Immanuel Lutheran Church—Five Forks

On this Easter Sunday, we proclaim the heart of the Christian faith: Christ is risen—He is risen indeed, alleluia. Through a vivid and humorous graveside story, this sermon contrasts the uncertainty of death with the sure and living hope found in the resurrection of Jesus. From empty tomb to eternal promise, it reminds us that what we ultimately long for is not just remembrance, but life—life that...

From Palm Sunday’s triumph to Good Friday’s cross, this sermon traces Jesus’ journey from lion to lamb. Once hailed as a conquering king, he is betrayed, accused, and crucified—bearing our sin, our suffering, and our brokenness. In his final words, “It is finished,” we see not defeat, but victory: the Lamb of God given for the life, forgiveness, and salvation of the world. Immanuel, God with us, s...

In this moving message, we honor the legacy of Pastor Barry Sheldon while diving deep into the heart of Maundy Thursday. Using the powerful imagery of footwashing, we explore the radical humility of a God who "became flesh" to serve us. It’s a call to get over ourselves, embrace our identity as the redeemed, and find the courage to be bold in service to a world that needs the reflection of Christ....

Things at church look and sound different from most of what we experience in our lives from Monday to Saturday. We call it the Divine Service. Why do we worship this way? There are many unique things we say, see, and do in the Divine Service. What does it all mean? Pastor VanOsdol continues a new study exploring the Divine Service and what it means. Immanuel, God with us, serving our neighbor and...

On Palm Sunday, Jesus enters Jerusalem to shouts of “Hosanna,” welcomed as a conquering King. Yet the week that begins in triumph ends at the cross. In this episode, we explore the tension of Holy Week—Christ coming “in like a lion” but going “out like a lamb.” What the crowds expected was power and victory, but what Jesus brings is something far greater: forgiveness through sacrifice. Discover ho...

Much of the early part of Holy Week Jesus spent in the Temple courts teaching—teaching especially in parables. And, understanding that the days leading up to His crucifixion is the context for these parables, sheds a different light on them. Immanuel, God with us, serving our neighbor and one another with His love and forgiveness. Growing in faith to share God's Grace with the greater Simpsonville...

Things at church look and sound different from most of what we experience in our lives from Monday to Saturday. We call it the Divine Service. Why do we worship this way? There are many unique things we say, see, and do in the Divine Service. What does it all mean? Pastor VanOsdol continues a new study exploring the Divine Service and what it means. Immanuel, God with us, serving our neighbor and...

In the raising of Lazarus, Jesus reveals Himself as “the resurrection and the life,” challenging us to move from merely knowing about eternal life to truly believing in Him. This sermon reflects on unanswered prayers, the reality of death, and the promise that in Christ, resurrection is not only a future hope but a present gift for all who trust in Him. Immanuel, God with us, serving our neighbor...

You’ve been invited to the biggest feast in history, and the host is providing the clothes. So why are people still trying to sneak in the back door? This week, we look at the radical grace of God, the "one-size-fits-all" garment of Christ’s blood, and why the road to the empty tomb always runs directly through the Cross. Immanuel, God with us, serving our neighbor and one another with His love an...

Things at church look and sound different from most of what we experience in our lives from Monday to Saturday. We call it the Divine Service. Why do we worship this way? There are many unique things we say, see, and do in the Divine Service. What does it all mean? Pastor VanOsdol continues a new study exploring the Divine Service and what it means. Immanuel, God with us, serving our neighbor and...

A man born blind sits at the temple gate, accustomed to darkness and the routine of begging. When Jesus passes by, everything changes. With mud, water, and a word of authority, Jesus opens the man’s eyes—not only to sight, but to faith. This sermon explores how the story of the man born blind is also our story: born in spiritual blindness, yet led by Christ into the light. Through the gifts Christ...

A blunt walk through Israel’s long history of rejecting God’s prophets—ending with the rejection of Christ himself. This sermon wrestles with the uncomfortable truth that we often resist God’s Word in the same way. Jesus, the rejected cornerstone, confronts our pride, sometimes breaking it through hardship so we learn to rely on Him alone. In the end, the same stone that breaks our self-reliance b...

Things at church look and sound different from most of what we experience in our lives from Monday to Saturday. We call it the Divine Service. Why do we worship this way? There are many unique things we say, see, and do in the Divine Service. What does it all mean? Pastor VanOsdol continues a new study exploring the Divine Service and what it means. Immanuel, God with us, serving our neighbor and...

Are we "good enough" to get to heaven? In this moving sermon on Romans 5, we explore the life-changing reality of justification—God’s legal declaration that we are righteous not because of our works, but because of the Cross. Immanuel, God with us, serving our neighbor and one another with His love and forgiveness. Growing in faith to share God's Grace with the greater Simpsonville area for more t...

Jesus says something startling: “I came to be crucified.” In this sermon, the strange cursing of the fig tree, Jesus’ confrontation with the religious leaders, and the parable of the two sons all point to a deeper truth about faith. Salvation does not come from our works, our effort, or our ability to produce “fruit” on demand. It comes by grace through faith in Christ—the one who came willingly t...

From a midnight meeting to the foot of the cross, the story of Nicodemus proves that faith doesn't start with understanding—it starts with the "wildest ride" of simply following. Explore why "I don't understand" might be the most faithful thing you can say. Immanuel, God with us, serving our neighbor and one another with His love and forgiveness. Growing in faith to share God's Grace with the grea...

After His triumphal entry into Jerusalem, Jesus doesn’t act “meek and mild.” He cleanses the temple with holy zeal, confronting corruption and calling God’s people back to what the temple was meant to be—a place of grace, mercy, and forgiveness. In this sermon, we reflect on Christ’s bold purpose: He came to be crucified for us. And as the One who cleansed the temple, He now lovingly cleanses us—H...

Two temptations. Two very different outcomes. In Adam, humanity falls—grasping beyond God’s word and losing everything. In Jesus, the tempter falls—because Christ refuses to let go of the Father’s promise. This sermon explores what temptation really is, why it isn’t sin in itself, and how the victory won in the wilderness is given to us as a gift. The promise that began in Eden still stands: the s...

This Lenten sermon reflects on the rise of the “Ashes to Go” movement and asks a deeper question: what is repentance, really? Drawing on Martin Luther’s first of the 95 Theses and biblical stories like Zacchaeus and the woman at the well, the message explores repentance not as a quick transaction to relieve guilt, but as a lifelong transformation worked by God Himself. Rooted in Baptism and marked...

On the Mount of Transfiguration, Peter mistakes a glimpse of glory for the summit—but the true revelation of God’s glory is found at the cross. This sermon proclaims the theology of the cross: that in Christ’s suffering, death, and resurrection, fear gives way to forgiveness and life. In Jesus, the crucified and risen Lord, we rise and have no fear. Immanuel, God with us, serving our neighbor and...

Why does the cross make no sense to human reason—and why is that exactly the point? This sermon proclaims Christ crucified as the center of the Christian faith, confronting natural human thinking, self-reliance, and distorted views of Jesus. Only by the Holy Spirit, through God’s Word and Sacraments, can we know the Lord of glory who died for our sins and rose again for our salvation. Immanuel, Go...

In this Epiphany sermon on the Beatitudes, Jesus reveals what life with him truly looks like. Drawing from the opening of the Sermon on the Mount, we hear how disciples live in blessedness before God—poor in spirit, mourning, meek, and hungry for righteousness—and how that blessed life turns outward in mercy, purity, peacemaking, and even persecution. This is Jesus speaking for himself, showing us...

When John the Baptist is arrested and silenced, Jesus begins his ministry in the most unlikely place—Galilee of the nations. This sermon explores how God’s kingdom works in reverse of our expectations: strength hidden in weakness, glory cloaked in humility, and salvation arriving where no one thinks to look. From fishermen turned apostles to ordinary means like water, words, bread, and wine, we se...

In this sermon, we reflect on the call of the first disciples during the season of Epiphany, where Christ reveals Himself not through spectacle, but through ordinary people bearing witness. Centered on Andrew bringing his brother Peter to Jesus, the message proclaims that disciples are not made by human strategy or success, but by God working through His Word and means. Christ gathers His Church t...

In this sermon, we reflect on John the Baptist, the greatest of the prophets, who was nevertheless wrong—and corrected by the Word of God. Centered on Jesus’ baptism, the message explores true repentance, not as self-driven moral reform, but as total reliance on God’s grace and mercy. Christ submits to baptism to fulfill all righteousness, placing His righteousness on us and taking our sin to the...