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

 

PALM SUNDAY

April 10, 2022

 

Almighty and everlasting God, You sent Your Son, our Savior Jesus Christ, to take upon Himself our flesh and to suffer death upon the cross. Mercifully grant that we may follow the example of His great humility and patience and be made partakers of His resurrection; through the same Jesus Christ, 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, April 10, 2022   8:30 a.m.     Adult Class/Sunday School   9:30 a.m.     Divine Service    Tuesday, April 12, 2022   10:00 a.m.    Station of the Cross    Thursday, April 14, 2022   5:30pm    Holy Thursday Service

Friday, April 15, 2022    5:30pm      Good Friday Service      Saturday, April 16, 2022    10:00 am    Easter Egg Hunt     Sunday, April 17, 2022     8-9:15am     Easter Breakfast     9:30 a.m.     Easter Day Service    THIS WEEK IN THE CHURCH YEAR       No Feast Day and Commemoration this week

 

 

ST. JOHN’S NEWS

 

Organist Today: Marcia Hanna

Elder: Boyd Shipler

Asst. Usher: Lynn Bierstedt 

Greeters:  Lynn and Kitty Bierstedt

Acolytes: Taylor Parsons and Kenna Hatten

 

Stations of the Cross will be held this Tuesday, April 12 at 10:00 a.m. in place of the regular Tuesday Prayer Service.

 

Schedule of Services for Holy Week - Holy Thursday Service April 14 at 5:30 p.m. and Good Friday Service April 15 at 5:30 p.m.  The Easter Breakfast will be from 8-9:15 a.m. and the Easter Service at 9:30 a.m.  on Sunday, April 17. 

 

The Quarterly Voter’s Meeting will be held Sunday, April 24 following the service.

 

Ukraine Refugee Support - We will continue collecting today a special offering in the back of church to support the needs of refugees displaced by the war in Ukraine.

 

Pastor’s Chair - A heartfelt thank you to Vern, Joan, Jerry and Betty Koestler for stripping, repairing and staining the Pastor's altar chair in the front. A big thank also to Lucille Bonde for upholstering and furnishing the fabric for the seat cushion and back. 

 

Thank You  - Be sure to check out the picture of “The Last Supper” that was made and donated by Dorothy Jahnke. This picture is hanging in the hall by Pastor’s office. A heartfelt thank you to Dorothy for this wonderful gift to St. John’s!

 

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.’

 

Easter Egg Hunt Donations - If you would like to donate bars or drinks for the Easter egg hunt you can sign up on the back table.

 

Lenten Charity Project - We have exceeded our goal to provide the book Treasury of C.F.W. Walther, Volume II: Festival Sermons and Prayers from the Lent through Easter Seasons, to each new pastor of both seminaries.  Thanks so much for donating a total of  $1740.00. 

 

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.

 

Parish Messenger Articles for the May/June edition are due to Linda Kerkove by April 24th.

 

Congregational Partnership Meeting - On May 1 at 3:00 p.m. a special joint Voters Meeting will be held with Trinity in the Life Center at Algona.  The purpose of this voters meeting is to vote to adopt an updated Partnership Agreement. A draft of this Agreement is available on the lectern in the back for you to take.  President Steve Turner will join us for this meeting to provide guidance on this process as well.

 

A Volunteer Needed to take over replenishing  and purchasing cards for the card rack in the back of the church.  If you are interested, contact the church office.  We want to thank Mary Schmidt for her many years of purchasing and displaying the cards for all to use.

 

Thank You Members of St. John’s! Grace and peace to you in Christ Jesus our Savior!  We at David’s Harp are so appreciative of your ongoing support in our ministry!  We appreciate your efforts on our behalf and prayers. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! We are very happy to have recently procured a new resource and will have another one coming around Easter. Then yet another at the end of the year. We also are continuing to meet with congregations, schools and missions about how to begin a school of music in their areas of ministry.  God bless you this Holy season of Lent as we ponder the wonderful love of our Lord Jesus the very reason why we labor in His vineyard!  In Christ Rev. Nathan Sherrill, Executive Director

 

SYNOD, DISTRICT & PARTNERSHIP NEWS

 

Highway Cleanup - Our next partnership highway clean-up day is Saturday, April 23rd at 10 a.m. Please contact Pastor Cowell if you are interested in helping and he will get you more information.

 

Trinity Bible Study - Join Pastor Cowell Wednesdays at 9:30 a.m. for Bible study at Trinity’s Life Center conference room.

 

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.                                                         

Did You Know - Holy Week is perhaps the most important week of the year for Christians, but it can be somewhat of a confusing time for young children. Don’t assume they know what you know (i.e., “What does Maundy mean?” “Why ashes on Ash Wednesday”?) During the week, take time to read John 18-19 with them and be ready to answer questions they may have. Take them to church services with you during Holy Week. Conclude with a reading of John 14: 1-3 and remind them that Holy Week may be dark and sad, but it’s not the end - only the beginning of the story! Lutheran Family Service - www.LutheranFamilyService.org.

 

LECTIONARY SUMMARY (Palm Sunday)

 

Old Testament: Deuteronomy 32:36-39

The LORD will vindicate His people and have compassion on His servants.

 

Epistle: Philippians 2:5-11

Jesus humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted Him and every knee will bow to His name. 

 

Gospel: John 12:12-43

Jesus enters Jerusalem triumphantly on a donkey.

 

FROM THE BOOK OF CONCORD

Apology of the Augsburg Confession, Article XII: Repentance, paragraphs 45-47

Believing the Gospel is believing that the forgiveness of sins has been granted for Christ's sake. This is revealed in the Gospel. The two parts are joined: contrition when sins are rebuked; and faith when it is said, "Believe in the gospel." Contrition and faith are named as the chief parts. When Paul describes conversion or renewal, he almost everywhere designates these two parts, making dead and making alive, as in Colossians 2:11, "In Him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands," namely, "by putting off the body of the flesh." And afterward, "in which you were also raised with Him through faith in the powerful working of God" (2:12). Here are the two parts. One is putting off the body of sins, the other is the rising again through faith. These terms "making dead," "making alive," "putting off the body of sins," "rising again" means true terrors, such as those of the dying, which nature could not sustain unless it were supported by faith. Paul calls that "the putting off the body of sins," which we ordinarily call contrition. In these griefs the natural, lustful desire is purged away. "Making alive" should be understood as comfort that truly sustains life that flickers in contrition. For conscience cannot be quieted except through faith. Faith alone makes alive, according to this declaration: "The righteous shall live by his faith"