Thursday, September 03, 2020

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 FOURTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

September 6, 2020

 

O God, from whom all good proceeds, grant to us, Your humble servants, Your holy inspiration, that we may set our minds on the things that are right and, by Your merciful guiding, accomplish them; 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, September 6, 2020

   9:00 a.m.    Divine Service (Pentecost 14) (C) 

 

Sunday, September 13, 2020

   8:00 a.m.    Sunday School/Adult Class

   9:00 a.m.    Divine Service (Pentecost 15) (C) 

  THIS WEEK IN THE CHURCH YEAR

 

  none this week





 

ST. JOHN'S NEWS

 

Organist Today:  Kitty Bierstedt 

Elder for September: Tony Hatten

 

Altar Flowers this morning were given in memory of Leonard, Martha, Irene and Eugene Drager by Lorraine Drager.

 

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. 

 

Sunday School and Adult Bible Study Returns! - Sunday school and adult Bible study will resume Sunday, September 13th at 8:00 a.m.  All are welcome to join our Sunday school students in the church basement at 8:00 as we bless each classroom for another year of Christian instruction. 

 

Adult Bible Study on the Book of Matthew - Beginning September 13th the adult Bible study will begin a verse-by-verse study of the Gospel of Matthew.  During the study we will be utilizing a journal version of the Book of Matthew to help us note key details and moments in the text along the way.  Each attendee will receive a book on the first Sunday they join the study.  Tables are spread out in the basement as a social distancing measure and you are welcome to wear a mask if you choose to do so. 

 

Midweek Christian Instruction for All Ages - The education committee has decided to postpone VBS until next year.  There is still, however, an opportunity for church members of all ages to enjoy each other's company outside of Sunday morning!  This year we are encouraging parents and other adults to sit in with the kids during their Wednesday evening instruction.  The main purpose of this is to encourage our children with our good example and to share our wisdom and experience with them as fellow Christians.  Therefore, this is your open invitation to join us on Wednesday evenings in the church basement for any one, several, or all lessons!  A class schedule along with an explanation of all of the changes to our midweek program will be published in the September Parish Messenger so that you can take note of any lessons you would be especially interested in attending. 


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. 


SYNOD, DISTRICT, & PARTNERSHIP NEWS

 

Trinity, Algona Schedule - Trinity, Algona continues to livestream their service and provide several other online resources at this time. 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 While Staying Home: "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit . . . therefore honor God with your body." (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). This Biblical instruction isn't written just for young people! No matter your age, take time this week to do something that will make your body stronger or healthier. Fix a healthy snack, go for a walk, and invite a friend or neighbor to join you. Shared activity makes it more fun, and creates an open door for conversation about wellbeing, including the importance of faith, and spiritual wellness. Honor God with your body, no matter how many years it's been around!  Lutheran Family Service - www.LutheranFamilyService.org


LECTIONARY SUMMARY (Proper 18)

Old Testament: Ezekiel 33:7-9

The Lord instructs the Prophet Ezekiel to be a watchman over the house of Israel. 

 

Epistle: Romans 13:1-10

St. Paul instructs us how to relate to earthly government in a Christian way. 

 

Gospel: Matthew 18:1-20

Jesus teaches His disciples about humility, avoiding temptation, caring for the young in the faith, and reconciling with our neighbor in a loving way. 

 

LCMS MEMORY VERSE CHALLENGE

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. - 1 Peter1:3

 

LESSONS ON THE LITURGY 

Kiss of Peace

You may have noticed the rubric in our Divine Service following the Prayer of the Church which reads:

          Following the prayers, the people may greet one another in the name of the Lord, saying, "Peace be 

          with you," as a sign of reconciliation and of the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (Matt. 

          5:22-24; Eph. 4:1-3).

This tradition of greeting each other during the Divine Service originated very early in the life of the New Testament Church.  The only difference is that the original form of this tradition included exchanging a "kiss of peace," which is a common way of greeting each other and acknowledging friendship in different cultures and time periods.  When a congregation exchanges the kiss of peace, or greeting of peace, during a Divine Service they are confessing that just as Jesus turned them from enemies of God to friends and children of God, so too are they bound in fellowship to one another by this forgiveness.  While we do not practice this tradition at St. John's, we too acknowledge that in Christ we are at peace with God and at peace with our neighbor! 

 

FROM THE BOOK OF CONCORD

Treatise on the Power and Primacy of the Pope, paragraphs 22-24

They cite against us certain passages, namely, [Matthew 16:18-19,] "You are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church." Also, "I will give you the keys." Also, [John 21:15,] "Feed My lambs," and some others. We reply,

     Peter is the representative of the entire assembly of apostles. Christ does not ask Peter alone, when He says, "Who do you say that I am?" [Matthew 16:15]. What is said here to Peter in the singular, "I will give you [singular] the keys; and whatever you [singular] bind" [16:19], is elsewhere expressed in the plural [e.g., Matthew 18:18,] "Whatever you [plural] bind"; [John 20:23,] "If you [plural] forgive the sins of anyone". This shows that the Keys are given to all the apostles alike and that all the apostles are sent forth alike.

     In addition, it must be recognized that the Keys belong not to one particular man, but to the Church. For Christ, speaking about the Keys, adds, "If two of you agree on earth" (Matthew 18:19). This is why it is the Church that has the right of calling.