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
LAST SUNDAY OF THE CHURCH YEAR
November 22, 2020
Eternal God, merciful Father, You have appointed Your Son as judge of the living and the dead. Enable us to wait for the day of His return with our eyes fixed on the kingdom prepared for Your own from the foundation of the world; through Jesus Christ, 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, November 22, 2020 8:00 a.m. Sunday School/Adult Class 9:00 a.m. Divine Service - Last Sunday) (C) 10:00 a.m. Council Meeting Wednesday, November 25, 2020 6:00 p.m. Thanksgiving Eve Service (C) Sunday, November 29, 2020 8:00 a.m. Sunday School/Adult Class) 9:00 a.m. Divine Service (Advent I) (C) | THIS WEEK IN THE CHURCH YEAR November 23, 2020 Commemoration of Clement of Rome, Pastor |
ST. JOHN’S NEWS
Organist Today: Marcia Hanna
Elder for November: Jeff Schutjer
The Flowers on the altar today are given in celebration of Bev Skadburg’s 90th birthday on Thursday, November 26 by her family!
Food Pantry Monetary Donations - We will be sending in our monetary donations for the Food Pantry tomorrow (11/23). If you still wish to donate you can give your donation to Pam Reimers today.
Cards and Well Wishes can be sent to Beverly Skadburg in celebration of her 90th Birthday on Thursday, November 26. She would love to hear from you all! Send cards to 202 N Minnesota St. Algona, Iowa 50511.
Thanksgiving Eve Divine Service at St. John’s will be Wednesday, November 25 at 6:00 p.m. There will also be a Thanksgiving Day service at Trinity, Algona Thursday, November 26 at 9:00 a.m. Please call the Trinity office at 515-295-3518 if you plan to attend this service.
Poinsettias - If you would like to purchase a poinsettia for the church to use during the Advent and Christmas season, there is a sign-up sheet on the table at the back of the church. Please pay Cheryl Batt by Sunday, December 6.
Christmas Decorating - In order to avoid gathering as a large crowd, this year’s Christmas decorating will be spread out over several days. On the back table you will be able to sign up for a day and time you or a small group of people would like to come in and complete one of the decorating tasks listed. All of the decorations will be laid out upstairs. In this way many hands can still make light work!
Adopt-a-Family/Winding Roads Collections - The Christmas shopping list for our Adopt-a- Family and Winding Roads foster care transitional home are now on the back table, along with boxes to leave your gifts.
Wednesday Divine Service - We will no longer have a regularly scheduled spoken midweek Divine Service. However, Pastor Cowell is happy to serve you the Divine Service any day at any time if he is available. You can call Pastor Cowell on his cell phone at 319-464-5548 to schedule a visit at church or at your home.
Midweek Advent Services - Our midweek Advent services of prayer and meditation on the Word are Wednesday, Dec. 2, 9, and 16 at 6:00 p.m. These services will be live-streamed as well. There will also be an online-only service broadcast Dec. 23 at 6:00 p.m.
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!
Wednesday Catechesis - There is no class this week due to our Thanksgiving Service Wednesday, at 6:00 p.m.
Lutherans Engage the World Online - The Lutherans Engage the World magazine has moved to a completely digital format. You can view the current issue at: engage.lcms.org. Of special interest in this issue is an article on the involvement of LCMS Christians with the derecho clean-up in eastern Iowa. If you would like a print copy of this article or the entire magazine we would be happy to print a copy for you.
Shopping through Amazon Smile - Did you know that Amazon will donate a portion of all of your online purchases to St. John’s if you shop through Amazon Smile? All you have to do is choose St. John’s as your charitable organization by clicking this link: smile.amazon.com/ch/42-0950037 or by clicking on the Amazon Smile button on the stjohnsburt.org homepage. Then, every time you shop on Amazon do not go to amazon.com; instead go to smile.amazon.com to do your online shopping. Everything at smile.amazon.com is exactly the same, except that you will now be donating 0.5% of eligible purchases to St. John’s! You can also pick up a paper copy of step by step instructions with pictures on the back table at church to help you through the sign-up process.
St. John’s Live-streamed Service - The easiest way to access our service livestreams and recordings is to click on the links posted on the homepage of stjohnsburt.org.
TLC Quilts Available - Don’t forget that quilts made by the Trinity Lutheran Church Quilters are always available on the “giving pew” by the east door!
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 |
Trinity, Algona App - Trinity, Algona has published a convenient free app for your smartphone or tablet. This app allows you to watch any video devotions, Bible studies, or services at Trinity and read Pastor’s Pen articles right from within the app! Many of these resources are Partnership productions! Download the app by searching “Trinity Lutheran Church, Algona” at any app store, or by scrolling down to the “Get our New Church App” section on the homepage of trinityalgona.org.
COMMUNITY NEWS
Lions Club Santa Day has been cancelled due to Covid.
LECTIONARY SUMMARY (Proper 29)
Old Testament: Ezekiel 34:11-24
The Lord will search for His lost sheep and bring them home. He will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep, and will set one shepherd over them.
Epistle: 1 Corinthians 15:20-28
For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead.
Gospel: Matthew 25:31-46
Jesus warns Peter, James, and John while praying at Gethsemane: “Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
FROM THE CHURCH FATHERS
On 1 Corinthians 15:20-28: “We know [Christ] as the first fruits of those who rest, the firstborn of the dead. Unquestionably the first fruits are of the same species and nature as the rest of the fruits. [...] Therefore, as the first fruits of death were in Adam, so also the first fruits of the resurrection are in Christ.” - Ambrose, On His Brother Satyrus, 2.91, qtd. in ACCS, 1-2 Corinthians, 158.
LESSONS ON THE LITURGY
Thy Will Be Done
In today’s Gospel lesson Jesus prays to His Father: “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” Jesus instructs us to pray in just the same way when we pray “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Luther in his Small Catechism explains when God’s will is accomplished among us: “God’s will is done when He breaks and hinders every evil plan and purpose of the devil, the world, and our sinful nature, which do not want us to hallow God’s name or let His kingdom come; and when He strengthens and keeps us firm in His Word and faith until we die. This is his good and gracious will.”
FROM THE BOOK OF CONCORD
Apology of the Augsburg Confession, Article XXI: The Invocation of Saints, paragraphs 1, 4-7
[Our adversaries] absolutely condemn Article XXI because we do not require the invocation of saints. On no other topic do they speak more smoothly or wordily. Yet they are not able to prove anything other than that the saints should be honored, or that living saints pray for others, as though invoking dead saints were necessary for that reason. [...]
Our Confession approves honoring the saints in three ways. The first is thanksgiving. We should thank God because He has shown examples of mercy, because He wishes to save people, and because He has given teachers and other gifts to the Church. These gifts, since they are the greatest, should be amplified. The saints themselves, who have faithfully used these gifts, should be praised just as Christ praises faithful businessmen (Mt. 25:21, 23). The second service is the strengthening of our faith. When we see Peter's denial forgiven, we also are encouraged to believe all the more that grace truly superabounds over sin (Ro. 5:20). The third honor is the imitation, first of faith, then of the other virtues. Everyone should imitate the saints according to his calling. The adversaries do not require these true honors. They argue only about invocation, which, even if it were not dangerous, still is not necessary.
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