in the Upper Room on that Thursday evening was a new command or mandate. Jesus said, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:34-35)

It was also on that night that Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper. Jesus and His disciples were in the Upper Room celebrating the Passover meal – a meal that foreshadowed all that Jesus had come to do in fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies. Jesus transformed the Passover meal into what He intended it to ultimately be, our weekly celebration of the Lord’s Supper.

There was much more that went on, some of which we’ll be talking about in our Maundy Thursday worship services tomorrow. Those services are at 1:00pm and 7:00pm. We’ll celebrate the Lord’s Supper at both services and there will be the Stripping of the Altar at the end of the 7:00pm service. That is part of the preparation or transition into Good Friday, as Jesus and His disciples headed out from the Upper Room to the Mount of Olives, the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus would be betrayed and arrested.

The following day we will observe Good Friday, the day of Jesus’ crucifixion, with worship services at 1:00pm and 7:00pm. Both worship services are identical with the exception of the music – the 1:00pm service will include accompaniment by harp and flute; the 7:00pm service includes an instrumental ensemble accompanying the singing, as well as participation by the Chancel Choir. Both services focus on the events of the death of our Savior using various Psalms, the account of the events of that day from the Gospel of Matthew, pictures from The Passion of the Christ that accompany the Scripture readings, and dimming of the lights throughout the service until total darkness.

All are welcome at these worship services as we continue to follow our Lord through these powerful days as Jesus looked to complete the mission for which He came – to bring life, hope, and restoration to our world! I hope you can join me and many others over these next two days as we join Christians around the world in our observance of these events. If you’re not able to be here in person, the 7:00pm services on both Thursday and Friday will be live streamed which can be found on Immanuel’s website (www.ImmanuelLoveland.org).

Below are the Scripture readings if you want to take a look at them ahead of Maundy Thursday worship.

April 2^nd – Maundy Thursday
Old Testament: Exodus 12:1-14
Epistle: 1 Corinthians 11:23-26
Gospel: John 13:1-17, 31b-35
Sermon Title: “A Journey Into the Upper Room”

One additional resource that was brought to my attention are a series of eight 5-minute videos from The Bible Project for Holy Week and Easter. While they intended this to start on Palm Sunday and go through Easter Sunday, I’ve watched them day-by-day this week and they are really well done. You might consider using them as part of your devotional journey through the rest of Holy Week and into Easter. Here’s the link if you’re interested: https://www.bible.com/reading-plans/68046-bibleproject-holy-week-easter. If you’d prefer not to sign-up, you can simply watch the samples that are provided each day.

Here are my updates for today:
Easter Lilies and Plants are provided by:

• Irma Bartz, in loving memory of her husband, Woldemar
• Blake & Beth Bianco, in loving memory of Kathy Hamilton, Calvin Hamilton, Keith & Elaine Hamilton and James & Clara Casey
• Cindy Eversole, in loving memory of Greg Vibber
• Dennis & Linda Frerichs, in loving memory of David Borgelt (father of Linda Frerichs) and Robert & Juanita Frerichs (parents of Dennis, Rhonda, and Marla Frerichs)
• Don & Sharon Gibbons, to the Glory of God
• Dale & Deb Hartman, in loving memory of Jamie Lee Rogers – LOVE BIG!!!
• Ron & Linda Larson, in loving memory of their parents, Alvin & Elnora Larson and John & Betty Thayer
• The Maddox Family, in loving memory of Pam Maddox
• Judy Richendifer, to the glory of God
• Pastor Glen & Kathy Schlecht, in thankfulness for all their grandchildren, including their newest grandson, Micah David
• Annemarie Stollstheimer, to the glory of God
• Ellen Thayer, in loving memory of her brother, Ray Reeb
• Mike & Jeanne Zsolczai, in loving memory of their mothers, Marlene McLean and Mae Zsolczai

Worship Schedule for Holy Week and Easter Sunday morning:
Thursday, April 2 – Maundy Thursday – focus on the events in the Upper Room on the night Jesus would later be betrayed, includes the celebration of the Lord’s Supper in both services, and Stripping of the Altar at the end of the 7:00pm service.
1:00pm worship with the Lord’s Supper
7:00pm (live streamed) worship with the Lord’s Supper and Stripping of the Altar

Friday, April 3 – Good Friday – focus on the death of our Savior using various Psalms, the account of the events of that day from the Gospel of Matthew, pictures from The Passion of the Christ that accompany the Scripture readings, dimming of the lights throughout the service until total darkness.
1:00pm Tenebrae Worship Service (Service of Darkness)
7:00pm (live streamed) Tenebrae Worship Service (Service of Darkness)

Sunday, April 5 – Easter
You are invited to bring in fresh flowers for our Easter Cross.
6:00am – Sonrise Easter Worship – with the Lord’s Supper
7:00am – Easter Pancake Breakfast
8:00am – Classic Grace Easter Worship (live streamed) – with handbell choir, instrumental ensemble, vocal choir, and the Lord’s Supper
9:15am – Easter Pancake Breakfast
9:45am – Children’s Easter Egg Hunt – meet under the pergola on the west lawn
10:30am – Contemporary Joy Easter Worship (live streamed) – with worship team, instrumental ensemble, and the Lord’s Supper
Photo Booth available all morning in the West Atrium!

Serving together in Christ alone!

Pastor Glen

Friends of Immanuel,

Holy Week is obviously the main focus around here right now. Yesterday’s celebration of Palm Sunday was a wonderful start to this powerful, meaningful, and important week for all of us who are followers of Jesus. I absolutely love seeing the sanctuary full of waving palm branches as we sing out the powerful Palm Sunday hymns and songs. Having the children (and others!) walk around the sanctuary during that time touches my heart, seeing the littlest among us joining their voices in praising our King!

However, our celebration of Palm Sunday, along with our Maundy Thursday and Good Friday observances, are not supposed to be just sentimental remembrances. These times of worship, along with our Easter celebrations, help us realize how important Jesus is when it comes to our lives today. Jesus brings power to the lives we lead. And He offers us hope, especially when we find ourselves up against very real challenges and struggles in our lives. Our faith and trust in Jesus can make a real, tangible difference in the lives we lead, the attitude we carry, and the outlook we have.

Invite people in your life to join you for these upcoming times of worship as we gather together to be inspired and encouraged by our Savior and the victory that we know is ours. I look forward to seeing many of you in the days to come!

Holy Week and Easter Worship Schedule:

Thursday, April 2 – Maundy Thursday – focus on the events in the Upper Room on the night Jesus would later be betrayed, includes the celebration of the Lord’s Supper in both services, and Stripping of the Altar at the end of the 7:00pm service.

1:00pm worship with the Lord’s Supper

7:00pm (live streamed) worship with the Lord’s Supper and Stripping of the Altar

Friday, April 3 – Good Friday – focus on the death of our Savior using various Psalms, the account of the events of that day from the Gospel of Matthew, pictures from The Passion of the Christ that accompany the Scripture readings, dimming of the lights throughout the service until total darkness.

1:00pm Tenebrae Worship Service (Service of Darkness)

7:00pm (live streamed) Tenebrae Worship Service (Service of Darkness)

Sunday, April 5 – Easter

6:00am – Sonrise Easter Worship – with Lord’s Supper

7:00am – Easter Pancake Breakfast

8:00am – Classic Grace Easter Worship (live streamed) – with handbell choir, instrumental ensemble, vocal choir, and the Lord’s Supper

9:15am – Easter Pancake Breakfast

9:45am – Children’s Easter Egg Hunt – meet under the pergola on the west lawn

10:30am – Contemporary Joy Easter Worship (live streamed) – with worship team, instrumental ensemble, and the Lord’s Supper

Serving together in Christ alone!

Pastor Glen

Friends of Immanuel,

This Sunday marks the beginning of the most sacred and holy week of the entire year for us as followers of Jesus. Palm Sunday is the start of Holy Week, which begins with Jesus triumphant entry into Jerusalem, riding on a donkey, welcomed by crowds waving palm branches and shouting, “Hosanna!” and “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!,” laying down those palm branches and even their coats for Jesus to ride across, creating a sort of red carpet.

It seems that almost everything that happened on that Palm Sunday was filled with references to prophecies from the Old Testament, all pointing to the promised Messiah. The same could be said of this entire week! After our Palm Sunday celebration, we will come together to worship again on Thursday, which we know as Maundy Thursday, with worship services at 1:00pm and at 7:00pm. That is followed by worship the very next day, Good Friday, again with worship at 1:00pm and 7:00pm. The culmination of Holy Week is our glorious celebration of Jesus and His resurrection from the dead on that first Easter morning. We’ll have a Sonrise worship service at 6:00am, and then our regular worship times of 8:00am and 10:30am. In between all the services, the youth will be serving their annual Easter breakfast to raise funds for their summer service trip. There will also be an Easter Egg Hunt for the little ones on the west lawn starting at 9:45am.

I’ll be writing more about Maundy Thursday and Good Friday next week to give some additional background regarding what those times of worship will be all about. But today I am offering my strong encouragement to come and be part of each step of this Holy Week and Easter journey. Throughout the season of Lent we’ve been talking about the wilderness and about this journey of faith we are on. This theme of wilderness and journey will continue through our Holy Week and Easter worship services. Why? Because the reality of life on this side of eternity is that we are living in a wilderness, a desert, a life that can be so filled with difficulties, challenges, and struggles. But the journey we are on is not without hope – because Jesus is leading the way. He takes us by the hand, He whispers His promises and assurances in our ears, and He reminds us of all that He did for us because of how much He loves us. We are not alone on this journey!

This journey we are on takes us again through Holy Week because we need to remember the depth of His love and to be reminded that His promises do not have an expiration date. We struggle with our sinful nature and that’s why this journey continues to take us back to Jesus and the forgiveness and new life and restoration He won for us during that first Holy Week. I hope to see you all as we join together in worship in the days to come!

Serving together in Christ alone!
Pastor Glen

Friends of Immanuel,

While I missed seeing all of you in worship yesterday, I’m thankful for Pastor Kent Schnegelberger stepping in to preach and lead worship here at Immanuel while I was gone. I’m also very grateful for Pastor Josh at Peace With Christ in Aurora for allowing me to baptize my newest grandson, Micah David, yesterday during their worship service.

It was such a joy to have so many of our family here for Micah’s baptism. Our oldest son, Zachary, and his wife Anna, flew in from Michigan to serve as godparents for Micah, and it was great seeing them. My youngest sister and her family are here from Illinois to spend their spring break with us, and it was a bonus that Micah’s baptism was scheduled while they were here. While so many family members were here, we also celebrated Jonathan and Leah’s first child, Emmie’s second birthday. It was a wonderful day of family, of celebration, and of love!

As we talk about so often, baptism is this amazing gift God has given us. It’s a gift that goes far beyond any sort of dedication, because it is God who is performing the miraculous with the simplicity of water and His Word. We know that through this gift, the Lord gives forgiveness of sins (which is why He chose to use water and the promise of washing us clean), the giving of the Holy Spirit who comes into our hearts (and the primary work of the Holy Spirit is to create faith and to keep pointing us back to Jesus), and the promise that He will never leave us (Matthew 28:20 plus many other places in God’s Word). It’s amazing! It’s miraculous!

Peter writes in one of his letters in the New Testament that “baptism saves us” (1 Peter 3:21), assuring us that there is a power at work in baptism. We also know that God has given us the ability to not only receive this gift but to walk away from it. This, too, is part of the mystery of baptism and the faith. He doesn’t just “lock us in” so that we robotically believe. His desire is that we receive His love and grace, and then, out of gratitude to Him, return that love as we follow Him, serve Him, and love Him. That is why the Church has encouraged the use of godparents or sponsors for many, many years. While not mandated or even mentioned in Scripture, the responsibility of godparents or sponsors is to regularly pray for the baptized individual, and, in the case of children, make sure his/her parents are continuing to help that child grow in the faith received in baptism, through regular worship attendance, participating in Sunday School, praying regularly at home, etc.

Martin Luther, the major person behind the reformation of the Church in the early 1500s, recognized the significance of remembering our baptism regularly, even daily. In many of his writings, he urges us to come back to where our identity is rooted – that we were baptized into Christ and that it is in Him that we find our true identity as beloved, forgiven, children of God. When troubles come our way, or the devil is hounding us and tempting us, that we talk directly to the devil and send him away, laying claim to our status as God’s children. With all the talk these days around identity, baptism can play a significant role in helping us stay grounded and confident in who we are because of Jesus.

Here at Immanuel we have more babies and more baptisms coming – it is certainly an exciting time! My hope is this reminder of the blessings of baptism will be an encouragement to all of us as we continue our journey of faith and life in our Savior.

Serving together in Christ alone!
Pastor Glen

Friends of Immanuel,
Wow – it seems that there are just a lot of balls in the air right now! Among those are basketballs with March Madness beginning today and the 64 college basketball teams who are vying for that coveted championship as the madness culminates on April 6^th. I, of course, have picked the Wisconsin Badgers to win it all in my bracket! LOL! And I’m just hoping my bracket isn’t busted by the end of this first weekend. We’ll see…

But here at Immanuel, there are also so many balls in the air. Just a quick scroll through today’s update will validate that. From fly tying to Called into Community, from Estate Planning to the mowing team, from major school decisions to financial updates, from Bible study opportunities to youth activities, to a myriad of ways we can serve together, to information about the pinnacle week that is almost here with Palm Sunday, Holy Week, and our glorious celebration of our Lord’s resurrection on Easter Sunday morning.

Opportunities abound to pray over our many ministries, our school, our finances, our outreach, our discipleship, our growing and learning, and so much more. While there are many challenges before us these days, it continues to be obvious to me that the Lord is right here in our midst – praise God for that promise and for the blessing of being able to see and witness His hand and the work He is doing!

These next couple months are going to be very exciting and I’m thankful that you are here and part of this amazing community of faith! Thank you for your prayers, for your involvement, for being in worship, for loving the Lord in the day to day of your life. Thank you for calling Immanuel “home.”

Serving together in Christ alone!
Pastor Glen

Friends of Immanuel, 

National Lutheran Schools Week 2026 is officially wrapped up here at Immanuel Lutheran School and what a week we had! Our theme for this school year, which also carried through National Lutheran Schools Week, is Make a Joyful Noise! based on Psalm 98. We celebrate with more than 1,800 other preschools, elementary schools, and high school with the public opportunity to proclaim and celebrate God’s work among us in schools of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod.  

We thank God for the opportunity to share Jesus’ amazing love with children and their families here in Northern Colorado. Immanuel is an amazing incubator for being faithful witnesses of God’s love for us through Christ by teachers and students alike. The week was packed with fun including beginning each day with all-school devotions, all-school activities and projects, and fun dress-up days! I had a great time meeting with many parents and grandparents at both the Showcase on Thursday night as well as for chapel on Friday morning. Thanks to everyone who supported our school ministry by purchasing books from the book fair as well. Check out some of the fun pictures of students and teachers alike! 

Continue to pray for our school ministry, for our teachers, for enrollment for next year, and the blessing our school ministry is for us and for so many in our community! 

Serving together in Christ alone! 

Pastor Glen 

Friends of Immanuel,

We’re about halfway through this season of Lent, talking regularly about the journey we are on together and the challenges of this wilderness that we are journeying through. I have personally so appreciated the opportunity to reflect on the different aspects of this journey – for me personally, for each of you individually and as couples and families, and for us as a congregation.

Ash Wednesday we began this journey together talking about this being A Secret Journey – how we’re called to live out our faith, not trumpeting everything we do for all to hear and see, but to give to those in need, to pray, and to fast (and lots more that we do as followers of Jesus), as the Lord leads us. Our lives certainly don’t have be secretive, but it’s a reminder to us to have a heart-check – if our hearts are in the right place, desiring to follow Jesus and to live lives that honor, glorify, and point people back to Jesus, that is what our Lord desires.

We talked about this being A Spirit-Led Journey. This should be a given for us, but it’s important that we remember we are to constantly seeking the Holy Spirit’s guidance in our lives. We know the Spirit will always take us back to Jesus and keep us in Him. So even when we falter or head the wrong direction or make poor decisions, the Spirit is always here to lead us back to Jesus!

A Simple Journey was something I wrote about a couple weeks ago. In our following Jesus, let that simple message of the Gospel continue to resonate in our ears and hearts. Seek simplicity for our lives and try not to complicate everything. Solitude, quiet, simple times spent with the Lord can yield beauty, encouragement, and growth in our faith.

The most difficult part of our journey is what we thought about last Sunday as we considered A Sorrowful Journey. The bottom line is that this journey we are on, it is in the wilderness. And this journey can be very hard at times, filled with challenges, struggles, sadness, and sorrow of all sorts. But through it all, we know that we’re not on this journey alone. Our Lord has promised us, no matter what we may be going through, that He is here – listening, caring, present. And it’s important that we are here for one another as well – we are brothers and sisters in Jesus!

There’s much more still to come in this journey of Lent. This Sunday we’ll be thinking about this journey as A Sacrificial Journey – both what our Lord did for us and the invitation for us to follow Him with a humble attitude of sacrifice. This will take us right up to Palm Sunday and Holy Week, starting March 29^th, which is a special journey in and of itself.

I’m honored to be on this journey with all of you! What an amazing place Immanuel is. We live His promise that is found in our name – knowing with certainty that “God IS with us!” Thank you for calling Immanuel “home,” and for the many ways that so you give and serve and pray and worship together. I appreciate your faithfulness and the faith-filled way in which we journey together!

Serving together in Christ alone!
Pastor Glen