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
FOURTH SUNDAY OF EASTER
MAY 3, 2020
Almighty God, merciful Father, since You have wakened from death the Shepherd of Your sheep, grant us Your Holy Spirit that when we hear the voice of our Shepherd we may know Him who calls us each by name and follow where He leads; through the same Jesus Christ, Your Son, 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, May 3 9:00 a.m. Divine Service (Easter 4) (C) Sunday, May 15 9:00 a.m. Divine Service (Easter 5) (C) | THIS WEEK IN THE CHURCH YEAR May 7 Commemoration of C.F.W. Walther May 9 Commemoration of Job, Patriarch |
ST. JOHN’S NEWS
Organist Today: Marcia Hanna Elder for May: Tony Hatten
Baptism - We rejoice today to witness the Baptism of Alexander James and Reyna Rene, children of Jesse and Kelly Fitzgerald! Alex and Reyna’s sponsors are: Jace and Brodi Alt and Jeremy and Danielle Holdorf.
Parish Messenger Articles for the June/July/August edition is due into Linda Kerkove by May 17, 2020.
Carefully consider your return to church - We rejoice that those who are able can attend the Divine Service at St. John’s once again. However, we urge you to take personal responsibility for determining whether or not you should be coming to church Sunday morning. If your age or health puts you at advanced danger of illness, please stay home at this time. Likewise if you have been traveling or are not feeling well, please stay home. This is the best way you can love your neighbor at this time. You should feel no judgement from God or your congregation for taking these precautions. We at St. John’s are happy to support you as you make the best decision for your own unique personal situation.
Pastoral care available - Pastor Cowell continues to be available for pastoral care. He is happy to hear your confession and absolve your sins or to give you Holy Communion individually at any time. If you are not comfortable visiting or being visited, he is happy to talk with you on the phone. His cell phone is 319-464-5548.
Resources for your faith at home - St. John’s will continue to offer a variety of resources to feed your faith during our time away until you feel comfortable returning to church. Here is a list of some of them:
- You’ll find in the back of church devotions, prayer services, Bible studies, and Lutheran magazines. Feel free to stop in at church any time and grab some. Don’t forget about our church library as well!
- We will continue to post a Matins service and sermon at stjohnsburt.org. Click the microphone on the homepage to access it.
- Click on the Trinity YouTube icon on the homepage of stjohnsburt.org to see live-streamed and recorded video services from Trinity, Algona, daily video devotions from the partnership pastors, evening prayer Mondays at 7:00 p.m., “Ask the Pastors” Wednesdays at 10:00 a.m., and morning prayer Thursdays at 9:00 a.m.
- Click on the “St. John’s Kids” YouTube icon on the homepage of stjohnsburt.org to access the new St. John’s YouTube channel. Currently there is a series of kids videos on various topics of the faith. But, here's a secret: these videos are good for adults as well!
- Follow @stjohnsburt on Facebook to receive daily online resources spanning many areas of your Christian faith.
Offerings and alms during our time away – St. John’s has a long history of generosity in terms of financially supporting our own ministry as well as that of the Church across the world. This generosity has continued in our present situation. Thank you to everyone who has been mailing in your offerings to our Lord during our time away! With the uncertain economic future of many of our members, now is the time to consider St. John’s your special mission project. If it is within your financial means, consider giving above your regular tithe to the work of the ministry at St. John’s until life begins to return to normal. Also, if you or your family has encountered any financial hardship during this time, don’t hesitate to contact Pastor Cowell to see if our congregation can help in any way.
Stay connected during our time away - During this time please be sure that the church has your current phone, cell phone, and email. Also be sure that your Flocknote communication preferences are up to date. You can call Pastor Cowell at 319-464-5548 if you need help with this. Flocknote will be our means of communicating the most important details about our schedule in the weeks to come.
SYNOD, DISTRICT, & PARTNERSHIP NEWS
Trinity, Algona Schedule - All congregational activities at Trinity, Algona have been suspended until further notice. You can receive updates and resources from Trinity at: trinityalgona.org/corona.
Building Healthy Families While Staying Home: God values you and me. We may be fearful. We may be alone. We may feel lonely. But we are never more valued and loved by our heavenly Father through Jesus. Take advantage of time at home, of time alone to be reminded, “But the LORD is in his holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before him” (Habakkuk 2:20). Have you wanted more quiet time to be with God? Here’s your chance. The LORD is indeed in His temple. He is in charge and at work in all of this. He works in your life during all of this. You are not alone. Lutheran Family Service
COMMUNITY NEWS
Churches of Burt Volunteer Facebook Group - The Churches of Burt organization has created a Facebook group with the purpose of connecting people who need help with people who are willing to help. It is our hope that this group will facilitate Christian mercy in our community. You can search “Churches of Burt Volunteers/Help Wanted” to join the group. Or, if you would like to offer a volunteer service or are in need of help but don’t have a Facebook account, contact Pastor Cowell and he will post your request for you.
LECTIONARY SUMMARY (Fourth Sunday of Easter)
First Reading: Acts 2:42-47
This text describes the pattern of worship and life for the first Christians after Pentecost.
Epistle: 1 Peter 2:19-25
St. Peter explains the example of righteous suffering which Christ gives to us.
Gospel: John 10:1-10
Jesus uses the imagery of sheep and shepherds to teach His disciples about His authority and His desire to lead us to eternal life.
LCMS MEMORY VERSE CHALLENGE
In this is love, not that we have loved God but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. - John 4:10
LESSONS ON THE LITURGY
Hands at Prayer
We don’t know exactly how the tradition of folding our hands during prayer began. The important thing is that when we pray our hands are resting hands. These resting hands are hands of faith. As we fold our hands together and put them to rest we direct our eyes and hearts to the nail-marked hands of Jesus. These crucified hands of Jesus, which have done every necessary work for us, are always the answer to our prayers.
FROM THE BOOK OF CONCORD
Formula of Concord, Epitome, Article II: Free Will, paragraphs 3-6
The unregenerate will of mankind has an inclination and desire for that which is evil and contrary to God, as it is written in Genesis 8:21, "the intention of man's heart is evil from his youth." For it is written in Ephesians 2:5, "even when we were dead in our trespasses, [He] made us alive together with Christ." And 2 Corinthians 3:5 says, "Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God."
God the Holy Spirit, however, does not bring about conversion without means. For this purpose He uses the preaching and hearing of God's Word, as it is written in Romans 1:16, the Gospel "is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes." Also Romans 10:17 says, "Faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ." It is God's will that His Word should be heard. With this Word the Holy Spirit is present and opens hearts, so that people pay attention to it and are converted only through the Holy Spirit's grace and power, who alone does the work of converting a person. For without His grace, and if He does not grant the increase, our willing and running, our planting, sowing, and watering—are all nothing. As Christ says, "apart from Me you can do nothing." The Spirit ascribes everything to God's grace, in order that no one may boast before God.
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