Dear Members and Friends of Immanuel Lutheran Church, I love Luther’s point above about the Palm Sunday donkey: “Christ comes not to terrify, to drive, and oppress, but to help and to take for himself our load.” He does that on the Cross. And therefore, you and I have real hope in this world!

Our Holy Week services all celebrate this world-changing love of Jesus. Here are our Holy Week services for this year:

• Palm Sunday/Passion Sunday, 11 a.m., April 13, Pastor Gregory preaches
• Maundy Thursday, 7 p.m. April 17, Pastor Lara preaches
• Good Friday, 7 p.m. April 18, Pastor Carol preaches
• Easter Vigil, 7 p.m. April 19, Pastor Greg preaches our traditional patristic sermon
• Easter Sunday, 11 a.m., April 20, Pastor Gregory preaches

Holy Week is embraced by these two great Sundays: Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday. If you have never experienced the Three Holy Days toward the end of the week, do try to attend this year. The golden hour is 7 p.m. Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and the Easter Vigil are all at 7 p.m. These are very moving services.

If you live far away, but could vacation in New York City, it would be awfully good to see you again, if not during Holy Week, then sometime! Wherever you are across our good land, have a good Holy Week. God bless you and give you peace and joy in the Easter victory of our crucified Lord Jesus.

Here is the link for our Good Friday service:

https://www.immanuelnyc.org/good-friday-april-18-2025/9976

You can tune in around 7 p.m. or watch a recording any time later.

We do not plan to live stream our Easter Vigil. For one thing, so much of that dramatic liturgy is in our darkened church that we doubt it would show up well on video. But come ahead to church for that important liturgy! It is the first celebration of Easter. 

God be with you all.  

in Christ,

Pastor Gregory Fryer