{"id":24603,"date":"2026-04-08T18:28:38","date_gmt":"2026-04-08T16:28:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.immanuel.se\/en\/2026\/nyhetsbrev-4-2026\/"},"modified":"2026-04-10T12:07:04","modified_gmt":"2026-04-10T10:07:04","slug":"newsletter-4-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.immanuel.se\/en\/2026\/newsletter-4-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"newsletter #4 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Beyond the Tomb<\/strong>  <\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Peace be with you! Jesus often used his greeting with a wish for peace and harmony. In Hebrew, it is Shalom<\/em>. Even the people of Iran greet each other with Salam<\/em>. It is a greeting derived from the same root as the Hebrew word, meaning peace, harmony and safety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

READ MORE<\/summary>\n

Both the Jews<\/strong> who speak Hebrew and the Iranians who speak Persian speak of peace with their lips. However, the land they step upon is filled with the sounds of artillery shells, screams, and wailing instead of peace. Our daily lives are much the same. We always wish for peace for one another, but illness constantly threatens our well-being, and a silent outcry for survival continues in our workplaces. Among these, the most fundamental anxiety comes from the fear of death\u2014not only my own death but also the fear of the immense loss of losing someone I love.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This news of fear reaches Jesus. It is the news that Lazarus, whom the Lord loves, has fallen ill and is dying. The name of the village where Lazarus lived, “Bethany,” literally means “House of the Poor.” In fact, Bethany was a place where the poor, alienated from the city due to “unclean” diseases such as leprosy, lived together. They lived a life of welcoming the poor and the sick, sharing their lives with them. Jesus deeply loved such people, and He stayed not in the temple filled with religious dignity and hypocrisy, but in the field of sharing where He cared for the sick and served food.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regarding Lazarus’s illness, Jesus declares, “It is an illness to reveal God’s glory.” Faith is the power to imagine the story beyond death, rather than a reality that ends in death. A person who is certain of God’s steadfast love toward them looks toward the reversal God will accomplish even in the midst of hardship. God works not by removing our hardships, but by showing the power of life breaking through even death and helplessness. Desperate situations and our weaknesses can also become tools for the glory of God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In her grief, Martha says, “If the Lord had been here.” We often regret various points in our past. We long for a non-existent present, thinking that if the past had been just a little different, our current self and future would have changed. However, Jesus invites us into the future, saying, “Your brother will rise again.” He shows that the resurrection is not an event of the distant future, but a power that awakens my despair today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In front of the tomb, the Lord who cried out “Lazarus, come out!” commands toward the resurrected Lazarus: “Unbind him, and let him go.” This amazing story of the dead Lazarus coming back to life ends with Jesus’s command, “Unbind him, and let him go.” This is because our practice of freeing those bound by the chains of death is more important than the miracle itself. It is because we have the mission to unbind and let go of those who are still bound in a state where they cannot see, speak, or walk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A passage from Human Acts<\/em> by the Nobel Prize-winning author Han Kang comes to mind: “Because I couldn’t give you a funeral after you died, my life became a funeral.” In contrast to our lips proclaiming the resurrection, the world is still deeply shrouded in stories of funerals that could not be held and lives that have become funerals. The present created by the past robs us of hope, saying that things have reached an irreversible point. However, we seek hope in the footsteps of Jesus\u2014in the steps of Him who overcame death and rose again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Encouraging the person next to us, understanding and forgiving, laughing and grieving together, and not forcing one’s own rightness\u2014all of these are the great works of love that can bring much of humanity out of the tomb today. Please do not forget that it is not the narrow logic of those with power, but our ordinary lives filled with love that become the driving force that sustains this world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n

Kun Mi Lee<\/strong>
Pastor in the Korean Fellowship<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Annual Meeting April 26!<\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

You are warmly invited to the annual meeting on April 26!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Date:<\/strong> Sunday, April 26 | Time: <\/strong>13:15 | Location: <\/strong>Congressen<\/p>\n\n\n\n

READ MORE<\/summary>\n

The documents for the meeting are available on our website under the member pages. If you need help logging in or have forgotten your password, please contact Alice Forss at alice.forss@immanuelskyrkan.se<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In preparation for the annual meeting<\/strong>, there will be a discussion forum on April 19<\/strong>
at 13:15, after the services.

Topics for discussion include:<\/strong>
\u2022The congregation\u2019s finances in 2025 and the 2026 budget
\u2022Proposal for expanded social housing
\u2022Proposal for more small meeting rooms
\u2022Proposal for a printed calendar<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Voting cards are collected in Paus, outside Congressen, between 12:15 and 13:10<\/strong>. Please note that the voting card is personal and can only be picked up by yourself. You need to be a member and have a voting card to attend the annual meeting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For those who have pre-ordered lunch (There will be a vegetarian pasta dish!), it can be collected in Paus after the service. Remember to bring your lunch ticket.<\/strong> We are extending the deadline to purchase a lunch ticket to this Sunday, April 12.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n

We look forward to a meaningful afternoon together.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

You are warmly welcome!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Welcome to Stockholm Kulturnatt at Immanuel Church & Hotel Birger Jarl <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

April 18,2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One evening \u2013 three stages \u2013 music in all its forms.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Kulturnatt is the biggest music event Immanuel Church hosts each year, featuring nearly all our choirs, orchestras, and several soloists. Experience an evening full of music in every form, with a focus on diversity in styles, moods, and expressions. You will be able to move between three stages. Refreshments are available for purchase at Immanuel Church, and the restaurant at Hotel Birger Jarl will remain open throughout the evening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
READ MORE AT IMMANUEL.SE<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n
SEE THE EVENING’S PROGRAM<\/summary>\n

Program<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

SANCTUARY (upstairs)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n