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 HOLY TRINITY

June 7, 2020 

 

Almighty and everlasting God, You have given us grace to acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity by the confession of a true faith and to worship the Unity in the power of the Divine Majesty. Keep us steadfast in this faith and defend us from all adversities; for You, O Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, live and reign, one God, now and forever. Amen. 

 

THIS WEEK AT ST. JOHN’S Today, June 7    9:00 a.m.    Divine Service (Holy Trinity) (C)                   Sunday, June14    9:00 a.m.    Divine Service (Pentecost 2) (C)

THIS WEEK IN THE CHURCH YEAR   June 11     Feast of St. Barnabas, Apostle      June 12     Commemoration of The Ecumenical Council          of Nicaea, A.D. 325

 

ST. JOHN’S NEWS

 

Organist Today:        Kitty Bierstedt      Elder for June:  Jerry Koestler

 

Get Well Cards - Joel Smith is continuing his recovery from a brain aneurysm at Pearl Valley Rehab & Nursing, 2001 1st Ave. North, Estherville, Iowa 51334.  Feel free to send a card and let him know he is in your prayers.  

 

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.  

 

Prayers for Peace - The theme of Trinity, Algona’s online evening prayer this Monday at 8:00 p.m. will be a prayer for justice, peace, and unity for our nation.  You can access the livestreamed prayer service on Trinity’s YouTube or Facebook page.  If you do not have internet access and would like a printed copy to pray on your own, contact Pastor Cowell. 

 

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. 

 

Pastoral care available - As you decide for yourself when you feel safe returning to the regular Sunday morning service, know that 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.  

 

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.

 

St. John’s T-Shirts! - St. John’s decided to take advantage of a great deal on bulk-order T-shirts from Threads in Algona.  Below is a design.  They are dark blue and are available in all standard sizes (and fit according to standard sizes).  Call or text Hannah Cowell at 712-294-4962 by June 15th to order.  All sizes are $6.  You can pay Hannah either when you order or when you receive the shirt near the end of June.                                                                                       

               

 

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. 

Did You Know? “Comfort, comfort my people says your God…” Isaiah 40:1 The primitive root behind the Hebrew word for “comfort” is to sigh or breathe deeply. It is the Hebrew equivalent of “cool it” or “chill.” And it is repeated. That’s the Hebrew equivalent of the Energizer bunny, it just keeps going and going. God wants Isaiah to speak to His people and tell them to take a deep breath, everything is going to be alright. God tells him to “speak tenderly.” Literally this is “speak to the heart.” God ‘s word of comfort does more than sound nice. It does things. It speaks to our hearts, fears, struggles, and griefs. It says, “Take a deep breath. Everything is going to be alright.” Lutheran Family Service –

 

LECTIONARY SUMMARY (Holy Trinity)

 

Old Testament: In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. 

 

Epistle: Peter preaches the resurrection of Jesus and the work of the Holy Trinity at Pentecost. 

 

Gospel: Jesus instructs His disciples to baptize and teach all nations according to His command.

 

LCMS MEMORY VERSE CHALLENGE

 

“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’”  -John 14:6

 

LESSONS ON THE LITURGY 

 

The Athanasian Creed

Early in the fourth century, a north African pastor named Arius began teaching that Jesus Christ was not truly God.  The Church responded decisively in AD 325 with a statement of faith (The Nicene Creed), which confessed that Jesus is, in fact, true God.  Toward the end of the fifth century, another creed was written that delved further into the mystery of the Trinity.  Though attributed to Athanasius, a fourth-century opponent of Arius, this anonymous creed clearly came at a later stage in the debate.

     The Athanasian Creed declares that its teachings concerning the Holy Trinity and our Lord’s incarnation are “the catholic faith.”  In other words, this is what the true Church of all times and all places has confessed.  More than fifteen centuries later, the Church continues to confess this truth, confident that the triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, have given Himself for our salvation. - Quoted from Lutheran Service Book, 319. 

 

FROM THE BOOK OF CONCORD

 

Large Catechism, Part II, Apostles’ Creed, paragraphs 1-3, 6-7

The Creed sets forth to us everything that we must expect and receive from God. The Creed teaches us to know Him fully [Ephesians 3:19]. This is intended to help us do what we ought to do according to the Ten Commandments. For the Ten Commandments are set so high that all human ability is far too feeble and weak to keep them. Therefore, it is just as necessary to learn this part of Christian doctrine as to learn the former. Then we may know how to attain what they command, both where and how to receive such power. For if we could by our own powers keep the Ten Commandments as they should be kept, we would need nothing further, neither the Creed nor the Lord's Prayer. […]

     To make the Creed clearly understood as it is to be taught to children, we shall briefly sum up the entire Creed in three chief articles, according to the three persons in the Godhead [Col. 2:9]. Everything that we believe is related to these three persons. So the First Article, about God the Father, explains creation. The Second Article, about the Son, explains redemption. And the Third, about the Holy Spirit, explains sanctification. We present them as though the Creed were briefly summarized in so many words: I believe in God the Father, who has created me; I believe in God the Son, who has redeemed me; I believe in the Holy Spirit, who sanctifies me. One God and one faith, but three persons. Therefore, there are three articles or confessions.