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].