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 THIRD SUNDAY IN ADVENT

December 13, 2020

 

Lord Jesus Christ, we implore You to hear our prayers and to lighten the darkness of our hearts by Your gracious visitation; for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

 

THIS WEEK AT ST. JOHN’S Today, December 13, 2020   8:00 a.m.    Sunday School/Adult Class   9:00 a.m.    Divine Service - (Advent 3) (C)  10:00 a.m.    Voter’s Meeting Wednesday, December 16, 2020   6:00 p.m.    Advent Midweek Service   6:30 p.m.    Christian Catechesis Saturday, December 19, 2020   9:00 a.m.    Christmas Eve Program Practice Sunday, December 20, 2020   8:00 a.m.    Sunday School/Adult Class   9:00 a.m.    Divine Service (Advent 4)  (C)

THIS WEEK IN THE CHURCH YEAR      December 13, 2020     Commemoration of Lucia, Martyr       December 17, 2020     Commemoration of Daniel and the Three          Young Men     December 19, 2020     Commemoration of Adam and Eve

ST. JOHN’S NEWS

 

Organist Today: Marcia Hanna

Elder for December:  Boyd Shipler

Acolytes:  Caelum Blocker

                  Zack Steven

 

Voter’s Meeting will be held today following the service.  This meeting is to vote on the budget and slate of new officers.

 

Altar Guild Change - We would like to thank Donna Haase for her many, many years of service on the Altar Guild as Donna has decided to retire at the end of this year.   We would also like to welcome Betty Koestler and Shirlee Alt to the Altar Guild starting January 2021.   Anyone wishing to volunteer, please contact the church office.  We don't turn anyone away!!

 

Thank You to all who so generously gave to send care boxes to Aly and Austin.  We were able to fill a box for each of them.

 

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. Cash donations for the Adopted Family can be given to Deb Steven, Doris Blocker. Today is the last day we will be collecting gifts and donations. 

 

Lutheran Family Service Donation - Our offering on Christmas Eve will be sent to Lutheran Family Service.  If you are not planning to attend church on Christmas Eve and would still like to donate, there will be an offering plate in the back of church next Sunday (12/20) for L.F.S.  You can also drop a donation off at the church office.  You can visit lutheranfamilyservice.org or see the several L.F.S. brochures and handouts in the church library for more information on the important work they do in the areas of marriage, family, adoption, mental health, and life issues.

 

Christmas Service Schedule: Here is our upcoming worship schedule going into the week of Christmas:

 

Wednesday, December 16, 6:00 p.m.

      - midweek service of Scripture and prayer

 

Sunday, December 20, 9:00 a.m.    

       - Advent 4 Divine Service

 

Wednesday, December 23, 6:00 p.m.

       - ONLINE ONLY service of Scripture and prayer 

 

Thursday, December 24, 4:30 p.m.

      - Christmas Eve children’s program 

                (please bring a mask)

 

Friday, December 25, 9:00 a.m.

       - Christmas Day Divine Service 

 

Sunday, December 27, 9:00 a.m. 

       - Christmas Lessons and Carols and Divine Service 

                (no Sunday School or adult Bible class this morning)

 

Pastoral Care On Demand - Pastor Cowell would love to serve you Communion at church or at home, pray, read Scripture, offer Christian counsel, and/or just visit any time that works for you!  Call or text him any time at 319-464-5548. 

Thank You -  “We really appreciate your donations to the Food Pantry, especially during this difficult  time for many of the residents of Kossuth County.  May you be blessed for your generosity!” - Kossuth County Food Pantry  (St. John’s donated $580)

 

District Convention Lay Delegate - If you are interested in serving as the lay delegate representing St. John’s at the Iowa District West Convention on June 27-29, 2021, please contact the church office or Pastor Cowell.  We will need to select a lay delegate by the end of January.

 

Church Library - As snow days and winter break quickly come, don’t forget to stock up on a variety of fiction and non-fiction books from our church library!  Of special interest is our large selection of children’s books both in the library and in the basement book rack. 

 

Wednesday Catechesis - All are welcome to join us for Wednesday Catechesis following our Advent midweek services.  This week’s topic is Christmas traditions that are good for our faith. 

 

Shopping through Amazon Smile - Sign up at Amazon Smile to have 0.5% of your eligible purchases donated to St. John’s! Click this link to sign up: smile.amazon.com/ch/42-0950037, click on the Amazon Smile button on the stjohnsburt.org homepage, or pick up an instructions packet on the back table to get signed up. 

 

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!

 

Addresses: If you have a new address/phone number or your college students have a new address, will you please get that information in to the church office so we can update our church roster.

 

Parish Messenger Articles for the January/February edition are due to Linda Kerkove on Sunday, December 27.

 

SYNOD, DISTRICT, & PARTNERSHIP NEWS

 

Trinity, Algona Schedule - Trinity, Algona continues to stream their worship services, daily devotions, and other videos online. You can access these resources at trinityalgona.org/corona or the Trinity YouTube and Facebook pages either live or any time after as a recording.

 

Sunday Preview Lectionary Videos - The Partnership Pastors have begun a new video series taking a look at the Scripture readings and themes of the upcoming Sunday.  These videos will be published on Trinity’s YouTube channel every Thursday. 

LECTIONARY SUMMARY (Advent 3)

Old Testament: Isaiah 61:1-11 

Isaiah delivers the prophecy that Jesus quotes at the beginning of His ministry: “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor.”

 

Epistle: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24 

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” 

 

Gospel: John 1:6-8, 19-28

John the Baptist confesses: “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said.”

 

FROM THE CHURCH FATHERS

“For not to give [God] thanks in all things, what else is it but to blame Him in some degree. [...] Whereas nothing better befits and reassures the faithful and godly disciples of Truth than the persistent and unwearied lifting of praise to God, as says the Apostle, ‘Rejoice always, pray without ceasing: in all things give thanks. For this is the will of God in Christ Jesus in all things for you 1 Thessalonians 5:16.’” 

- Leo the Great, Sermon 12.3, accessed from: newadvent.org/fathers/360312.htm. 

 

LESSONS ON THE LITURGY 

The Advent Wreath

The Advent wreath originated in eastern Germany prior to the Reformation. In its present form traditional Advent wreaths have three purple candles and one pink candle.  The purple candles match the paraments on the altar (which were traditionally purple during Advent).  The purple signifies the royalty of our coming King.  The pink candle is lit on the third Sunday of Advent: Gaudete Sunday. Gaudete means Rejoice! in Latin, name for the words from Philippians 4 in the Introit: “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.”  The white candle is lit during the 12 days of Christmas (Dec. 25 to Jan. 5). The white reminds us that Jesus’ birth began His journey to the cross to purify mankind from sin and death.  

 

FROM THE BOOK OF CONCORD

Apology of the Augsburg Confession, Article IV: Justification, paragraphs 81-82

Paul teaches that we have access to God (reconciliation) through Christ. To show how this happens, he adds that we have access by faith. By faith, for Christ's sake, we receive forgiveness of sins […] not our own love and our own works.

     It is certain that sins are forgiven for the sake of Christ as our Atoning Sacrifice, "whom God put forward as a propitiation" (Romans 3:25). Furthermore, Paul adds, "by faith." Therefore, this atonement benefits us in this way: We receive the mercy promised in Him by faith and set it against God's wrath and judgment. To the same effect, it is written in Hebrews 4:14, 16, "Since then we have a great high priest […] let us then with confidence draw near." The apostle tells us to come to God, not with confidence in our own merits, but with confidence [faith] in Christ as the High Priest.