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 THIRD SUNDAY IN LENT

March 20, 2022

 

O God, whose glory it is always to have mercy, be gracious to all who have gone astray from Your ways and bring them again with penitent hearts and steadfast faith to embrace and hold fast the unchangeable truth of Your Word; 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 20, 2022   8:30 a.m.     Adult Class/Sunday School   9:30 a.m.     Divine Service    Tuesday, March 22, 2022   10:00 a.m.    Morning Prayer   Wednesday, March 23, 2022    5:00 p.m.     Midweek Lenten Service    6:30 p.m.     Christian Catechesis                            (at Trinity)

Thursday, March 24, 2022      3:00 p.m.     Titonka Care Center Service     Sunday, March 27, 2022      8:30 a.m.     Adult Class/Sunday School      9:30 a.m.     Divine Service       THIS WEEK IN THE CHURCH YEAR        March 25, 2022     Feast of The Annunciation of our Lord

 

ST. JOHN’S NEWS

 

Organist Today: Marcia Hanna 

Elder:  Jeff Schutjer 

Asst. Usher:  Ben Borchardt  

Greeters:  Lynn and Kitty Bierstedt 

Acolytes:  Breckin and Brayton Borchardt

 

Tuesday Morning Prayer will be held on Tuesday, March 22nd at 10:00 a.m.

 

Midweek Lenten Service will be held at St. John’s Wednesday, March 23rd at 5:00 p.m.  

 

Lent Schedule - Feel free to take and share as many Lent schedules, invitations, and magnet clips as you would like on the back table. 

 

Sunday Bible Study - Adult Bible class is featuring a video-led study of the resurrection of Jesus based on Lee Strobel’s book, The Case for Easter.  Note that class will now “officially” begin at 8:30 a.m. 

 

Easter Flowers - We would like to thank Vickie Madsen for volunteering to be our new person in charge of flowers.  With Easter around the corner there is a sheet on the back table if you wish to purchase a Lily or Hydrangea plant to adorn the church proper on Easter Sunday.   The order needs to be in by April 1, 2022, to assure we get the best selection, so this gives you a couple of weeks to decide.   An 8” pot lily is $30 and an 8” pot Hydrangea is $37.   If you wish to purchase the Hydrangea, please specify which color you want – pink, white, or blue.   You can give your payment to Vickie or Pam Reimers.

  

Portals of Prayer for the April-June edition are available in the back along the east wall. 

 

Lenten Charity Project - During the season of Lent St. John’s will be raising money to purchase a book for every seminary student who is receiving a pastoral call this spring.  You can read more about this project and see the book we will be purchasing on the back table.  You can give to this mission during our Wednesday Lenten services or by designating a gift to “Lent Charity Project” on your envelope. 

 

Parish Messengers are now on the back table instead of in your boxes. Please, pick one up!

 

Birthday Celebration - Ruth Nerem will be celebrating her 100th Birthday on April 1st, 2022.  Her family will be hosting a 100th Birthday Party for her on Saturday, April 2nd at the Lone Rock Legion Hall from 1:30-4:00 p.m.  Everyone is invited!  If you cannot attend and want to send a card, Ruth’s address is:  546 Ramsey St. E., Accura Nursing Home, Bancroft, Iowa 50517.

 

Lenten Daily Devotions - Be sure to pick up a Lenten devotional booklet from the back table.  This year's devotion is entitled “Witnesses to Christ.”

 

Easter Egg Hunt - St. John’s Board of Education invites your children, grandchildren, and neighbors to an Easter Egg Hunt!  The event will be Saturday, April 16th at 10:00 a.m. near the St. John’s garage.  After the egg hunt we will enjoy refreshments!  

Easter Breakfast - You are all invited to breakfast on Easter morning from 8-9:15 a.m. before the Divine Service on Easter Sunday, April 17.  We will be serving:  eggs, smokies, muffins, juice and coffee.  Come and have breakfast with us!  This year’s breakfast is hosted by The Board of Education and students.

 

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.

 

New Library Books - Check out the church library as over a dozen new books enter circulation throughout the next few weeks.  Pastor Cowell would be happy to share his recommendations with you!

 

2021 Thrivent Choice Dollars must be directed by March 31. Consider joining others who have directed their Dollars toward St. John’s ministry.

 

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!    

 

Prayers are needed for Pastor Andrew Johnson whose cancer has relapsed and will be receiving chemo treatments at Mayo.  He will be undergoing a tandem autologous stem cell transplant requiring him to be in Rochester for 10 weeks.

 

Installation Service for Rev. Mark Lund will be held today at 2:00 p.m. at St. John’s Lutheran Church in rural Garner.

 

Building Healthy Families: WELCOME SPRING! Today is the first day of spring, a season of renewal and new life. Even though you can’t dig in the garden yet, take time this week to visit your local greenhouse. Smell, see, touch, feel and experience the new life all around you! As you do, be mindful of the new life that stirs within you, and of Paul’s inspired words written for you: “You were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, you too may live a new life.” (Romans 6:4) Lutheran Family Service - www.LutheranFamilyService.org.

COMMUNITY NEWS

 

Burt Lions Club French Toast Breakfast will be held on Saturday, March 26 from 8-12:30 p.m. at the Burt Complex.  The Burt Library will be holding a Bake Sale during the breakfast.

Concert - The Burt Presbyterian Church will host a concert by the award winning Christian Vocal Duo of Blake & Jenna Bolerjack on Sunday, April 3, 2022 at 6:30 p.m.  

 

LECTIONARY SUMMARY (Lent 3)

Old Testament: Ezekiel 33:7-20

The Lord commands Ezekiel to preach warnings to the wicked and forgiveness to the repentant.

 

Epistle: 1 Corinthians 10:1-13

St. Paul warns against idolatry. 

 

Gospel: Luke 13:1-9

Jesus tells us to repent or perish, and tells the parable of the barren fig tree. 

 

FROM THE CHURCH FATHERS

[Speaking on 1 Cor. 10:4] “The manna and the water which flowed from the rock are called spiritual because the were formed not according to the law of nature but by the power of God working independently of the natural elements. They were created for a time as figures of what we now eat and drink in remembrance of Christ the Lord.” - Ambrosiaster, Commentary on Paul’s Epistles, qtd. in ACCS: 1-2 Corinthians, p. 92.

 

LESSONS ON THE LITURGY 

Purple Paraments

Purple, like black, is liturgically a penitential color.  Purple was a very cherished and expensive color in the world Jesus lived, as the dye used to make the color was painstakingly acquired from a Mediterranean shellfish.  Thus purple clothes were worn exclusively by royalty.  As the soldiers mocked and tormented Jesus at his crucifixion they placed on him a purple garment in order to ridicule him and belittle the claim that he was the King of the Jews.  Therefore, purple is used during this penitential season of Lent as a reminder of the contempt and scorn Jesus endured, and the sacrifice he made for our eternal salvation as our eternal king. 

 

FROM THE BOOK OF CONCORD

Epitome of the Formula of Concord, Article XI: God’s Eternal Election, paragraphs 8-11

Christ calls all sinners to Himself and promises them rest. He is eager that all people should come to Him and allow themselves to be helped. He offers them Himself in His Word and wants them to hear it and not to plug their ears or neglect and despise the Word. We should not reach conclusions about our election to eternal life based on reason or God's Law. That would lead us either into a reckless, loose, life or into despair. For if they follow their reason, they will think, "If God has elected me to salvation, I cannot be condemned, no matter what I do." And, "If I am not elected to eternal life, it doesn't matter what good I do; it is all in vain anyway." The true judgment about predestination› must be learned alone from the Holy Gospel about Christ. It testifies, "God has consigned all to disobedience, that He may have mercy on all; not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance", and believe in the Lord Christ. Now, let whoever is concerned about God's revealed will act on the order that St. Paul has described in the Epistle to the Romans. Paul first directs people to repentance, to knowledge of sins, to faith in Christ, to divine obedience. Then he speaks of the mystery of God's eternal election. This doctrine is useful and consolatory to the person who proceeds in this way.