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 FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY

January 31, 2021

 

Almighty God, You know we live in the midst of so many dangers that in our frailty we cannot stand upright. Grant strength and protection to support us in all dangers and carry us through all temptations; 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, January 31, 2021   8:00 a.m.     Sunday School/Adult Class   9:00 a.m.     Divine Service - (Epiphany 4)  Tuesday, February 2, 2021  10:00 a.m.    Morning Prayer Wednesday, February 3, 2021   6:00 p.m.     Christian Catechesis Sunday, February 7, 2021   8:00 a.m.      Sunday School/Adult Class                    9:00 a.m.      Divine Service - (Epiphany 5)

THIS WEEK IN THE CHURCH YEAR   February 2     Feast of The Purification of Mary and the          Presentation of our Lord      February 5     Commemoration of Jacob (Israel), Patriarch

ST. JOHN’S NEWS

 

Organist Today: Marcia Hanna

Elder for January: Tony Hatten

 

Tuesday Morning/Evening Prayer - This week we’ll have Tuesday morning prayer at 10:00 a.m. 

 

Council Meeting - There will be a very brief council meeting after church today regarding nominations for the Iowa District West convention. 

 

Personal Contact Information - If you did not do so at the voter’s meeting, please fill out the contact information form in the pew before you leave worship.  This will help us make sure we have your most up to date information in the church office. Please indicate if you would like this information in the church directory, or kept for office use only.  Place your completed form in the offering plate in back or return it to the church office. 

 

Stained Glass Window Project - Information on our new stained glass window project at St. John’s is on the back table. You can view an enlarged image of the windows on the ramp bulletin board or on the door going to the balcony. 

 

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. 

 

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.

 

Lutheran Witness Yearly Subscriptions are due in February  If you wish to keep receiving the Witness, the cost is $22.70 for the year.  You may pay for this in the church office or mark an envelope and place it in the offering plate. If you receive the Witness and wish to cancel or would like to receive it, please also let the church office know.

 

St. John’s Ladies Aid Dissolved - As of January 27, 2021 the St. John’s Ladies Aid has made the decision to dissolve. The Ladies Aid received their LWML charter on May 12, 1947, but the St. John’s Ladies Aid has been in existence since October 13, 1921. We thank God for blessing our Ladies Aid for the past 100 years, and we look forward to exploring new opportunities to serve the Lord with gladness in the future. 

 

Flocknote - Did you know that in addition to receiving cancellation announcements on Flocknote, you can also receive a daily prayer and Scripture verse via text message or email? See the Flocknote information sheet in the back for a description of all of your messaging options, and let Pastor Cowell know if you’d like to make any changes to which messages you receive. 

Evangelism and Charity Information Booklets can be picked up from the back table. These are  a summary of Mission and Charity support of our congregation for the 2021 year.

 

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!

 

SYNOD, DISTRICT & PARTNERSHIP NEWS

 

Ask the Pastors is Back! - The partnership pastors are resuming Ask the Pastors next Wednesday, February 3rd, at 10:00 a.m. on the Trinity, Algona YouTube or Facebook page.  If you have any questions of any topic you would like the pastors to discuss feel free to speak to any of the three pastors or send an email to: askthepastors@trinityalgona.org. 

 

Trinity, Algona Schedule - Trinity, Algona continues to stream their worship services 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. 

2020 Thrivent Choice Dollars must be directed by March 31. Consider joining others who have directed their Choice Dollars towards St. John’s ministry.

 

 

LECTIONARY SUMMARY (Fourth Sunday after Epiphany)

 

Old Testament: Deuteronomy 18:15-20

Moses tells the people that the Lord will raise up a prophet like himself from among them.

 

Epistle: 1 Corinthians 8:1-13

Paul encourages us to use our freedom in the gospel for the good of our brother, even sacrificing our freedom if it benefits a weaker brother. 

 

Gospel: Mark 1:21-28

Jesus rebukes and removes an unclean spirit from a man in the synagogue at Capernaum. 

 

 

FROM THE CHURCH FATHERS

 

“Call to mind with me the time when Peter was praised and called blessed. Was it because he merely said, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God’? No, he who pronounced him blessed, regarded not merely the sound of his words, but the affections of his heart. Compare that with the words of the demons who said almost the same thing: ‘We know who you are, the Son of God,’ just as Peter had confessed him as ‘Son of God.’ So what is the difference? Peter spoke in love, but the demons in fear. . . . So tell us how faith is to be defined, if even the devils can believe and tremble? Only the faith that works by love is faith.” - Augustine, Sermons on New Testament Lessons, 40.8, qtd. from ACCS: Mark, 22. 

 

LESSONS ON THE LITURGY 

Exorcisms

The work of casting out demons, or “exorcising” demons in Christ’s name is a work that continues today.  Exorcisms are more common in some African and South American areas where satanic cults or practices tied to tribal religions are present.  Many Lutheran pastors used to (and still can) perform what is called a “minor exorcism” at Baptism, saying toward the baptismal candidate something like: “come out you unclean spirit and make room for the Holy Spirit.”  This confesses that although the baptismal candidate is not “possessed” by demons as we commonly think of the term, any person not filled with the Holy Spirit is filled with the spirits of the devil. 

 

 

FROM THE BOOK OF CONCORD

 

Solid Declaration of the Formula of Concord, Article II: Free Will, paragraphs 50-52

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. God desires to call people to eternal salvation. He desires to draw them to Himself and convert, regenerate, and sanctify them.

 

For 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) [...]

 

Faith comes from the preaching and preaching through the Word of Christ (Ro. 10:17 [Luther]).

 

Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth. I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word. (John 17:17-20) [...]

 

All who want to be saved ought to listen to this preaching. For the preaching and hearing of God's Word are the Holy Spirit's instruments. By, with, and through these instruments the Spirit desires to work effectively, to convert people to God, and to work in them. [Phil. 2:13]. 

 

Announceents

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 FEAST OF SAINT TIMOTHY

January 24, 2021

 

Lord Jesus Christ, You have always given to Your Church on earth faithful shepherds such as Timothy to guide and feed Your flock. Make all pastors diligent to preach Your holy Word and administer Your means of grace, and grant Your people wisdom to follow in the way that leads to life eternal; 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, January 24, 2021   8:00 a.m.     Sunday School/Adult Class   9:00 a.m.     Divine Service - (St. Timothy Day) (C)  Tuesday, January 26, 2021  10:00 a.m.     Morning Prayer   6:00 p.m.      Evening Prayer  Wednesday, January 27, 2021   6:00 p.m.     Christian Catechesis Sunday, January 31, 2021   8:00 a.m.      Sunday School/Adult Class                 >

9:00 a.m.      Divine Service - (Epiphany 4)  (C)     THIS WEEK IN THE CHURCH YEAR    January 24, 2021     Feast of St. Timothy, Pastor and Confessor    January 25, 2021     Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul    January 26, 2021     Feast of St. Titus, Pastor and Confessor    January 27, 2021     Commemoration of John Chrysostom, Preacher

 

ST. JOHN’S NEWS

 

Organist Today: Marcia Hanna

Elder for January: Tony Hatten

 

Tuesday Morning/Evening Prayer - This week we will have Tuesday morning prayer at 10:00 a.m. and Tuesday evening prayer at 6:00 p.m.

 

Personal Contact Information - If you did not do so at the voter’s meeting, please fill out the contact information form in the pew before you leave worship.  This will help us make sure we have your most up to date information in the church office. Please indicate if you would like this information in the church directory, or kept for office use only.  Place your completed form in the offering plate in back or return it to the church office. 

 

Stained Glass Window Project - Information on our new stained glass window project at St. John’s is on the back table. You can view an enlarged image of the windows on the ramp bulletin board or on the door going to the balcony. 

 

Thank You cards and notes have been received by our members for the goodies/books etc. that were delivered at Christmas by the Mission Board. Those thank you notes are posted on the ramp bulletin board.

 

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. 

 

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.

 

Annual Report Articles - I have been working on the 2020 Annual Report.  You can email any articles/information  to me (Rosann) at churchoffice@stjohnsburt.org.  

 

Lutheran Witness Yearly Subscriptions are due in February  If you wish to keep receiving the Witness, the cost is $22.70 for the year.  You may pay for this in the church office or mark an envelope and place it in the offering plate. If you receive the Witness and wish to cancel or would like to receive it, please also let the church office know.

 

Flocknote - Did you know that in addition to receiving cancellation announcements on Flocknote, you can also receive a daily prayer and Scripture verse via text message or email? See the Flocknote information sheet in the back for a description of all of your messaging options, and let Pastor Cowell know if you’d like to make any changes to which messages you receive. 

Evangelism and Charity Information Booklets can be picked up from the back table. These are  a summary of Mission and Charity support of our congregation for the 2021 year.

 

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!

 

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. 

 

Family Fishing Weekend at Camp Okoboji - January 29-31 - Come enjoy a family friendly weekend of ice fishing, faith and fellowship!  This is the 11^th year that Pastor Ben Dose and Pastor Jim Stogdill will be the leaders and educators of this Ice Fishing Retreat for all ages!

Okoboji Winter Games - January 28-31 - Planning to attend the Okoboji Winter Games and need a safe and refreshing place to stay? Check with us because we still have Family Ministry Cabins available.  (712-337-3325 or campokoboji.org)

 

 

LECTIONARY SUMMARY (St. Timothy Day)

First Reading: Acts 16:1-5

Timothy begins to follow Paul in his ministry. 

 

Epistle: 1 Timothy 6:11-16

Paul urges Timothy to fight the good fight of the faith. 

 

Gospel: Matthew 24:42-47

Who is the faithful servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes.

 

FROM THE CHURCH FATHERS

“Faith and godliness are allied to each other, and sisters; and he who believes in Him is godly, and he also who is godly, believes the more.” - Athanasius, Letter 11.9 (who makes reference to 1 Timothy 6:11-12 later in this paragraph), accessed from: newadvent.org/fathers/2806011.

 

 

LESSONS ON THE LITURGY 

Heterodoxy and Orthodoxy

Heterodox means “other/different-belief.”  Orthodox means “straight/correct-belief.”  Christians who believe the Bible as it is confessed in the Ecumenical Creeds (Apostles, Nicene, and Athanasian Creeds) and more recently in the Lutheran Book of Concord we say to have an orthodox faith (not to be confused with the Eastern Orthodox Church).  It was the task of the Apostles, pastors, and lay people in the early church to learn and defend the orthodox faith so that all people might believe and pass down the truth about Jesus to the Church of future generations.  This is also an important task of Christians today.  The great danger of heterodox beliefs is that they can lead us toward having heretical beliefs.  While heterodox Christians are those who have certain wrong beliefs about God, those with heretical beliefs are not Christian at all and will not join us in eternal life. 

 

 

FROM THE BOOK OF CONCORD

Epitome of the Formula of Concord, Summary, Content, Rule, and Norm, paragraphs 1-3

1. We believe, teach, and confess that the sole rule and standard according to which all dogmas together with [all] teachers should be estimated and judged are the prophetic and apostolic Scriptures of the Old and of the New Testament alone, as it is written Ps. 119:105: Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. And St. Paul: Though an angel from heaven preach any other gospel unto you, let him be accursed, Gal. 1:8.

Other writings, however, of ancient or modern teachers, whatever name they bear, must not be regarded as equal to the Holy Scriptures, but all of them together be subjected to them, and should not be received otherwise or further than as witnesses, [which are to show] in what manner after the time of the apostles, and at what places, this [pure] doctrine of the prophets and apostles was preserved.

2. And because directly after the times of the apostles, and even while they were still living, false teachers and heretics arose, and symbols, i. e., brief, succinct [categorical] confessions, were composed against them in the early Church, which were regarded as the unanimous, universal Christian faith and confession of the orthodox and true Church, namely, the Apostles’ Creed, the Nicene Creed, and the Athanasian Creed, we pledge ourselves to them, and hereby reject all heresies and dogmas which, contrary to them, have been introduced into the Church of God.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

 

Almighty God, You have poured into our hearts the true Light of Your incarnate Word. Grant that this Light may shine forth in our lives; through the same 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, January 17, 2021   8:00 a.m.     Sunday School/Adult Class   9:00 a.m.     Divine Service - (Epiphany 2) (C)  10:00  a.m.    Voter’s Meeting Tuesday, January 19, 2021  10:00 a.m.     Morning Prayer Wednesday, January 20, 2021   6:00 p.m.     Christian Catechesis Sunday, January 24, 2021   8:00 a.m.      Sunday School/Adult Class   9:00 a.m.      Divine Service - (St. Timothy Day) (C)

THIS WEEK IN THE CHURCH YEAR      None for this week

 

ST. JOHN’S NEWS

 

Organist Today: Marcia Hanna

Elder for January: Tony Hatten

 

Morning/Evening Prayer Coming to St. John’s! - Beginning in January, we will be offering an opportunity for morning prayer every Tuesday morning at 10:00 a.m. and evening prayer every last Tuesday of the month at 6:00 p.m.  These will be excellent, socially distant opportunities to gather with a few other Christians for spoken prayer.  Also, if at one of these services you would like to receive the Lord’s Supper, Pastor Cowell will prepare bread and wine for a Divine Service at your request. 

 

First Quarter Voter’s Meeting will be held immediately following the service today.

 

Parish Messenger - Your January-February Parish Messenger is in your mailbox. 

 

Stained Glass Window Project - Information on our new stained glass window project at St. John’s is on the back table. You can view an enlarged image of the windows on the ramp bulletin board or on the door going to the balcony. 

 

Devotion Books Available - On the guestbook stand in back are devotional booklets written to guide our faith during the continuance of the pandemic.  Feel free to take as many copies for yourself and others as you’d like! 

 

Thank You cards and notes have been received by our members for the goodies/books etc. that were delivered at Christmas by the Mission Board. Those thank you notes are posted on the ramp bulletin board.

 

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. 

 

St. John’s Member Check-in Calls - On Wednesday, January 20th at 3:00 p.m. we will be having a meeting in the church basement to discuss our member-wide phone call project.  If you would like to participate in this phone call project please come to this meeting.  If you would like to help but can’t attend the meeting, please contact Pastor Cowell. 

 

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.

 

Addresses: If you have a new address/phone number or your college students have a new address, will you please get that information into the church office so we can update our church roster. We would also love to have your cell number and email address if you have one. 

 

Annual Report Articles - I have been working on the 2020 Annual Report.  You can email any articles/information  to me (Rosann) at churchoffice@stjohnsburt.org.  

Lutheran Witness Yearly Subscriptions are due in February  If you wish to keep receiving the Witness, the cost is $22.70 for the year.  You may pay for this in the church office or mark an envelope and place it in the offering plate. If you receive the Witness and wish to cancel or would like to receive it, please also let the church office know.

 

Flocknote - The beginning of the new year is a great time to review your Flocknote messaging preferences.  See the Flocknote information sheet in the back for a description of your messaging options, and let Pastor Cowell know if you’d like to make any changes to which messages you receive. 

 

Thank You for caring and for your gift of $800.00 received in our office. Together we will be there for more people in need and in more places than ever before.  Lutheran Family Service

 

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!

 

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. 

Family Fishing Weekend at Camp Okoboji - January 29-31 - Come enjoy a family friendly weekend of ice fishing, faith and fellowship!  This is the 11^th year that Pastor Ben Dose and Pastor Jim Stogdill will be the leaders and educators of this Ice Fishing Retreat for all ages!

 

Okoboji Winter Games - January 28-31 - Planning to attend the Okoboji Winter Games and need a safe and refreshing place to stay? Check with us because we still have Family Ministry Cabins available.  (712-337-3325 or campokoboji.org)

 

 

LECTIONARY SUMMARY (Second Sunday after Epiphany)

Old Testament: 1 Kings 3:4-15

God tells Solomon to ask what He should give, and Solomon prays for wisdom. 

 

Epistle: Ephesians 1:3-14

We have been given an inheritance as sons of God in Christ.

 

Gospel:  Luke 2:40-52

Joseph and Mary cannot find the child Jesus after leaving Jerusalem when the Passover was over. Three days later they find Him in the temple.

 

 

FROM THE CHURCH FATHERS

 

“The Lord, born a human being among human beings, did what God, by divine inspiration through his angels, prescribed for human beings to do.  He himself kept the law which he gave in order to show us, who are human beings pure and simple, that whatever God orders is to be observed in everything. Let us follow the path of his human way of life. If we take delight in looking upon the glory of his divinity, if we want to dwell in his eternal home in heaven all the days of our lives, it delights us to see the Lord’s will and to be shielded by his holy temple. And lest we be forever buffeted by the wind of wickedness, let us remember to frequent the house, the church of the present time, with the requisite offerings of pure petitions.” - Bede, Homilies on the Gospels 1.19, qtd. in ACCS: Luke, 54. 

 

LESSONS ON THE LITURGY 

Honor your father and your mother

When the child Jesus submits to Mary and Joseph in the temple He teaches us that children ought to honor their parents because of the will and design of God: not on account of the merits or worthiness of their parents. Jesus is the omniscient and omnipotent God of the universe and yet He honored and submitted Himself to His comparatively weak and lowly earthly parents. Luther, in his Large Catechism, says of the Fourth Commandment that children: 

should remember that however lowly, poor, frail, and strange their parents may be, nevertheless, they are the father and the mother given to them by God. Parents are not to be deprived of their honor because of their conduct or their failings. Therefore, we are not to consider who they are or how they may be, but the will of God, who has created and ordained parenthood (paragraph 108).

 

 

FROM THE BOOK OF CONCORD

 

Solid Declaration of the Formula of Concord, Article VIII: The Person of Christ, para. 24-25

On account of this personal union and communion of the natures, Mary, the most blessed Virgin, did not bear a mere man. But, as the angel testifies, she bore a man who is truly the Son of the most high God [Luke 1:35]. He showed His divine majesty even in His mother's womb, because He was born of a virgin, without violating her virginity. Therefore, she is truly the mother of God and yet has remained a virgin. He did all His miracles by the power of this personal union. He showed His divine majesty, according to His pleasure, when and as He willed. He did this not just after His resurrection and ascension, but also in His state of humiliation. For example:

(a)       At the wedding at Cana of Galilee [John 2:1-11]

(b)       When He was twelve years old, among the learned [Luke 2:42-50]

(c)       In the garden, when with a word He cast His enemies to the ground [John 18:6]

(d)       In death, when He died not simply as any other man, but in and with His death conquered sin, 

                            death, devil, hell, and eternal damnation [Col. 2:13-15].

 

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 BAPTISM OF OUR LORD

January 10, 2021

 

Father in heaven, at the Baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River You proclaimed Him Your beloved Son and anointed Him with the Holy Spirit. Make all who are baptized in His name faithful in their calling as Your children and inheritors with Him of everlasting life; through the same 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, January 10, 2021   9:00 a.m.    Divine Service - (Baptism-Lord) (C)  10:00  a.m.   Council Meeting Wednesday, January 13, 2021   6:00 p.m.    Christian Catechesis Sunday, January 17, 2021   8:00 a.m.    Sunday School/Adult Class   9:00 a.m.    Divine Service - (Epiphany 2) (C) 10:00 a.m.   Voter’s Meeting

THIS WEEK IN THE CHURCH YEAR       January 10, 2021     Commemoration of Basil of Caesarea,         Gregory of Nazianzus, & Gregory of         Nyssa, the Cappadocian Fathers

 

ST. JOHN’S NEWS

 

Organist Today: Marcia Hanna

Elder for January: Tony Hatten

 

Morning/Evening Prayer Coming to St. John’s! - Beginning in January, we will be offering an opportunity for morning prayer every Tuesday morning at 10:00 a.m. and evening prayer every last Tuesday of the month at 6:00 p.m.  These will be excellent, socially distant opportunities to gather with a few other Christians for spoken prayer.  Also, if at one of these services you would like to receive the Lord’s Supper, Pastor Cowell will prepare bread and wine for a Divine Service at your request. 

• There will be no morning prayer this Tuesday (Jan. 12) because pastor Cowell will be at a circuit meeting. 

 

First Quarter Council Meeting will be held today following the service. The Voter’s Meeting will be held on Sunday, January 17, 2021.

   Note:  (Installation of Officers will be held on Sunday January 17)

 

Devotion Books Available - On the guestbook stand in back are devotional booklets written to guide our faith during the continuance of the pandemic.  Feel free to take as many copies for yourself and others as you’d like! 

 

Thank You cards and notes have been received by our members for the goodies/books etc. that were delivered at Christmas by the Mission Board. Those thank you notes are posted on the ramp bulletin board.

 

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. 

 

St. John’s Member Check-in Calls - Beginning in early January, we are going to begin a project at St. John’s of calling all our members to see if there is any way our congregation can be of any help to each other’s faith or life as the pandemic drags on into another year.  If you are interested in making some of these phone calls please let Pastor Cowell know. 

 

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.

 

Addresses: If you have a new address/phone number or your college students have a new address, will you please get that information into the church office so we can update our church roster. We would also love to have your cell number and email address if you have one. 

 

Annual Report Articles - I am beginning to work on the 2020 Annual Report.  You can email any articles/information  to me (Rosann) at churchoffice@stjohnsburt.org.  

 

Lutheran Witness Yearly Subscriptions are due in February  If you wish to keep receiving the Witness, the cost is $22.70 for the year.  You may pay for this in the church office or mark an envelope and place it in the offering plate. If you receive the Witness and wish to cancel or would like to receive it, please also let the church office know.

 

Flocknote - The beginning of the new year is a great time to review your Flocknote messaging preferences.  See the Flocknote information sheet in the back for a description of your messaging options, and let Pastor Cowell know if you’d like to make any changes to which messages you receive. 

 

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!

 

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. 

Family Fishing Weekend at Camp Okoboji - January 29-31 - Come enjoy a family friendly weekend of ice fishing, faith and fellowship!  This is the 11^th year that Pastor Ben Dose and Pastor Jim Stogdill will be the leaders and educators of this Ice Fishing Retreat for all ages!

Okoboji Winter Games - January 28-31 - Planning to attend the Okoboji Winter Games and need a safe and refreshing place to stay? Check with us because we still have Family Ministry Cabins available.  (712-337-3325 or campokoboji.org)

 

LECTIONARY SUMMARY (Baptism of our Lord)

Old Testament:  Genesis 1:1-5

God speaks the heavens and the earth into existence while the Spirit hovers over the waters.

 

Epistle: Romans 6:1-11

We were buried with Christ by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

 

Gospel: Mark 1:4-11

As John the Baptist baptizes Jesus in the Jordan River the Spirit descends on Jesus and God the Father says: “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”

 

FROM THE CHURCH FATHERS

“As a man [Jesus] was baptized, but He absolved sins as God.  He needed no purifying rites Himself - His purpose was to hallow water.” - Gregory Nazianzen, Oration 29, On the Son, qtd. in ACCS: Mark, 11.

 

LESSONS ON THE LITURGY 

Jesus the New Adam and New Moses

In the Baptism of our Lord we receive a clear example of how Jesus has come to be a new Adam and a new Moses for us.  Just as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit were present during the creation of heaven and earth when Adam was formed from the dust, so too is the Father (voice from heaven, Son (Jesus), and Holy Spirit (in the form of a dove) present at Jesus’ Baptism. Unlike Adam, though, Jesus will be the truly righteous child of God who will remain in the image of God forever.  Likewise, just as Moses walked through the Red Sea to be tested in the wilderness for 40 years, so too did the Spirit drive Jesus straight out of the water and into the wilderness to be tested for 40 days. Unlike Moses, though, Jesus would remain sinless throughout the devil’s temptations and would lead His people into the Promised Land of resurrection in Him. 

 

FROM THE BOOK OF CONCORD

Solid Declaration of the Formula of Concord, Article III: Righteousness of Faith, para. 19-22

The word regeneration is used to mean both the forgiveness of sins for Christ's sake alone and, at the same time, the succeeding renewal that the Holy Spirit works in those who are justified by faith. Then again, regeneration is sometimes used to mean only the forgiveness of sins and that we are adopted as God's sons. It is in this latter sense that the word is used in the Apology, where it is written that justification before God is regeneration. St. Paul, too, has used these words as distinct from each other: He saved us […] by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit. (Titus 3:5)

     The words "making alive" have sometimes been used in a similar sense. For when a person is justified through faith (which the Holy Spirit alone does), this is truly a regeneration. In this he becomes a child of God. So he is transferred from death to life, as it is written, "When we were dead in our trespasses, [God] made us alive together with Christ" [Eph. 2:5]. Likewise, "The righteous shall live by faith" (Ro. 1:17 [see also Hab. 2:4]). This is how the word is usually used in the Apology.

     Again, regeneration is often used for sanctification and renewal, which follows the righteousness of faith.  We teach that through the Holy Spirit's work we are born anew and justified.