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 FOURTH SUNDAY IN ADVENT
December 19, 2021
Stir up Your power, O Lord, and come and help us by Your might, that the sins which weigh us down may be quickly lifted by Your grace and mercy; for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
THIS WEEK AT ST. JOHN’S Today, December 19, 2021 8:15/8:30 a.m. Adult Class/SS School 9:30 a.m. Divine Service Tuesday, December 21, 2021 NO Morning Prayer Friday, December 24, 2021 4:30 p.m. Christmas Eve Children’s Program Saturday, December 25, 2021 9:30 a.m. Christmas Day Service | Sunday, December 26, 2021 No Adult Class/SS School 9:30 a.m. Divine Service THIS WEEK IN THE CHURCH YEAR December 19, 2021 - Commemoration of Adam and Eve December 20, 2021 - Commemoration of Katharina von Bora Luther December 21, 2021- Feast of St. Thomas, Apostle December 25, 2021 - Feast of the Nativity of our Lord |
ST. JOHN’S NEWS
Organist Today: Marcia Hanna
Elder: Boyd Shipler
Asst. Usher: Gordon Oleson
Acolytes: Kenna Hatten
Taylor Parsons
Sunday Bible Study - There will be NO adult Bible study or Sunday School Sundays, December 26 or January 2.
Tuesday Morning Prayer - There will be NO Tuesday morning prayer for the remainder of December. Our next Tuesday morning prayer will be January 4th at 10:00 a.m.
Christmas Eve Choir - All adults interested in singing one hymn (“Of The Father’s Love Begotten”) together in the balcony during the Christmas Eve children’s program, please tell me. One practice, today after church should be enough for you talented singers! - Kitty Bierstedt
O Antiphons - Feel free to take an “O Antiphons” handout on the back table so you can learn about and pray these ancient prayers this last week of Advent.
Christmas Schedule - Please take an Advent/Christmas postcard on the back table and deliver one to a friend. Feel free to take extra cards and deliver them to members and friends!
Christmas Cards are available in the back of the church for you to purchase. There are boxes of cards or individual cards available. Put your money in one of the designated envelopes and give it to the church office.
Flower Position Open- I have decided to “retire” from the altar guild position of taking care of the altar flowers, poinsettias, palms and Easter Lilies at the end of 2021. This position includes ordering and picking up altar flowers as needed and placing them and taking them off the altar after service. Please, contact Janice Reimers if you are interested and she will give you a more detailed description of the job. - Cheryl Batt
Information for the Annual Report
· If you are responsible for a year end report for the Annual Report, now is the time to start working on those articles. You may email them to churchoffice@stjohnsburt.org or return them to the church office.
· Addresses - Any change of address that you or your children have, we will need those updates to put in the year end report. You may email those at churchoffice@stjohnsburt.org or bring them to the office.
Parish Messenger Articles for January/February edition are due to Linda Kerkove today.
Flocknote Prayer Chain Coordinator Wanted - Want to help send out prayer requests to our congregation on Flocknote? Talk to Pastor Cowell; it’s a lot easier than you might think!
Hymn of the Month devotions for December are available on the east wall in back of church.
Greeter and Usher Sign-up - A new Usher list and Greeter list is now available on the back table for the 2022 year. Feel free to fill in one or more spots! At the beginning of the new year we will be contacting people to fill the empty spots.
Vacancy Updates - There is a handout on the back table sharing some updates about our Partnership vacancy.
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 very much for the $423.00 given to the food pantry. We really appreciate your donation, especially during this difficult time for many of the residents of Kossuth County.
Portals of Prayer Devotionals for January-March are now in the basket in the back along the east wall.
SYNOD, DISTRICT & PARTNERSHIP NEWS
TLC Quilts Available - Don’t forget about the TLC Quilter’s “giving pew” by the east doors of St. John’s. Feel free to take and give away as many quilts and bears as you’d like!
New Year’s Eve Service - Join our friends at Trinity, Algona Friday, December 31 at 6:00 pm for their New Year’s Eve Divine Service.
Building Healthy Families - As you prepare for the celebration of Jesus’ birth, remember those who are struggling. Lutheran Family Service works every day to help them, as an extension of our church’s ministry, and requests our help. Say “YES” today that Lutheran Family Service can say “YES” to all who come for help. Text the word GIVE today to 515-212-7585 to receive a link to complete your donation, give securely online through their web site, or send your gift by mail to LFS Administrative Office, 409 Kenyon Road, Suite C, Fort Dodge, 50501. Want to talk about your special gift idea? Call Wanda Pritzel at 515-570-2310 or email wpritzel@lutheranfamilyservice.org. Thanks for saying “YES” and God bless you for sharing His love! Lutheran Family Service - www.LutheranFamilyService.org.
LECTIONARY SUMMARY (Advent 4)
Old Testament: Micah 5:2-5a
The ruler of Israel will come from the insignificant region of Bethlehem Ephrathah.
Epistle: Hebrews 10:5-10
Jesus is the new and better sacrifice for us all.
Gospel: Luke 1:39-56
When Mary visited Elizabeth, her baby lept in her womb. Mary then sings the Magnificat.
FROM THE CHURCH FATHERS
“Not yet born, already John prophesies and, while still in the enclosure of his mother’s womb, confesses the coming of Christ with movements of joy - since he could not do so with his voice. As Elizabeth says to holy Mary, ‘As soon as you greeted me, the child in my womb exulted for joy.’ John exults, then, before he is born. Before his eyes can see what the world looks like, he can recognize the Lord of the world with his spirit. [...] Thus we ought not to marvel that after Herod put him in prison, he continued to announce Christ to his disciples from his confinement, when even confined in the womb he preached the same Lord by his movements.” - Maximus of Turin, Sermon 5.4, qtd. in ACCS: Luke, p. 21
LESSONS ON THE LITURGY
The Great O Antiphons
The beloved Advent hymn O Come, O Come, Emmanuel finds its origins in a seven-day prayer from the 12th Century. The prayer begins on Dec. 17th and ends on Dec. 23rd. Each day has a different “O antiphon” which features a particular name of Jesus and a prayer focusing on the salvific attributes of each name. The antiphons include O Wisdom, Adonai, Root of Jesse, Key of David, Dayspring, King of the Nations, and Emmanuel. The prayer is printed in the hymnal following O Come, O Come, Emmanuel (LSB 357) and provided as a handout in the back of church so that you can pray these prayers in these days leading up to Christmas.
FROM THE BOOK OF CONCORD
Apology of the Augsburg Confession, Article V: Love and Fulfilling the Law, para. 183-6
The will commands the intellect to agree with God's Word. We say also, "Just as the terrors of sin and death are not only thoughts of the intellect, but also horrible movements of the will fleeing God's judgment, so faith is not only knowledge in the intellect, but also confidence in the will. In other words, it is to want and to receive that which is offered in the promise, namely, reconciliation and the forgiveness of sins." Scripture uses the term faith this way. Paul says in Romans 5:1, "Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." In this passage, to justify means to acquit a guilty person and declare him righteous. But this happens because of the righteousness of another, namely, of Christ. This righteousness is given to us through faith. Therefore, since our righteousness is the righteousness of another, we must here speak about righteousness in a way different than in philosophy or in a civil court. (There we seek after the righteousness of one's own work, which certainly is in the will.) It says in 1 Cor. 1:30, "He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, whom God made our wisdom and our righteousness..." In 2 Cor. 5:21, "For our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God." In other words, we are made acceptable to God.
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