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 ELEVENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

August 8, 2021

 

Gracious Father, Your blessed Son came down from heaven to be the true bread that gives life to the world. Grant that Christ, the bread of life, may live in us and we in Him, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

 

 

THIS WEEK AT ST. JOHN’S   Today, August 8, 2021   8:00 a.m.      Adult Class    9:00 a.m.      Divine Service    Tuesday, August 10, 2021   10:00 a.m.     Morning Prayer    Wednesday, August 11, 2021    6:00 p.m.      Sign Making Day     Sunday, August 15, 2021    8:00 a.m.       Adult Class     9:00 a.m.       Divine Service

THIS WEEK IN THE CHURCH YEAR       August 10, 2021     Commemoration of Laurence, Deacon and Martyr

 

 

ST. JOHN’S NEWS

 

Organist Today:   Marcia Hanna   

Elder for August:  Boyd Shipler  

Greeters for Today:  Al and Peggy Schadendorf

 

New Schedule - Beginning Sunday, September 12, Sunday School and adult class will begin at 8:30 a.m. and the Divine Service will begin at 9:30 a.m. 

 

Welcome! - We thank God with John Schutter who on Sunday, August 1, in the presence of representatives from the St. John’s elders and congregation, confessed his shared faith in the doctrine of Holy Scripture taught and believed by the Christians of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod, and was welcomed into membership at St. John’s.  We rejoice for John to join us at Holy Communion and to participate fully in the life of our church family. 

 

Amelia Opal’s Baptism Day - The congregation is invited to witness the Baptism of Amelia Opal Cowell on Sunday, August 22nd at 12:00 p.m.  Lunch in the church basement will immediately follow the Baptism.  

 

Partnership Rally Day at Smith Lake - The entire congregation is invited to our Partnership Rally Day at the east shelter at Smith Lake Sunday, August 29, at 10:30 a.m.  We will begin with a brief prayer service including the installation of Sunday School teachers and presentation of Bibles and Catechism, followed by lunch and games. Bring a lawn chair or blanket!

• Note that we will have our regularly scheduled Divine Service at St. John’s at 9:00 a.m. on this Sunday as well. 

 

Partnership Potluck and Hymn Sing - Join us Wednesday, September 8 at St. John’s for our Partnership Potluck and Hymn Sing!  The potluck begins at 5:30 p.m. in the church basement. Bring a main dish, side, or desert if you’re able.  (Feel free to come later if work prevents you from arriving at 5:30.)  Then, join us at the outdoor altar at 6:30 p.m. for a hymn sing; we'll be taking requests!  Please label your serving dishes if you’d like them back. 

 

Sign-Making Day at St. John’s - Kim Kollasch with 400 Rustic Station Home & Design will be hosting a Joshua 24:15 sign making event at St. John’s on Wednesday, August 11 at 6:00 p.m.  If you would like to attend, please let the church office know by Monday. The cost of the project is $50. You can see an example of the type of sign you would make in the back of church. 

 

St. John’s T-Shirts - If you missed your opportunity to purchase a St. John’s T-shirt a year ago (or you would like a second one!), we now have T-shirts available in the church office. The cost is $6.00 and can be picked up any time.

 

Stained Glass Windows have been installed! Take a moment and view our newly installed windows at the east entrance of the church.  Thank you to everyone who generously supported this project, especially Esther Christensen and Helen Smith families for their memorial donations.  Also, special thanks to Pam and Randy Reimers for coordinating with Bogenrief Studios out of Sutherland, Iowa in the designing and installation of these beautiful windows. 

Greeter and Usher Sign-up - We're excited to reintroduce greeters to our Sunday mornings at St. John's!  Your family or you and a friend are welcome to sign up for a Sunday to greet on the back table.  Of course, hand shaking will be optional.  Also, we'd love to have at least one usher per month to help Jeff with duties as needed.  You can sign up for this on the back table as well. 

 

Parish Messenger Articles are due to Linda Kerkove for the September/October edition by Sunday, August 22.

 

Thank You for all the kind words and prayers for our family on the passing of our father, Larry Manus.  Also, a big thank you to everyone who worked and provided food for Dad’s lunch after his service.  - Larry Manus Family

 

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 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. 

 

SYNOD, DISTRICT & PARTNERSHIP NEWS

 

Trinity, Algona Resources - You can find a variety of digital media for your faith, including service livestreams, at trinityalgona.org or by searching Trinity, Algona on YouTube and Facebook. 

 

Lutherans in Africa Updates - Great things continue to happen at the Lutheran School of Theology in Kenya and throughout the surrounding area for the good of Christ’s Church.  Lutherans in Africa publishes very informative monthly newsletters which you can find at lutheransinafrica.com/updates or by searching @LutheransInAfrica on Facebook.  The lutheransinafrica.com website is also updated regularly and is a great way to stay up to date on the work our mission dollars are supporting. 

 

Did You Know: For people who use texting on their phone to communicate with others, the average number of text messages sent and received on a weekday is…94! Many of us are in constant communication with others and connected to devices most hours of the day. But sometimes that connection becomes a distraction. If you’re not texting regularly – or if you are and need a break – remember to take advantage of the most important form of communication we have, which is available any time – day or night: “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” I Thessalonians 5:16-18 Lutheran Family Service - www.LutheranFamilyService.org.

 

 

LECTIONARY SUMMARY (Proper 14)

Old Testament:  1 Kings 19:1-8          

Elijah fled from Jezebel into the desert to die, but the Angel of the Lord fed him in the desert and he went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mount of God.

 

Epistle: Ephesians 4:17-5:2

Be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

 

Gospel: John 6:35-51

Jesus says to the Jews: “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. The bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”

 

FROM THE CHURCH FATHERS

[Speaking on Ephesians 4:19: “they [the unbelieving Gentiles] have become callous and have given themselves us to licentiousness, greedy to practice every kind of uncleanness.”:] “They have lost their moral compass through lack of hope in a future life. Living now as if they had no future, they pollute their own lives with the foulest behaviors. They refuse to submit themselves to the most elementary requirement of faith, which brings their pleasure-seeking into accountability in relation to the future life. It is this future life that these people declare to be ridiculous. Hence they pretend to have a right to debauch themselves. They covet the goods of others with ravenous greed, as though there were no life whatever after this little space.” - Ambrosiaster, Epistle to the Ephesians 4.19, qtd. in ACCS: Gatlatians, Ephesians, Philippians, 162.

 

LESSONS ON THE LITURGY 

The Age Requirement of the Lord’s Supper

Contrary to popular belief, there is technically no age requirement for the Lord’s Supper.  The only requirement is that a Christian ought be capable of acknowledging who they are (a sinner), who Jesus is (by way of the catechism), and what they are eating at the Holy Supper (Jesus’ body and blood for the forgiveness of sins).  In fact Luther encourages parents to bring their children who are capable of discerning these things to the Supper.  Johannes Bugenhagen, Luther’s pastor, says: “After this confession is made, also the little children of about eight years or less should be admitted to the table of Him who says: “Suffer the little children to come unto Me.” 

 

 

FROM THE BOOK OF CONCORD

Epitome of the Formula of Concord, Article I: Original Sin, paragraphs 6, 8-10

Christ redeemed human nature as His work, sanctifies it, raises it from the dead, and gloriously adorns it as His work. But original sin He has not created, received, redeemed, or sanctified. He will not raise it, adorn it, or save it in the elect. In the ‹blessed› resurrection original sin will be entirely destroyed [1 Corinthians 15:51-57]. […]

     On the other hand, we believe, teach, and confess that original sin is not a minor corruption. It is so deep a corruption of human nature that nothing healthy or uncorrupt remains in man's body or soul, in his inward or outward powers [Romans 3:10-12]. As the Church sings:

 

Through Adam's fall is all corrupt, Nature and essence human.