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 TENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

August 9, 2020

 

Almighty and most merciful God, preserve us from all harm and danger that we, being ready in both body and soul, may cheerfully accomplish what You want done; 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, August 9, 2020    9:00 a.m.    Divine Service (Pentecost 10) (C)   10:00 a.m.    Education Meeting   Sunday, August 16    9:00 a.m.    Divine Service (Pentecost 11) (C)

THIS WEEK IN THE CHURCH YEAR    August 10     Commemoration of Laurence, Deacon and        Martyr     August 15     Feast of St. Mary, Mother of our Lord

ST. JOHN'S NEWS

 

Organist Today:  Marcia Hanna

Elder for August: Boyd Shipler

 

Welcome New Members Alfred and Peggy Schadendorf who have transferred their membership from Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, Mesquite, NV.  Alfred and Peggy  have been worshipping with us for a while now but be sure to take some time and welcome them to St. John's.

 

Parish Messenger Articles are due to Linda Kerkove by August 23 for the September/October edition.

 

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.  

 

St. John's Live-streamed Service - St. John's is now live-streaming our Sunday Divine Service on our YouTube channel: "St. John's Burt." These services will be archived for you to view on YouTube later as well. 

 

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. 

 

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! 

SYNOD, DISTRICT, & PARTNERSHIP NEWS

 

Trinity, Algona Schedule - As Trinity, Algona opens their worship in their church building 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: "A man's spirit can endure sickness, but who can bear a broken spirit?"  (Proverbs 18:14) It's easier for us to deal with short term difficulties, including sickness that resolves with treatment or time. But many are suffering today from the prolonged nature of Covid-19 and its ongoing physical, financial, emotional, and relational consequences. Look out for those God has put on your path.  Who has or is close to having a broken spirit? A word of hope from you, a note of encouragement, and a listening ear can be just what they need when feeling overwhelmed. LFS workers are available to help, in person or through video link, when needed. Lutheran Family Service - www.LutheranFamilyService.org

 

COMMUNITY NEWS

 

The Fenton Legion is holding a Benefit Sunday, August 16. Sweet corn, pork patties, packages of chips, and bottled water will be served from 10:30 AM - 1:30 PM with a freewill donation. Curbside pick up or social distancing inside and outside will be available. Patriotic quilt raffle tickets will also be sold for a $1.00 each.

 

LECTIONARY SUMMARY (Proper 14)

Old Testament: Job 38:4-18

The Lord reaffirms to Job that He is the eternal and omniscient God and Job is not. 

 

Epistle: Romans 10:5-17

St. Paul explains that faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the Word of Christ.

 

Gospel: Matthew 14:22-33

Jesus walks on water to His disciples and rescues Peter from drowning in the sea. 

 

LCMS MEMORY VERSE CHALLENGE

The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. - 1 Timothy 1:15

 

LESSONS ON THE LITURGY

The New Testament Ark

The boat has long been a symbol of the Christian Church.  Part of the reason for this is that boats make a number of appearances in the New Testament. Jesus made a habit of teaching from a boat.  Jesus called several of the disciples out of fishing boats to be "fishers of men."  Jesus revealed His divinity to His disciples by walking on water to their boat on one occasion and rebuking the wind and waves from a boat on another occasion. Another reason that the boat is a symbol of the Church is the Church's similarity to Noah's ark.  Just as God kept Noah and His family safe in the ark from the Flood as evildoers drowned in judgement all around them, so now God washes sin from us in Baptism and places us safe in the ark of the Church.  If you look up in many sanctuaries such as ours you will see that they have been designed to look like the hull of a ship flipped upside down.  By this we are reminded that when we are hearing the Word and receiving the Sacrament as God's Holy Church, we are safe and secure with Christ from any danger or threat to our eternal life. 

 

FROM THE BOOK OF CONCORD

Formula of Concord, Solid Declaration, Article II: Free Will, paragraphs 49-51

"It is not God's will that anyone should be damned, but that all people should be converted to Him and be saved eternally" [2 Peter 3:9].

 

"Say to them, 'As I live, declares the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live.'" (Ezekiel 33:11)

 

Out of His immense goodness and mercy, God provides for the public preaching of His divine eternal Law and His wonderful plan for our redemption, that of the holy, only saving Gospel of His eternal Son, our only Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ. By this preaching He gathers an eternal Church for Himself from the human race and works in people's hearts true repentance, knowledge of sins, and true faith in God's Son, Jesus Christ. By this means, and in no other way (i.e., through His holy Word, when people hear it preached or read it, and through the holy Sacraments when they are used according to His Word), God desires to call people to eternal salvation. He desires to draw them to Himself and convert, regenerate, and sanctify them.

 

"Since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe." (1 Cor. 1:21)

"So faith comes from the preaching and preaching through the Word of Christ" (Ro. 10:17)…