Announcements
Announcements
March 3, 2019
The Transfiguration of Our Lord
Collect of the Day - O God, in the glorious transfiguration of Your beloved Son You confirmed the mysteries of the faith by the testimony of Moses and Elijah. In the voice that came from the bright cloud You wonderfully foreshowed our adoption by grace. Mercifully make us co-heirs with the King in His glory and bring us to the fullness of our inheritance in heaven; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Shrove Tuesday - Join us at Trinity Lutheran Church Tuesday, March 5th for our first annual Shrove Tuesday Partnership Pancake Supper. We'll begin at 6:00 p.m. with corporate Confession and Absolution in the sanctuary, followed by a pancake supper in the Life Center at 6:15. Pick up a flier on the back table for more information about the history of the Shrove Tuesday celebration.
* If you would like to help cook the pancakes, sausage, etc. for the supper, please sign up on the back table.
Lenten Schedule Cards – In your box is a note that lists our service schedule for Lent and Easter. Feel free to hand deliver a note from a friend’s box or from the cards on the back table and encourage them to join you in the pew this Lent. There are also some unaddressed cards on the back table if you would like to invite someone who is not a member to join us this Lent and Easter.
Lent Devotion Books Available - Feel free to pick up a Lenten daily devotion book on the back table for yourself or deliver one to a friend. You can also read or listen to an audio version of these devotions online at: higherthings.org/news/reflections-for-lent-and-holy-week-2019-now-available/. Another daily devotion for Lent based on the Ten Commandments can be found at: https://steadfastlutherans.org/2019/02/2019-lenten-devotion-now-available/. Don't be shy about taking the printed copies; we can always print more if needed.
Ash Wednesday Service with Holy Communion will be March 6th at 6:30 p.m.
LWML Ladies Aid Group will meet on Thursday, March 7th at 1:30 p.m. Barb Harms is in charge of Devotions and Pastor Cowell will lead the Bible Study. Hostess for the day is Caradene Parsons.
Holy Week/Easter Choir - St. John's needs your voice! We are planning for a choir to sing on Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday. We'll be practicing in the balcony after church on March 17, 24, 31 and April 7 and 14. All ages and experience levels are welcome to sing; the songs will be fairly simple to learn.
Weekday Lenten Prayer Services - During Lent St. John's will be having a fifteen minute spoken Matins service along with prayers for those in need every Tuesday and Thursday at 8:30 a.m. in the sanctuary, followed by coffee for those who wish to stay. I pray (and drink coffee) every morning during Lent anyway, so I figured you all could join me as well! The first of these services will be Tuesday, March 12. Trinity will also be having a morning prayer service Mondays at 8:30 a.m. during Lent.
Special Lenten Bible Study - We'll be having a special Bible study following the midweek Lent services on March 13, 20, 27 and April 3 and 10 to further explore the blessings of every-Sunday Communion. We'll begin the study in the sanctuary shortly after the service ends and go for about a half hour each night. The study will be largely driven by your questions and comments on the topic, so if you have any lingering curiosities/concerns about the history, practice, and blessing of every-Sunday Communion this would be a great time to ask about them!
Thrivent Choice Dollars for 2018 will be expiring soon! If you are a Thrivent member, you may be eligible to participate and direct Thrivent Choice Dollars to St. John’s. Go to www.thrivent.com/thriventchoice or call 800-THRIVENT (800-847-4836) before March 31 and say “Thrivent choice”. Reminder: $250 Community Impact Gift Cards are also available (2 per member per year).
Prayer for Unity - In addition to our Sunday prayers for our LCMS congregations, we will also begin to pray for the other Christian congregations in our area. As we pray for these congregations we remember both our common love for our Triune God as well as our desire for the pure truth of the Word to create greater unity among us. If you would like us to add a specific congregation to our list, please let Pastor Cowell or Rosann know.
Lessons on the Liturgy - Fat Tuesday
Contrary to popular belief Fat Tuesday, or Mardi Gras, did not originate as a day of wild debauchery before the drudgery of Lent began. The Tuesday before Ash Wednesday, sometimes also called Shrove Tuesday or Carnival, was a day for Christians to clear out all the distractions from their houses so that they could focus solely on the merits of Christ’s passion for the forty days of Lent. This meant first and foremost clearing the sins out of their hearts by receiving private confession and absolution from their pastor, setting them on the right track of repentance and faith for the season of Lent. The second task was to clear all of the fat or other foods out of the house that one would be giving up for the Lenten fast. Not wanting to simply throw these ingredients out, the tradition of feasting on pancakes and other fattening foods came about, hence “Fat” Tuesday. As Fat Tuesday approaches, consider how the practice of private confession and absolution and the practice of fasting might be profitable to your faith during this Lenten season.
Chili Dinner Fundraiser – Good Samaritan Society of Algona will hold its 7th Annual Chili Dinner on March 10, 2019 from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. at the Trinity Life Center, Algona. A Free will donation will be taken with the proceeds to go towards the purchase of Nu-Steps.
Burt Lions Club French Toast Breakfast will be held at the Burt Community Center on Saturday, March 9th from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. Serving: French Toast, Sausage and Drinks.
This Week at St. John’s – (March 3, 2019-March 10, 2019)
Acolyte Today: Breckin Borchardt
Ushers for March: *Lucas Parsons & Chris Heyes
Elder for March: Boyd Shipler
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