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
PALM SUNDAY
Sunday, March 28, 2021
Almighty and everlasting God, You sent Your Son, our Savior Jesus Christ, to take upon Himself our flesh and to suffer death upon the cross. Mercifully grant that we may follow the example of His great humility and patience and be made partakers of His resurrection; 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, March 28, 2021 8:00 a.m. Sunday School/Adult Class 9:00 a.m. Divine Service - (Palm Sunday) Tuesday, March 30, 2021 10:00 a.m. Stations of the Cross Prayer 6:00 p.m. Evening Prayer 7:00 p.m. Elders Meeting Thursday, April 1, 2021 6:00 p.m. Holy Thursday Service | Good Friday, April 2, 2021 6:00 p.m. Good Friday Service Sunday, April 4, 2021 8:00 a.m. Easter Divine Service 9:00 a.m. Breakfast THIS WEEK IN THE CHURCH YEAR March 31, 2021 Commemoration of Joseph, Patriarch |
ST. JOHN’S NEWS
Organist Today: Marcia Hanna
Elder for March: Jeff Schutjer
Acolyte: Breckin Borchardt
Holy Week Services
· Stations of the Cross
Tuesday, March 30 10:00 a.m.
· Holy Tuesday Evening Prayer
Tuesday, March 30 6:00 p.m.
· Holy Thursday Divine Service
Thursday, April 1 6:00 p.m.
· Good Friday Service
Friday, April 2 6:00 p.m.
· Easter Vigil
Saturday, April 3 5:00 p.m. (at St. Paul’s, Emmetsburg)
· Easter Day Divine Service
Sunday, April 4 8:00 a.m. (followed by breakfast)
Palm Branches - Feel free to take home as many palm branches as you’d like, along with instructions on how to make a palm cross.
Easter Cards - Feel free to take as many St. John’s Easter greeting cards on the back table as you’d like to send to friends and family. You can also purchase Easter cards from the card rack.
Easter Breakfast - You are all invited to breakfast following our Easter Day Divine Service Sunday, April 4 at 8:00 a.m. Those who are not staying for breakfast are welcome to grab a “to-go” roll in the church basement following the service. Those who would like to stay to eat will have plenty of seating options available in the church basement. This year’s breakfast is hosted by our Board of Education and LYF students (grades 5-12).
St. John’s Easter Egg Hunt - The St. John’s Board of Education and LYF invites your children, grandchildren, and neighbors to the St. John’s Easter egg hunt! The event will be Saturday, April 3 at 10:00 a.m. near the St. John’s garages. We’ll hear the Easter gospel, have the egg hunt, and enjoy refreshments following the hunt.
Easter Baked Goods Needed - If you would like to donate a pan of bars/cookies for the St. John’s Easter egg hunt Holy Saturday, or a pan of rolls/muffins/coffee cake, etc. for Easter breakfast, please sign the sign-up sheet on the back table. Thanks!
Birthday Wishes - Ruth Nerem will be celebrating her 99th Birthday on April 1st. Let’s help her celebrate by sending cards. They can reach her at: Ruth Nerem, 546 Ramsey St. E, Accura Nursing Home, Bancroft, Iowa 50517
Skills and Interests Form - Each member (and non-member spouse) has received a Skills and Interests form in your church box. As we slowly begin to get into the full swing of mission, mercy, and social activities at St. John’s in a more “normal” way, we would like to know what skills you have for serving your church and what interests you might have in growing in faith and fellowship with your fellow members. This will help us better connect each of our members with opportunities to serve and grow in the best way for you and your life situation.
Quarterly Council Meeting - Our quarterly council meeting at St. John’s is scheduled for Sunday, April 11 after church.
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.
Portals of Prayer for April-June are available on the side table in the back of church.
Midweek Lent Booklets - If you plan to watch our midweek Lent services from home, feel free to take a stained glass window booklet home with you. They are located by the mailboxes.
Stained Glass Window Project - We’ve met our financial goal for our new windows and are on track to possibly have them installed by April 1st! There’s more information on the windows on the back table. Thanks for your generous contributions to this project.
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.
Thank You! A letter from Aly Bierstedt was received thanking the congregation for the Christmas package and all the prayers and support for her and Austin. If you would like to read the letter, it has been posted on the ramp bulletin.
Easter Cards - If you wish to send a card or note to Aly and Austin for Easter their addresses are posted on the ramp bulletin board.
SYNOD, DISTRICT & PARTNERSHIP NEWS
Special Trinity Livestreams for Holy Week - In addition to their regularly scheduled services, Trinity, Algona will also be livestreaming the following services:
· Stations of the Cross (recorded last year) Good Friday 1:00 p.m.
· Easter Vigil (recorded last year) Holy Saturday 6:00 p.m.
Trinity’s Good Friday and Easter Sunday livestreams this year will also feature special, pre-recorded music to help you observe these important days at home as well as at church if you’re able.
Camp Okoboji Annual Meeting will be held Saturday, April 10. Kitty and Lynn Bierstedt will be attending for St. John’s. There will be a Theme Basket Auction, Bake Sale and Grocery Shower held at the same time.
LECTIONARY SUMMARY (Palm Sunday)
Old Testament: Zechariah 9:9-12
Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey,
Epistle: Philippians 2:5-11
Jesus humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
Gospel: John 12:20-43
Jesus shares with the people by what kind of death He was going to die. Many did not believe in Him, and some did but were afraid to confess it.
FROM THE CHURCH FATHERS
“‘Untie the donkey and bring it to me.’ He began with a manger and finished with a donkey, in Bethlehem with a manger, in Jerusalem with a donkey.” - Ephrem the Syrian, Commentary on Tatian’s Diatessaron, qtd. from ACCS: Mark, p. 155.
LESSONS ON THE LITURGY
The Palm Sunday Procession
In ancient days when a king rode into town the people would cover the dusty road with their coats or with branches from a tree in order to show their king the highest honor and respect: equivalent to rolling out the red carpet. Today we process into church with palm branches not only to mimic our Lord’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem to conquer sin and death on the cross, but also to celebrate His triumphal entry among us as He enters our midst in Word and Sacrament. In the Palm Sunday Divine Service Jesus travels with us through our remembrance of His cross and passion to the joy of Easter.
FROM THE BOOK OF CONCORD
Solid Declaration of the Formula of Concord, Article III: Righteousness of Faith, para. 30-32
The Scriptures teach that the righteousness of faith before God stands only in the gracious reconciliation or the forgiveness of sins, which is presented to us out of pure grace, only for the sake of the merit of the Mediator, Christ. This is received through faith alone in the Gospel promise. In the same way also, in justification before God, faith relies neither on contrition nor on love or other virtues. Faith relies on Christ alone and on His complete obedience by which He has fulfilled the Law for us. This obedience is credited to believers for righteousness.
Furthermore, neither contrition nor love nor any other virtue, but faith alone is the only means and instrument by which, and through which, we can receive and accept God's grace, Christ's merit, and the forgiveness of sins, which are brought to us in the Gospel promise.
Believers who have been justified through faith in Christ have the righteousness of faith credited to them in this life. They also have the righteousness of good works. But these two types of righteousness must not be mixed with each other. For the righteousness [of our good works] is incomplete and impure in this life because of the flesh. Only for the sake of Christ's obedience, suffering, and death is the person pleasing and acceptable to God and received into adoption and made an heir of eternal life.
