Last Sunday I made the comment that death has a way of prioritizing the more important things of life. It focuses us on what really matters, and perhaps more importantly, what doesn’t matter. The truth is most of the stuff of life doesn’t really matter. It’s not that it’s not
English Sermons
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The Christian lives as wheat among weeds
By Pastor Seth Haakenson on August 1, 2020If you happened to be present last Sunday, you may remember that the Gospel lesson dealt with the Parable of the Sower. And whether Pastor Radunzel preached on that particular text or not, the overall worship theme was The Christian is planted by the Word and produces fruit. In other
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God is generous with his seed. Be generous in your use of it, too.
By Pastor Seth Haakenson on July 25, 2020One of the challenges in preaching on this text is the sheer familiarity with it for so many. And yet, we all know that is easy to hear the words someone says without paying attention to what they are actually saying. Perhaps your wife has made the comment on a
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Jesus’ invitation is the most welcome of all
By Pastor Seth Haakenson on July 18, 2020Dear Friends in Christ, You and I receive all kinds of invitations. Some of them we classify as unwelcome. For example, the IRS invites you to explain some of the deductions on your tax return. Other invitations, we classify as too good to be true. Like the email I recently
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The Christian Loves God Most of All
By Pastor Seth Haakenson on July 11, 2020The Christian Loves God Most of All (Matthew 10:34-42 / Pentecost 6 / July 12, 2020) One of the truths of life that I’ve grown to appreciate over the years is how much our assumptions color the way we see the world. For example, see if you’ve ever heard these
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Courageously Confess Your Christ!
By Pastor Seth Haakenson on July 4, 2020Courageously Confess Your Christ! (Matthew 10:24-33 / Pentecost 5—July 5, 2020) Last Sunday we looked at Matthew’s account of Jesus sending out the Twelve into public ministry. He said, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into
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Our Ministry is Given by God out of Compassion for His People
By Pastor Seth Haakenson on June 27, 2020Our Ministry is Given by God out of Compassion for His People (Matthew 9:35-10:8 / June 28, 2020) For three weeks now we have been looking at various texts from the Gospel of Matthew under the theme of “Our Ministry”. It is really God’s ministry that takes place in our
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Our Ministry is Filled with People Whom God has Called Out of His Mercy
By Pastor Seth Haakenson on June 20, 2020Our Ministry is Filled with People Whom God has Called Out of His Mercy (Matthew 9:9-13 / June 21, 2020) Every time I speak on the topic of God’s mercy my mind immediately goes back to a man in the Dominican Republic. My wife and I were missionaries at the
Sermones en español
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Cristo puede darte más. (Mateo 13:44-52)
By Pastor Seth Haakenson on August 8, 2020El domingo pasado hice el comentario de que la muerte tiene una forma de priorizar las cosas más importantes de la vida. Nos enfoca en lo que realmente importa, y quizás más importante, lo que no importa. La verdad es que la mayoría de las cosas de la vida no
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El Cristiano vive como el trigo entre la mala hierba
By Pastor Seth Haakenson on August 1, 2020Si vieron el video del domingo pasado, puede que recuerden que el sermón se trataba de la Parábola del Sembrador. El pensamiento principal fue que el cristiano es plantado por la semilla de la Palabra. En otras palabras, la pregunta que se hizo el domingo pasado fue: ¿Cómo se convierte
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Dios es generoso con su semilla. Sé generoso en su uso, también.
By Pastor Seth Haakenson on July 25, 2020Uno de los desafíos de predicar sobre este texto es la gran familiaridad con él para muchos. Y sin embargo, todos sabemos que es fácil escuchar las palabras que alguien dice sin prestar atención a lo que realmente están diciendo. Tal vez su esposa ha hecho el comentario en varias
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La invitación de Jesús es la más bienvenida de todas
By Pastor Seth Haakenson on July 18, 2020Queridos amigos en Cristo, Ustedes y yo recibimos todo tipo de invitaciones. Algunas de ellas las clasificamos como no bienvenidas. Por ejemplo, Hacienda le invita a explicar algunas de las deducciones de su declaración de impuestos. Otras invitaciones, las clasificamos como demasiado buenas para ser verdad. Como el correo electrónico
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El Cristiano ama a Dios sobre todo
By Pastor Seth Haakenson on July 11, 2020El cristiano ama a Dios sobre todo (Mateo 10:34-42 / Pentecostés 6 / 12 de julio de 2020) Una de las verdades de la vida que he llegado a apreciar a lo largo de los años es lo mucho que nuestras suposiciones colorean la forma en que vemos el mundo.
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¡Confiesa con valor a tu Cristo!
By Pastor Seth Haakenson on July 4, 2020¡Confiesa con valor a tu Cristo! (Mateo 10:24-33 / 5 de julio de 2020) El domingo pasado estudiamos el relato de Mateo de Jesús enviando a sus discípulos al ministerio público. Él dijo: “La cosecha es abundante, pero son pocos los obreros. Pídanle, por tanto, al Señor de la cosecha,
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Nuestro ministerio es dado por Dios por compasión por su pueblo
By Pastor Seth Haakenson on June 27, 2020Nuestro ministerio es dado por Dios por compasión por su pueblo (Mateo 9:35—10:8 / 28 de junio, 2020) Durante tres semanas hemos estado viendo varios textos del Evangelio de Mateo bajo el tema de "Nuestro ministerio". Realmente es el ministerio de Dios que se lleva a cabo en nuestra congregación,
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Nuestro ministerio está lleno de personas a quienes Dios ha llamado desde su misericordia
By Pastor Seth Haakenson on June 20, 2020Nuestro ministerio está lleno de personas a quienes Dios ha llamado desde su misericordia (Mateo 9:9-13 / 21 de junio de 2020) Cada vez que hablo sobre el tema de la misericordia de Dios, mi mente vuelve inmediatamente a un hombre en la República Dominicana. Mi esposa y yo éramos
Pastors
Pastor Steven Radunzel
Assistant Pastor - Retired
Pastor Seth Haakenson
Lead Pastor
Team Members
Pastor Steven Radunzel
Assistant Pastor - RetiredGraduated from Norhtwestern College, in Watertown, WI and received a Divinity Degree from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary, in Mequon, WI, in 1979. Pastor Radunzel has further earned a Master of Arts Degree in Clinical Psychology from the IL School of Professional Psychology in 1991. Pastor Radunzel has served at Immanuel since 1996.
Team Members
Pastor Seth Haakenson
Lead PastorAlthough Pastor Haakenson was born in Youngstown, Ohio, he grew up on the U.S. Mexican border in Douglas, Arizona. There he attended public schools until enrolling in Martin Luther College in New Ulm, Minnesota. Following his graduation in 2000, Pastor Haakenson went on to pursue his Masters of Divinity at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary. While there, he served as a vicar in Puerto Rico where he became fluent in Spanish. Upon graduating from the seminary, Pastor Haakenson’s first public ministry assignment was as a missionary to the Dominican Republic. Later, he accepted a Divine Call to begin a Spanish-speaking ministry in Milwaukee, WI. In 2013 Pastor Haakenson switched gears somewhat and became the Campus Pastor of Nebraska Lutheran High School in Waco, Nebraska. That led him to where he currently serves his Savior, right here in Waukegan, IL at Immanuel Lutheran. It’s interesting to note that God has blessed Pastor Haakenson once again with the privilege of establishing a Spanish-speaking ministry alongside the already established congregation at Immanuel. He is also blessed to have his wife, Monica, and his four daughters (Anna, Natalia, Micaela, Eva) serve God alongside him.