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 FOURTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

August 29. 2021

 

O God, the source of all that is just and good, nourish in us every virtue and bring to completion every good intent that we may grow in grace and bring forth the fruit of good works; 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, August 29, 2021  8:00 a.m.  Adult Class   9:00 a.m.  Divine Service  10:30 p.m. Rally Day at Smith Lake   Tuesday, August 31, 2021  10:00 a.m. Morning Prayer    Sunday, September 5, 2021   8:00 a.m.    Adult Class    9:00 a.m.    Divine Service

THIS WEEK IN THE CHURCH YEAR       August 29, 2021     Feast of The Martyrdom of St. John the Baptist    September 1, 2021     Commemoration of Joshua   September 2, 2021     Commemoration of Hannah   September 3, 2021     Commemoration of Gregory the Great, Pastor   September 4, 2021     Commemoration of Moses

ST. JOHN’S NEWS

 

Organist Today: Marcia Hanna    

Elder for August:  Boyd Shipler  

 

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.  Stop by your church mailbox to pick up a reminder postcard for this time change. 

 

Partnership Rally Day at Smith Lake - The entire congregation is invited to our Partnership Rally Day at the east shelter at Smith Lake today 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!

 

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. 

 

Wednesday Catechesis Parent Meeting - Our start of the year parent/child meeting for Wednesday Christian Catechesis will be at the beginning of our first class on Wednesday, September 15th at 6:00 p.m.  We’d love for both parents to attend if possible.  

 

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.

 

New Resources Available - Take a look at the several new booklets in the pamphlet rack in the back of church.  New titles include, from the A Simple Explanation series: Angels, the Bible, and Church Symbols, and from the A Biblical Response series: Suicide, Addiction, homosexuality, Transgenderism, Divorce, and Abortion. Feel free to take as many of these booklets as you’d like. 

 

New Stained Glass Windows! - We will be blessing our new windows immediately following the Divine Service on Sunday, September 12. You can view pictures of the installation process of our new stained glass windows at: stjohnsburt.org/new-stain-glass-window-installation.html

 

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. 

 

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. 

 

Building Healthy Families: Date night! When was the last time you planned a date for your spouse? A home cooked meal, a game night, or recreating your first date are just a few ideas. A date doesn’t have to cost a lot to make it fun. What counts most is the time spent together! “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers a multitude of sins.” I Peter 4:8 Lutheran Family Service - www.LutheranFamilyService.org.

 

This work of art, which will be referenced in today’s sermon, is an icon known as Christ Pantocrator.  It originates from St. Catherine’s Monastery at Sinai as early as the 6th century. Pantocrator is a Greek word meaning “all-powerful” or “almighty.”

 

LECTIONARY SUMMARY (Proper 17)

Old Testament: Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 6-9

The Lord instructs Israel to keep His commands so that other nations might inquire as to the greatness of their God.

 

Epistle: Ephesians 6:10-20

Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 

 

Gospel: Mark 7:14-23

Jesus taught: “There is nothing outside a person that by going into him can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him.”

 

FROM THE CHURCH FATHERS

“Let us, then, his servants, follow our Lord and patiently submit to denunciations that we may be blessed! If, with slight forbearance, I hear some bitter or evil remark directed against me, I may return it, and then I shall inevitably become bitter myself. Either that, or I shall be tormented by unexpressed resentment. If I retaliate when cursed, how shall I be found to have followed the teaching of our Lord? For his saying has been handed down that one is defiled not by unclean dishes but by the words which proceed from his mouth.” - Tertullian, On Patience, qtd. in ACCS: Mark, 99. 

 

LESSONS ON THE LITURGY 

Preparing for [private or corporate] Confession

“Consider how the Ten Commandments act as a mirror, showing us where we have sinned in our various places in life.  How have you - as a husband, wife, mother, father, daughter, son, teacher, student, employer, employee, and so forth - failed to fear love, and trust in God and love your neighbor?” - An Explanation of the Small Catechism (2017), p. 311

 

FROM THE BOOK OF CONCORD

Solid Declaration of the Formula of Concord, Article VI: The Person of Christ, para. 76-79

No man besides [Christ], either in heaven or on earth, can say with truth, "Where two or three are gathered in My name, there am I among them" (Matthew 18:20). Also, "Behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

     We do not understand these testimonies to mean that only Christ's divinity is present with us in the Christian Church and congregation, and that such presence does not apply to Christ according to His humanity... However, the Holy Scriptures say this only about Christ, and no other man. We hold that by these words the majesty of the man Christ is declared. Christ has received this majesty, according to His humanity, at the right hand of God's majesty and power. So also, according to His received human nature and with the same, He can be, and also is, present where He wants to be. He is present especially in His Church and congregation on earth as Mediator, Head, King, and High Priest. This presence is not a part, or only one half of Him. Christ's entire person is present, to which both natures belong, the divine and the human-not only according to His divinity, but also according to, and with, His received human nature. He is our Brother, and we are flesh of His flesh and bone of His bone. He has instituted His Holy Supper for the certain assurance and confirmation of this, so that He will be with us, and dwell, work, and be effective in us.