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
EASTER DAY
APRIL 12, 2020
Almighty God the Father, through Your only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ, You have overcome death and opened the gate of everlasting life to us. Grant that we, who celebrate with joy the day of our Lord’s resurrection, may be raised from the death of sin by Your life-giving Spirit; 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 All services and activities at St. John’s are cancelled this week. Our next service will potentially be Sunday, May 3rd . We will provide you with more details as they come. | THIS WEEK IN THE CHURCH YEAR No feast days or commemorations this week. |
ST. JOHN’S NEWS
St. John’s Closed until May 3rd – Governor Reynolds has extended Iowa’s health emergency restrictions through April 30th. This means that, Lord willing, Sunday May 3rd will be our first service together again.
Stay connected during our time away - During our time away 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.
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 at home or at church 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. If you have any bodily need in these next few weeks (like needing someone to pick you up groceries or medication, etc.) he is happy to help or to find you help.
Resources for your faith at home - St. John’s is offering a variety of resources to feed your faith during our time away. Here is a list of some of them:
- There is a table in the back of church full of devotions, prayer services, Bible studies, and Lutheran magazines. Feel free to stop in at church any time and grab some.
- Click the microphone on the homepage of stjohnsburt.org to listen to services and sermons, including all Holy Week and Easter Day services. A service folder and announcement document will be available here as well for you to follow along.
- Click on the Youtube icon on the homepage of stjohnsburt.org to see live-streamed and recorded video services from Trinity, Algona. Here is a list of upcoming services:
Palm Sunday – Sunday, April 5 – live at 9:00 a.m. (you can access later as well)
Holy Thursday – Thursday, April 9 – live at 6:00 p.m. (you can access later as well)
Stations of the Cross – Friday, April 10 – a pre-recorded video will be posted
Good Friday – Friday, April 10 – live at 6:00 p.m. (you can access later as well)
Easter Vigil – Saturday, April 11 – live at 6:00 p.m. (you can access later as well)
Easter Sunday – Sunday, April 12 – live at 9:00 a.m. (you can access later as well)
- You can also click on the Youtube icon on the stjohnsburt.org homepage to access daily video devotions from the partnership pastors.
- Follow @stjohnsburt on Facebook to receive daily online resources spanning many areas of your Christian faith.
The New Portals of Prayer Booklets are in your church bulletin boxes. You may stop by the church anytime to pick those up.
Birthday Greetings for Esther Christensen whose birthday is on Easter Sunday, April 12. You can send her a birthday card at:
Esther Christensen
Titonka Care Center
312 1st Ave. NW
Titonka, Iowa 50480
Offerings and Alms during our time away – With our cancellation extending to April 19th, our need for your financial support during our time away has become more necessary. If it is within your financial means, consider mailing your weekly offering to church or arranging to have it dropped off in person.
Also, consider planning for giving special offerings in the future for others in need as a
result of this health emergency. If this emergency has put your family in financial need,
you should feel no shame in reducing your offering to the church during this time. If
your need becomes great, don’t hesitate to contact Pastor Cowell to see if our
congregation can help in any way.
The Giving Pew - This is a reminder that the season of Lent would be a great time to take a quilt or stuffed bear from the TLC Quilter’s giving pew by the east doors at St. John’s and deliver them to a friend in need of comfort or support.
SYNOD, DISTRICT, & PARTNERSHIP NEWS
Trinity, Algona Schedule - All congregational activities at Trinity, Algona have been suspended effective immediately until further notice. You can receive updates and resources from Trinity at: trinityalgona.org/corona.
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 (Easter Sunday)
Acts 10:34–43; Colossians 3:1–4; St. Matthew 28:1–10
The Victory of the Christ Crucified is Given to You in the Preaching of His Resurrection
Every Sunday is the Lord’s Day, the day of His Resurrection, “after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week” (Matt. 28:1). In the Divine Service the Church enters upon the eternal “Eighth Day.” The Lord Jesus, “who was crucified,” who “has risen, as He said” (Matt. 28:6), is the firstborn from the dead and the first-fruits of the New Creation. Because “you have died” with Him in Holy Baptism, “you have been raised with Christ” and “your life is hidden with Christ in God” (Col. 3:1, 3). The Lord Jesus has become our God, as surely as He is “the God of all the clans of Israel,” and we now belong to His people (Jer. 31:1). In this He “shows no partiality” (Acts 10:34), but “everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins through His name” (Acts 10:43). As “God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power” and “raised Him on the third day,” He also raises us up and pours out His Spirit upon us through the Gospel (Acts 10:38, 40).
FROM THE BOOK OF CONCORD
Small Catechism, the Creed, Articles Two and Three: Redemption and Sanctification
The Second Article: Redemption
[I believe] in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.
What does this mean? Answer: I believe that Jesus Christ, true God, begotten of the Father from eternity, and also true man, born of the Virgin Mary, is my Lord. He has redeemed me, a lost and condemned creature, purchased and won me from all sins, from death, and from the power of the devil. He did this not with gold or silver, but with His holy, precious blood and with His innocent suffering and death, so that I may be His own, live under Him in His kingdom, and serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness, just as He is risen from the dead, lives and reigns to all eternity. This is most certainly true.
The Third Article: Sanctification
I believe in[…] the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
What does this mean? Answer: I believe that[…] on the Last Day He will raise up me and all the dead and will give eternal life to me and to all believers in Christ. This is most certainly true.
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