Announcements
St. John’s Lutheran Church
109 Maple St. Burt, Iowa|Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod
Pastor: Rev. Thomas Cowell Secretary: Rosann Shipler
Pastor’s Cell: 319-464-5548 Church Office: 515-924-3344 stjohnsburt.org
Pastor’s Email: pastor@stjohnsburt.org Church Email: churchoffice@stjohnsburt.org
THE FIRST SUNDAY AFTER CHRISTMAS
December 29, 2019
O God, our Maker and Redeemer, You wonderfully created us and in the incarnation of Your Son yet more wondrously restored our human nature. Grant that we may ever be alive in Him who made Himself to be like us; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
THIS WEEK AT ST. JOHN’S Today, December 29 8:00 a.m. Bible Study (No Sunday School) 9:00 a.m. Divine Service (Christmas 1) © Tuesday, December 31 7:00 p.m. New Year’s Eve - Trinity Sunday, January 5 8:00 a.m. No Sunday School/Adult Class) 9:00 a.m. Divine Service (Epiphany) Guest: Pastor May 10:00 a.m. Presentation by Pastor May 11:00 a.m. Soup Luncheon | THIS WEEK IN THE CHURCH YEAR Sunday, December 29 Commemoration of David Wednesday, January 1 Feast of the Circumcision and Name of Jesus Thursday, January 2 Commemoration of J. K. Wilhelm Loehe, Pastor |
ST. JOHN’S NEWS
Organist Today: Marcia Hanna Ushers for December: Tony Hatten & Joe Heyes
Acolyte: none assigned Elder for December: Boyd Shipler
Greeters Today: Roger and Harold Lavrenz Greeters Next Week: Donna & Melvin Haase
Adult Bible Study - Our Sunday morning adult Bible study class is discussing the benefits of meditating on the six chief parts of the Catechism through Scripture and prayer. We’ll be using the book The Lord Will Answer: A Daily Prayer Catechism. A copy of the book will be provided for everyone to use.
Parish Messenger Articles are due in to Linda Kerkove today. This is for the January/February edition.
Annual Report: The end of the year will be here soon! If you’re responsible for a report for the annual yearbook, it can be emailed to the church office at churchoffice@stjohnsburt.org - or bring it to the church office.
Thank You to all for the most generous giving to our 3 adopted families. We received so many gifts for each family. Deb Steven
Thrivent Shirts are available in the Library for free.
Reminder to all Members - If you are the last one to leave the church at anytime, please be sure that all the lights are off and all doors are locked. Trustees
Usher, Greeter, Acolyte Sign-Ups - On the back table are sign-up sheets for greeters, ushers, and acolytes to give you an opportunity to sign up for a spot that works for you. Feel free to sign your name on more than one line!
St. John’s Flocknote - As a new Church Year begins now would be a good time to review your St. John’s text message and email options! See the Flocknote information sheet on the back table for the types of communication you can receive through text or email. You can sign up or change your options yourself from the instructions provided, or if you fill out the sheet and leave it at the church office we are happy to sign you up or make changes for you.
- Also note that there is a new Flocknote option this year called “St. John’s Volunteers.
Sign up for this option if you would like to receive messages from St. John’s about
volunteer opportunities within our congregation, partnership, or community.
James May Visit - Pastor James May, missionary with Lutherans in Africa, will be joining us at St. John’s on Sunday, January 5. He will preach at our Divine Service and give a presentation on his mission work after the service.
Soup Lunch for Lutherans in Africa - Join us in the church basement for a soup lunch after Pastor May’s mission presentation on January 5th after service. The freewill offering for the lunch will go toward the mission work of Lutherans in Africa.
Soup Luncheon Sign-Up - There are sign up sheets on the back table for buns and bars/cookies that are needed for the Soup Luncheon when Pastor May is here on January 5. Please have them at the church that morning. Thank you - Mission Board
Installation of Officers - All new and returning council members will be installed during the service on January 12th.
Council Meeting - We will have a council meeting after church on January 12. Voter’s Meeting will be held on Sunday, January 19.
Cowell Family Epiphany Open House - You are invited to continue your holiday cheer at the Cowell house on January 12 from 2:00-5:00! Once you’ve finished celebrating Christmas with your family, you’ll have this opportunity to celebrate Epiphany with your church family. The Cowell’s live at 609 E Kennedy St. in Algona.
Come join Us! The LWML would like to invite all ladies of the church to consider joining the LWML Group. We are in need of more people who can help to carry out our projects for the coming year. Our meetings ar usually held on the 1st Thursday of the month at 1:30 p.m. (Winter months sometimes we don’t meet). It is a good time to share our faith with our sisters in Christ. Please consider joining us in the new year. Contact: Bev Skadburg
SYNOD, DISTRICT, & PARTNERSHIP NEWS
New Year’s Eve Service - Trinity, Algona invites you to their New Year’s Eve Divine Service (with Communion) on January 31 at 7:00 p.m.
Strengthening Marriage Workshop - The Iowa District West Education and Family Life Committee is hosting a marriage strengthening workshop for all married couples on Saturday, February 8th from 9:00-2:00 at Trinity, Algona. This workshop will benefit both those who are recently married to those who have been married for many years. Toni Larson, Licensed Counselor from Lutheran Family Service will lead us through a time to grow in communication skills, understand how God has uniquely designed man and woman, and lead you in focusing on your relationship. Morning refreshments and lunch are provided, as well as childcare if needed. The cost is $40 per couple (paid the morning of the workshop). Register by Feb. 3rd at:
www.surveymonkey.com/r/Strengthening_Marriages_Workshop.
LECTIONARY SUMMARY (Christmas 1)
Isaiah 63:7–14; Galatians 4:4–7; Matthew 2:13–23
The Lord Jesus Undergoes a New Exodus in order to Save His People from Their Sins
Herod’s efforts to destroy the little Lord Jesus anticipate the cross for which He was born. In response to Herod’s edict, Joseph must “take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt” (Matt. 2:13). But the Lord does not abandon the holy family there. He brings about salvation for all people, just as He “had spoken by the prophet, ‘Out of Egypt I called my son’” (Matt. 2:15). With might and strength, God accompanies His people causing “His glorious arm to go at the right hand of Moses” (Is. 63:12). Now through Jesus, even our afflictions are borne by Christ on the cross, “He redeemed them; he lifted them up and carried them” (Is. 63:9). All of this is accomplished by God’s might so that we too are claimed as members of His family. For we “receive adoption as sons” in the only-begotten Son, Christ Jesus, even as He became like us by His conception and birth of the woman. Thus redeemed by Christ, no longer slaves of sin and death but beloved children and heirs of God, we pray in Jesus’ name: “Abba! Father!” (Gal. 4:4–6).
FROM THE BOOK OF CONCORD
Solid Declaration of the Formula of Concord, Article VIII: The Person of Christ, para. 6, 11
We believe, teach, and confess that God's Son from eternity has been a particular, distinct, entire, divine person. Yet He is true, essential, perfect God with the Father and the Holy Sprit. In the fullness of time He received also the human nature into the unity of His person. He did not do this in such a way that there are now two persons or two Christs. Christ Jesus is now in one person at the same time true, eternal God, born of the Father from eternity, and a true man, born of the most blessed Virgin Mary. This is written in Romans 9:5, "from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ who is God over all, blessed forever."
[...] since the incarnation, each nature in Christ does not exist by itself so that each is a separate person. These two natures are so united that they make up one single person, in which the divine and the received human nature are and exist at the same time. So now, since the incarnation, there belongs to the entire person of Christ personally not only His divine nature, but also His received human nature. So without His divinity, and also without His humanity, the person of Christ or the incarnate Son of God is not complete. We mean the Son of God who has received flesh and become man [John 1:14]. Christ is not two distinct persons, but one single person, even though two distinct natures are found in Him, unconfused in their natural essence and properties.
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