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 LENT
March 7, 2021
Almighty God, our heavenly Father, Your mercies are new every morning; and though we deserve only punishment, You receive us as Your children and provide for all our needs of body and soul. Grant that we may heartily acknowledge Your merciful goodness, give thanks for all Your benefits, and serve You in willing obedience; 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, March 7, 2021 8:00 a.m. Sunday School/Adult Class 9:00 a.m. Divine Service - (Lent 3) Tuesday, March 9, 2021 8:30 a.m. Circuit Pastor’s Meeting NO Morning Prayer Wednesday, March 10, 2021 6:00 p.m. Lenten Service 6:30 p.m. Christian Catechesis | Sunday, March 14, 2021 8:00 a.m. Sunday School/Adult Class 9:00 a.m. Divine Service - (Lent 4) THIS WEEK IN THE CHURCH YEAR March 7, 2021 Commemoration of Perpetua and Felicitas, Martyrs |
ST. JOHN’S NEWS
Organist Today: Marcia Hanna
Elder for March: Jeff Schujter
Acolytes Today: Kenna Hatten
Taylor Parsons
Tuesday Prayer Services - This week there will be NO Tuesday morning prayer at 10:00 a.m.
Lenten Services will be held this week Wednesday, March 10 at 6:00 p.m.
Lent Schedule Available - Feel free to pick up a worship schedule for the Lenten season on the back table. Also feel free to deliver one to a friend!
Stained Glass Window Project - Information on our new stained glass window project at St. John’s is on the back table. We now have met our financial goal for the stained glass windows. We are on track to possibly have them installed by April 1st. We wish to thank all those who so generously gave to this project and helped to meet this goal. 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.
Midweek Service Offering - Offering given at any of our Lent midweek services will go toward the Wednesday Catechesis students’ charity projects. You can find out more about these projects from the yellow handout on the back table.
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.
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!
2020 Thrivent Choice Dollars must be directed by March 31. Consider joining others who have directed their Choice Dollars towards St. John’s ministry.
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 our Ask the Pastors livestream every Wednesday from 10:00-10:30 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.
Midweek Lenten Services at Trinity - Trinity, Algona is offering a Wednesday Lenten service at 11:00 a.m. This is a great option for any who prefer not to drive in the dark or are otherwise busy Wednesday evenings. No registration is required for this service, and you can plan to wear a mask throughout the service.
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.
Building Healthy Families - Husbands, want to have a great relationship with your wife, even during times of conflict? Don’t try harder to convince her of your point. Don’t walk away. Love her. Research supports what Scripture has already told us: During an argument, 72% of wives feel unloved. “Each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.” (Ephesians 5:33) It’s not just a good idea, it’s a clear directive from the creator of marriage Himself. And it works! Lutheran Family Service - www.LutheranFamilyService.org
COMMUNITY NEWS
Burt Lions Club French Toast Breakfast will be held on Saturday, March 20 from 8:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Burt Community Center. Free will offering. Masks recommended and take outs will be available. Bake Sale by the Burt Library.
LECTIONARY SUMMARY (Lent 3)
Old Testament: Exodus 20:1-17
The Lord gives the Ten Commandments from Mount Sinai.
Epistle: 1 Corinthians 1:18-31
The word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
Gospel: John 2:13-25
Jesus drives the money-changers out of the temple, and says: “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”
FROM THE CHURCH FATHERS
“Those who have no desire for redemption have everything for sale. They do not want to be bought; they want to sell. Yet surely it is for their good that they be redeemed by the blood of Christ so that they may attain the peace of Christ.” - Augustine, Tractates on the Gospel of John 10.6.1-3, qtd. from ACCS: John 1-10, p. 101.
LESSONS ON THE LITURGY
Destroy this Temple
In our Gospel lesson today Jesus says while He stands in the Jerusalem temple: “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” The Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?” But He was speaking about the temple of His body (see John 2:19-21). The temple building in Jerusalem was, in fact, destroyed in 70 AD by the Romans during the First Jewish Revolt and has not been rebuilt to this day. Although the destruction of the Jerusalem temple is an unfortunate loss from a historical and archaeological perspective, the destruction of the temple is of no consequence to our Christian faith. Our temple is Jesus Christ, and in Him we dwell by faith for eternal life.
FROM THE BOOK OF CONCORD
Apology of the Augsburg Confession, Article V: Love and Fulfilling the Law, para. 19-22
We teach not only how the Law can be kept, but also how God is pleased. This is not because we satisfy the Law, but because we are in Christ. It is clear that we require good works. We also say this: Our love for God, even though it is small, cannot possibly be separated from faith. For we come to the Father through Christ. When forgiveness of sins has been received, then we are truly certain that we have a God [Ex. 20:3], that is, that God cares for us. We call upon Him, we give Him thanks, we fear Him, we love Him as 1 Jn. 4:19 teaches, "We love because He first loved us." In other words, we love Him because He gave His Son for us and forgave us our sins. In this way John shows that faith comes first and love follows. Likewise, the faith of which we speak exists in repentance. I mean that faith is conceived in the terrors of conscience, which feels God's wrath against our sins and seeks forgiveness of sins, seeks to be freed from sin. In such terrors and other troubles, this faith ought to grow and be strengthened. Therefore, it cannot exist in people who live by the flesh, who are delighted by their own lusts and obey them. So, Paul says in Ro. 8:1, "There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." So, "We are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. But if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live" (8:12-13).
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