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 TWENTY-FIRST SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
October 17, 2021
O God, Your divine wisdom sets in order all things in heaven and on earth. Put away from us all things hurtful and give us those things that are beneficial for us; 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, October 17, 2021 8:30 a.m. SS School/Adult Class 9:30 a.m. Divine Service 10:30 a.m. Voter’s Meeting Tuesday, October 19, 2021 10:00 a.m. Morning Prayer Wednesday, October 20, 2021 6:00 p.m. Christian Catechesis | Sunday, October 24, 2021 8:30 a.m. SS School/Adult Class 9:30 a.m. Divine Service THIS WEEK IN THE CHURCH YEAR October 17, 2021 Commemoration of Ignatius of Antioch, Pastor and Martyr October 18, 2021 Feast of St. Luke, Evangelist October 23, 2021 Feast of St. James of Jerusalem, Brother of Jesus and Martyr |
ST. JOHN’S NEWS
Organist Today: Marcia Hanna Elder for October: Jerry Koestler
Quarterly Voter’s Meeting will be held today immediately following the service.
Share the Blessings is your opportunity to give thanks to God by giving a monetary offering in praise of Him and in service to His Church. While Share the Blessings originated as Corn, Bean, Cash as an opportunity for farmers to give of the firstfruits of their harvest, all at St. John’s are welcome to take this special opportunity to give back to God from the abundance of the good gifts He has given to us. There is a letter and special envelope in your church box if you would like to participate.
Parish Messenger Articles for the November/December edition are due to Linda Kerkove by Sunday, October 24.
Portals of Prayer for October-December are now available along the east wall in the back.
Church Year Resource - Would you like to know more about the special people and events we commemorate throughout the Church Year? You can read a short introduction into each commemoration and feast day as they come up in the calendar year at communication.cph.org/
Worship by Phone - Beginning October 24th, if you would like to receive the audio of the worship service on Sunday through your phone, you will need to dial area code 515 along with the worship-by-phone number of 924-4444, even if you are calling locally. This change is due to a new rule requiring all numbers in the 515 area code to add the area code to all local calls.
Service Livestream Operator Informational Meeting - If you have any interest in assisting with the weekly setup of our service livestreams at St. John’s, or would simply like to learn how to set up a video livestream, please plan to attend a short meeting Sunday, October 24 after church in the church basement.
Flocknote Prayer Chain Coordinator Wanted - St. John’s is looking for a volunteer to be our Flocknote Prayer Chain coordinator. This volunteer would be responsible for scheduling (in advance) our daily prayer text messages, including creating prayers submitted by members and prayers in light of various contemporary events. While the volunteer should be comfortable operating the basic functions of a computer, the Flocknote program is very easy to work with and Pastor Cowell will give you a step-by-step training for how to schedule the prayers. You can expect the time commitment for this position to be around 1-2 hours a month. Please speak with Pastor Cowell if you are interested in helping in this way.
St. John’s T-Shirts are available in the church office for $6.00.
Greeter and Usher Sign-up - There are still plenty of open spots for greeters and ushers! The sign-up sheet is on the back table.
Hymn of the Month devotions for October are available on the lectern in the back of church. You can also view a digital version of the Hymn of the Month devotion at:
trinityalgona.org/blog/2021/09/29/rise-my-soul-to-watch-and-pray.
Pastoral Care On Demand - Need prayer, Scripture, Communion, Absolution, or a listening ear? Feel free to call or text Pastor Cowell anytime for a visit at 319-464-5548.
Thank You so much for your gift of $800. May God continue to bless you in every way! Trusting in Jesus our Savior! Kirk Warnke, Camp Okoboji
SYNOD, DISTRICT & PARTNERSHIP NEWS
Trinity Weekday Bible Class - All are welcome to attend a weekly Bible study on Wednesdays at 9:30 in the Trinity Life Center conference room. They are currently studying 1 Corinthians.
Trinity, Algona Resources - Visit trinitalgona.org or search “Trinity, Algona” on YouTube and Facebook to view Trinity’s several digital resources for your faith.
Building Healthy Families: Did You Know: “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (I Thessalonians 5:18) Even on the bad days, we can still look for God’s blessings. As this quote by Alice Morse Earle reminds us, “Every day may not be good but there is something good in every day.” We all experience dark days when blessings are hard to recognize. If you’re feeling stuck in darkness, talk to your pastor or reach out to an LFS counselor. We can help; it’s why we’re here. Lutheran Family Service - www.LutheranFamilyService.org.
COMMUNITY NEWS
Trunk-or-Treat - The Churches of Burt will be hosting a trunk-or-treat in the Presbyterian parking lot in conjunction with the town of Burt's trick-or-treating night: Saturday, October 30 from 5:00-7:00. The trunk-or-treat will feature candy, a meal you can either sit down and eat or take to-go, and other fun activities. If you would like to host a trunk or volunteer in any way, please text or call Hannah Cowell at 712-294-4962. Feel free to take and distribute a Trunk or Treat flier on the back table.
Burt Lions Club is hosting their annual Omelet Breakfast on Sunday, October 24th from 9:00 a.m. -1:00 p.m. at the Activity Complex.
Lakota Ambulance Annual Fundraiser Meal of Turkey Gravy over Mashed Potatoes, Roll and Applesauce will be held on Sunday, November 7 from 10 a.m -1 p.m. at Lakota Fire Station. Dine in or take out will be provided.
LECTIONARY SUMMARY (Proper 24)
Old Testament: Ecclesiastes 5:10-20
He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income; this also is vanity.
Epistle: Hebrews 4:1-16
There remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his.
Gospel: Mark 10:23-31
Jesus tells His disciples that it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.
FROM THE CHURCH FATHERS
“Teach us, O Lord, this difficult lesson: to manage conscientiously the goods we possess, and not covetously desire more than you give to us.” - Augustine, Sermon 133, qtd. in ACCS: Mark, 145.
LESSONS ON THE LITURGY
May those who are weak or struggling in faith come to the Sacrament?
Yes. The words “for you” show us that Christ instituted this Sacrament for weak and struggling sinners like us, to draw us to Himself and to strengthen our faith in Him. See Mark 9:24; John 6:37; Isaiah 42:3. “Such people must learn that it is the highest art to know that our Sacrament does not depend upon our worthiness [...]. On the contrary, we go exactly because we are poor, miserable people. We go exactly because we are unworthy. This is true unless we are talking about someone who desires no grace and Absolution nor intends to change” (Large Catechism, V, 61). - An Explanation of the Small Catechism (2017), p. 341-342
FROM THE BOOK OF CONCORD
Large Catechism, Ten Commandments, paragraphs 16-20
Here you have the meaning of the true honor and worship of God, which pleases God, and which He commands under penalty of eternal wrath. The heart knows no other comfort or confidence than in Him. It must not allow itself to be torn from Him. But, for Him, it must risk and disregard everything upon earth. On the other hand, you can easily see and sense how the world practices only false worship and idolatry. For no people have ever been so corrupt that they did not begin and continue some divine worship. Everyone has set up as his special god whatever he looked to for blessings, help, and comfort.
For example, the heathen who put their trust in power and dominion elevated Jupiter as the supreme god. Others, who were bent on riches, happiness, or pleasure, and a life of ease, elevated Hercules, Mercury, Venus, or other gods. Pregnant women elevated Diana or Lucina, and so on. So everyone made his god that interest to which his heart was inclined. So even in the mind of the heathen to have a god means to trust and believe. But their error is this: their trust is false and wrong. For their trust is not placed in the only God, beside whom there is truly no God in heaven or upon earth [Isaiah 44:6]. Therefore, the heathen really make their self-invented notions and dreams of God an idol. Ultimately, they put their trust in that which is nothing.
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