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

 

FEAST OF ST. LUKE

October 18, 2020 

 

Almighty God, our Father, Your blessed Son called Luke the physician to be an evangelist and physician of the soul. Grant that the healing medicine of the Gospel and the Sacraments may put to flight the diseases of our souls that with willing hearts we may ever love and serve You; 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, October 18, 2020   8:00 a.m.    Sunday School/Adult Class   9:00 a.m.    Divine Service - (St. Luke, Evangelist) (C)  10:00 a.m.    Voter’s Meeting   Wednesday, October 21, 2020   3:00 p.m.    Spoken Divine Service (C)   6:00 p.m.    Christian Catechesis   Sunday, October 25, 2020    8:00 a.m.    Sunday School/Adult Class    9:00 a.m.    Reformation Service (Pentecost 21) (C)

THIS WEEK IN THE CHURCH YEAR      October 18     Feast of St. Luke, Evangelist        October 23     Feast of St. James of Jerusalem, Brother of          Jesus and Martyr       October 25      Commemoration of Dorcas, Lydia, and          Phoebe, Faithful Women

 

ST. JOHN’S NEWS

 

Organist Today:        Marcia Hanna  Elder for October:  Jerry Koestler

 

“SHARE THE BLESSING” letter and giving envelope are in your bulletin boxes this morning.  Be sure and pick those up!

 

A Quarterly Voter’s Meeting will be held following the service today.  Minutes of the Council Meeting on Sunday, October 11 are in the pews. Financial reports are in the bulletin boxes.

 

Parish Messenger Articles for the November/December edition is due to Linda Kerkove by Sunday, October 25.

 

Thank You - Thank you, members of St. John’s, for your thoughtful words, cards, and gifts of appreciation last week. Thank you most of all for showing your appreciation for my ministry by gladly receiving the Word and Sacrament which God has sent me to deliver to you! I am continually grateful for your support, friendship, and fellowship within Christ’s Church. - Pastor Thomas Cowell

 

Halloween Handouts - There are several Halloween handouts on the back table.  One is a short explanation of the good news of Jesus that you can hand out to kids on Halloween.  The other handout is a brief history of Christians’ relationship with the Halloween “holiday.” This handout will give you a perspective on both the dangerous side and harmless side of Halloween today. 

 

New “Socially Distant” Divine Service Available - Beginning October 7th, St. John’s is offering a spoken Divine Service every Wednesday at 3:00 p.m.  This Service is intended to serve those who are not yet comfortable coming to the more heavily attended Sunday Divine Service.  We encourage you to wear a mask in and out of this service if you’d like.  Bulletins will be spaced every four pews and you will receive the Lord’s Supper right at your pew.  We hope that this regularly scheduled weekday Divine Service will help more of our members receive the gifts of God more regularly and without burden to their health or conscience.  If you need to receive the Lord’s Supper at home or on a different day, Pastor Cowell is always happy to schedule a visit.  You can call Pastor Cowell on his cell phone at 319-464-5548.

 

Adult Bible Study on the Book of Matthew - Adult Bible Class is studying a verse-by-verse study of the Gospel of Matthew.  You are welcome to join us at any time! 

 

Midweek Christian Instruction for All Ages - All members of the congregation are invited to join us Wednesdays at 6:00 p.m. for our Midweek Christian Catechesis.  Next Wednesday’s lesson will be an explanation of our Divine Service liturgy from our hymnal. 

 

TLC Quilts Available - The TLC Quilters quilts are back on the “giving pew”!  These quilts are always available for you to deliver to a friend who is sick, lonely, in financial need, celebrating a milestone in life, or simply needs to know you and the Church care. 

 

New Booklets in Back of Church - Be sure to pick up our newest editions of the “Simple Explanation” series booklets in the back of church.  Here are the titles we have available in back: A Simple Explanation of . . . Christianity; Lutheranism; Heaven and Hell; The Church Service; The Church Year; Holy Communion; and Fellowship in the Lord’s Supper.

 

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. 

 

SYNOD, DISTRICT, & PARTNERSHIP NEWS

 

Trinity, Algona Schedule - Here is the weekly line-up of online resources from Trinity, Algona, which you can access at trinityalgona.org/corona or the Trinity YouTube and Facebook pages either live or any time after as a recording:

 

Sun. 8:00am/9:15am: Worship/Bible Study

Every Weekday: Psalm Devotion (recorded)

 

Mon. 8:00pm: Evening Prayer

Wed. 10:00am: “Ask the Pastors”

Thurs. 9:00am: Morning Prayer

 

COMMUNITY NEWS

 

Trunk or Treat - The Churches of Burt are hosting Trunk or Treat again this year! The event is on October 31 from 5-6:30 p.m. at the Burt Presbyterian Church parking lot. If anyone would like to host a trunk, you can contact Hannah Cowell at 712-294-4962!  

 

Fall Decorating - The Burt Women’s Club is sponsoring the decorating of the flower pots on main street. They are asking for help with this project.  If you would like to decorate a flower pot for fall, contact Burt City Hall.

 

Burt Lion’s Club Omelet Breakfast is Sunday, October 25 from 8:00-12:30 p.m. at the Burt Community Center.  There will be both a carry-out option as well as socially distant seating available. The cost for the meal is a free-will donation. 

Breakfast - The Burt City will be hosting a Sausage and Gravy Meal on Saturday, October 31 from 8:00 to 11:00 a.m. at the Burt Activity Complex. This will be a free will donation with a drive up only pick-up. 

 

LECTIONARY SUMMARY (Feast of St. Luke)

Old Testament: Isaiah 35:5-8  

Isaiah speaks of a coming highway in the desert that will be a road for the healed to walk.  

 

Epistle: 2 Timothy 4:5-18

St. Paul mentions that Luke has stood by him in his ministry and imprisonment. 

 

Gospel: Luke 10:1-9

Jesus sends seventy-two of His disciples out two by two in order to announce that the kingdom of God is at hand. 

 

FROM THE CHURCH FATHERS

“The Gospel [of Luke] was written to Theophilus, that is, to him whom God loves [Theophilus means loved by God in Greek].  If you love God, it was written to you.  If it was written to you, discharge the duty of an evangelist.  Diligently preserve the pledge of a friend in the secrets of the Spirit.” - St. Ambrose, Exposition of the Gospel of Luke, 1.12, qtd. in ACCS: Luke, 4. 

 

LESSONS ON THE LITURGY 

St. Luke

On October 18th the Church celebrates the Feast of St. Luke.  Here is a note on St. Luke from the Treasury of Daily Prayer:

St. Luke, the beloved physician referred to by St. Paul (Colossians 4:14), presents us with Jesus, whose blood provides the medicine of immortality. As his traveling companion, Paul claimed Luke’s Gospel as his own for its healing of souls (Eusebius). Luke traveled with Paul during the second missionary journey, joining him after Paul received his Macedonian call to bring the Gospel to Europe (Acts 16:10-17). Luke most likely stayed behind in Philippi for seven years, rejoining Paul at the end of the third missionary journey in Macedonia. He traveled with Paul to Troas, Jerusalem, and Caesarea, where Paul was imprisoned for two years (Acts 20:5-21:18). While in Caesarea, Luke may have researched material that he used in his Gospel. Afterward, Luke accompanied Paul on his journey to Rome (Acts 27:1-28:16). Especially beloved in Luke’s Gospel are the stories of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:29-37), the prodigal son (Luke 16:19-31), and the Pharisee and the tax collector (Luke 2:1-20) and the canticles of Mary (Luke 1:46-55), of Zechariah (Luke 1:68-79), and of Simeon (Luke 2:29-32). To show how Christ continued His work in the Early Church through the apostles, Luke also penned the Acts of the Apostles. More than one-third of the New Testament comes from the hand of the evangelist Luke. 

 

FROM THE BOOK OF CONCORD

Augsburg Confession, Article XXI: Worship of the Saints, paragraphs 1-4

     Our churches teach that the history of saints may be set before us so that we may follow the example of their faith and good works, according to our calling. For example, the emperor may follow the example of David (2 Samuel) in making war to drive away the Turk from his country. For both are kings. But Scripture does not teach that we are to call on the saints or to ask the saints for help. Scripture sets before us the one Christ as the Mediator, Atoning Sacrifice, High Priest, and Intercessor (1 Timothy 2:5-6). He is to be prayed to. He has promised that He will hear our prayer (John 14:13). This is the worship that He approved above all other worship, that He be called upon in all afflictions. “If anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father” (1 John 2:1).