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 FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
June 28, 2020
Almighty God, by the working of Your Holy Spirit, grant that we may gladly hear Your Word proclaimed among us and follow its directing; through 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, June 28 9:00 a.m. Divine Service (Pentecost 4) (C) Sunday, July 5 9:00 a.m. Divine Service (Pentecost 5) (C) | THIS WEEK IN THE CHURCH YEAR June 28 Commemoration of Irenaeus of Lyons, Pastor June 29 Feast of St. Peter and St. Paul, Apostles July 2 Feast of The Visitation |
ST. JOHN’S NEWS
Organist Today: Marcia Hanna
Elder for June: Jerry Koestler
Get Well Cards - Joel Smith is continuing his recovery at home now in Swea City. He loves hearing from everyone so feel free to send a card and let him know he is in your prayers. Joel’s address is 305 1st St. PO Box 86, Swea City, Iowa 50590
Portals of Prayer Booklets for July-September are in a basket in the back of the church instead of each mailbox. Feel free to pick one up or deliver one to a friend!
Masks - Adult masks and children masks are on the table in the back of the church. If you need an extra mask to keep in your car when you travel to various places or go into stores or doctor offices, please feel free to take one.
New Weekly Announcements Email - St. John’s has started emailing our weekly announcements through Flocknote. If you would like to receive these weekly announcements in a computer or smartphone-friendly format, contact the church office and we can add you to the list. You can also contact the church office to update any of your Flocknote preferences.
Holy Communion available - If you are not comfortable coming to the Sunday service but would still like to receive Holy Communion, you are welcome to participate in a Divine Service in the sanctuary at St. John’s during the week by appointment. Bread and wine will be laid out before your arrival and Pastor can maintain plenty of distance during the service. If you are not able to come to the sanctuary, we can arrange a safe way for you to receive the Lord’s Supper at home. Feel free to call Pastor Cowell on his cell phone at 319-464-5548 to set up a time to meet.
Take-Home VBS hosted by area congregations - Immanuel Lotts Creek, St. John’s Fenton, St. Luke’s Fairville, and St. Paul’s Whittemore are hosting a take-home VBS. If you would like to receive a packet for a self/parent led VBS for home for your child, grandchild, or your child’s friends ages 3 through middle school, contact Denise Chrischilles at dchrischilles@hotmail.com 515-344-2973 or Janie Eischen at janiee@ncn.net 515-320-3258 with the names and ages or grade completed of the children. Please sign-up by Wednesday, July 1st. There will be a “hand out” day for the packets sometime in late July. More details to follow!
St. John’s Kids - St. John’s Kids is a collection of short videos on the liturgy, Small Catechism, and other topics of the Christian faith. These videos can benefit “kids” of all ages! View them by clicking on the “St. John’s Kids YouTube Channel” icon on the homepage of stjohnsburt.org.
Pastor’s Corner - There is a new tab at stjohnsburt.org called the “Pastor’s Corner.” Here you’ll find a collection of resources we’ve been using to learn at St. John’s during the past three years. Check back often as new content is added to this page each week. If you have any recommendations for content for either the Youtube channel or Pastor’s Corner, feel free to let Pastor Cowell know!
Offerings and alms during our time away – We thank God for blessing us with the tools and resources to continue the distribution of His grace at St. John’s, and we thank God for blessing us with faithful Christians to fund our ministry and operational expenses. Keep up the good work! Also note that 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.
St. John’s Vacation Bible School - This year St. John’s is hosting a "family VBS." This means that we are encouraging all our members and friends of all ages to join the kids as we learn what it means to be a Christian family as well as a Christian church family. The VBS will be on four Wednesday evenings from 5:30-7:30, with supper being at 5:30. Our big uncertainty right now is when we will be able to have our first VBS Wednesday! We will let you know as soon as we have the dates set. If you would like to volunteer at the VBS in any capacity, please let Pastor or a member of the Board of Education know and we’ll find you a spot to serve.
SYNOD, DISTRICT, & PARTNERSHIP NEWS
Trinity, Algona Schedule - As Trinity, Algona opens their worship in their church building today, note that they will continue their livestreamed service and other online resources in the coming months. You can find all these resources from Trinity at: trinityalgona.org/corona.
Camp Okoboji has cancelled summer programs, but is still renting out the Family Ministry Cabins. See campokoboji.org for more information.
Building Healthy Families - LFS workers are busy in all parts of Iowa serving young women who are pregnant without the benefit of marriage and couples who are ready to grow their family through the gift of adoption. You can be part of this work in three important ways: 1) If you know of someone who is pregnant and needs help to make a plan for her life and the life of her child, help them contact LFS; 2) If you know a married man and woman with a strong Christian faith who want to build their family through traditional or embryo adoption, direct them to LFS; and 3) If God has blessed you with resources beyond what you need for your daily life, help support this life-work which depends heavily on partnership gifts of all sizes from Lutherans here in Iowa. Make a gift today by mail or through the LFS web site. Together we’re in the LIFE business! Lutheran Family Service -
COMMUNITY NEWS
Burt Summer Celebration is being held on Saturday, July 11th. Our schedule of events have changed due to the Covid. We will have the parade in the evening beginning at 5:00 p.m. Following the parade at the Complex there will be a Food stand at 6:00 p.m. sponsored by the Kossuth County Fair Board and Music by Emma Elsbecker. The Street Dance will begin at 9:00 p.m. and the Burt Fire Department will have Fire Works at the Athletic Field at 10:00 p.m. Bring your lawn chairs and come and enjoy some time in Burt.
LECTIONARY SUMMARY (Proper 8)
Old Testament: Jeremiah 28:5-9
Jeremiah speaks with Hananiah the prophet concerning his prophecy of the return of vessels of the house of the Lord and along with all the exiles from Babylon.
Epistle: Romans 7:1-13
St. Paul explains that the law of God shows us our sins, but that by our Baptism into Jesus we have died to the law and live a new life in the Spirit.
Gospel: Matthew 10:34-42
Jesus sums up the faith of His true disciples by saying: “Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”
LCMS MEMORY VERSE CHALLENGE
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. - Romans 3:23–24
LESSONS ON THE LITURGY
The Cassock and Surplice
The black gown that Pastor wears is called a cassock. The white garment on top of it is a surplice. There is a long and complicated history as to how pastors came to wear the cassock and surplice, but these vestments also teach two simple lessons. Notice how the white vestment covers the black, just as the righteousness of Christ covers our sin in Baptism. Notice also that when Pastor is wearing his vestments you can only see his head and his hands. In this way you are drawn to focus on his head (particularly his mouth) which proclaims God’s Word to you and his hands which deliver God’s Sacraments and blessing to you.
FROM THE BOOK OF CONCORD
Formula of Concord, Solid Declaration, Article VI: The Third Use of God's Law, para. 21-23
The Law is also necessary in and with believers' good works. Otherwise, a person can easily imagine that his work and life are entirely pure and perfect. God's Law prescribes good works to believers in this way: it shows and indicates at the same time, as in a mirror, that in this life works are still imperfect and impure in us. Paul recognizes from the Law that his good works are imperfect (Romans 7:7-13).
Although in this life the good works of believers are imperfect and impure because of sin in the flesh, nevertheless they are acceptable and well pleasing to God. However, the Law does not teach how and why the good works of believers are acceptable. It demands a completely perfect, pure obedience if it is to please God. But the Gospel teaches that our spiritual offerings are acceptable to God through faith for Christ's sake (1 Peter 2:5; Hebrews 11:4;13:5). In this way Christians are not under the Law, but under grace (Romans 6:14). For by faith in Christ the persons are freed from the Law's curse and condemnation. Their good works, although they are still imperfect and impure, are acceptable to God through Christ. Because, in so far as they have been born anew according to the inner man, they do what is pleasing to God. They act not by coercio
