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 FIFTH SUNDAY IN LENT

Sunday, March 21, 2021

 

Almighty God, by Your great goodness mercifully look upon Your people that we may be governed and preserved evermore in body and soul; 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 21, 2021     8:00 a.m.    Sunday School/Adult Class     9:00 a.m.    Divine Service - (Lent 5)      Tuesday, March 23, 2021   10:00 a.m.   Morning Prayer   Wednesday, March 24, 2021     6:00 p.m.   Lenten Service                              6:30 p.m.   Christian Catechesis

Sunday, March 28, 2021       8:00 a.m.     Sunday School/Adult Class         9:00 a.m.     Divine Service - (Palm Sunday)     THIS WEEK IN THE CHURCH YEAR     March 25, 2021      Feast of The Annunciation of our Lord

 

ST. JOHN’S NEWS

 

Organist Today: Marcia Hanna

Elder for March:  Jeff Schutjer

Acolyte:  Breckin Borchardt

 

Tuesday Morning Prayer Service will be held this Tuesday, March 23 at 10:00 a.m. 

 

Lenten Services will be held this week Wednesday, March 24 at 6:00 p.m.  Feel free to pick up a full worship schedule for the Lenten season on the back table, and to deliver one to a friend! 

 

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 Lily - If you would like to purchase an Easter lily for the church to use for Easter morning service, there is a sign-up sheet on the table at the back of the church. Please sign up and pay Cheryl Batt by Sunday, March 28. Each lily is $16. Feel free to take your lily home after Easter morning service.  

 

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.   

 

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 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. 

 

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. 

 

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. 

 

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

 

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.

 

LECTIONARY SUMMARY (Lent 5)

Old Testament: Jeremiah 31:31-34

God will make a new covenant with His people, and write His law upon their hearts.

 

Epistle: Hebrews 5:1-10

Jesus is our perfect and eternal high priest.

 

Gospel: Mark 10:32-45

Jesus tells the disciples, “whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all.” 

 

FROM THE CHURCH FATHERS

 

“Do you see? They did not understand what they were asking for when they were talking to him about crowns and rewards and the privilege of the first seats and honors even before the contest had begun. [...] The timing was precisely wrong. For this was not the right time for crowns or prizes. It was the time for struggles, contests, toils, sweat, wrestling rings and battles.” - Chrysostom, On the Incomprehensible Nature of God, 8.32-33, quoted in ACCS: Mark, 149-150.

 

LESSONS ON THE LITURGY 

Maundy Thursday

Next week we celebrate Maundy Thursday, also commonly called Holy Thursday. The term Maundy comes from the Latin word mandatum which means “mandate” or “command.”  This comes from the traditional Gospel reading appointed for the day from John chapter 13, in which after Jesus washes His disciples’ feet says to them: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another (John 13:34-35).”  Jesus gave this mandate to love one another on the same night in which He took bread and wine and mandated: “Take eat, this is my body; Drink of it, all of you; this cup is the New Testament in My blood.”

 

FROM THE BOOK OF CONCORD

Large Catechism, Part III: The Lord’s Prayer, paragraphs 59-63

Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

     So far we have prayed that God's name be honored by us and that His kingdom triumph among us. These two points deal with God's honor and our salvation. We receive God as our own and all His riches. But now we must firmly keep God's honor and our salvation, and not allow ourselves to be torn from them. In God's kingdom, although we have prayed for the greatest need we must also pray that God's will be done if we are to abide in God's will. We shall have to suffer many blows from everything that seeks to oppose the fulfillment of the first two petitions.

     No one can believe how the devil opposes these prayers. He cannot allow anyone to teach or to believe rightly. It hurts him to have his lies and abominations exposed, which have been honored under the sham use of the divine name. It hurts him when he himself is disgraced, is driven out of the heart, and has to let a breach be made in his kingdom. Therefore, he rages as a fierce enemy with all his power and might. He marshals all his subjects and, in addition, enlists the world and our own flesh as his allies. For our flesh is in itself lazy and inclined to evil [Rom. 7:18], even though we have believed God's Word. The world is wicked. So he provokes the world against us, fans and stirs the fire, so that he may drive us back, cause us to fall, and again bring us under his power [2 Cor. 2:11; 1 Tim. 3:6-7].