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 AFTER THE EPIPHANY
January 29, 2023
Almighty God, You know we live in the midst of so many dangers that in our frailty we cannot stand upright. Grant strength and protection to support us in all dangers and carry us through all temptations; 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, January 29, 2023 8:30 am Sunday School/Adult Class 9:30 am Divine Service Tuesday, January 31, 2023 10:00 am Morning Prayer Wednesday, February 1, 2023 6:00 pm Midweek Catechesis | Sunday, February 5, 2023 8:30 am Sunday School/Adult Class 9:30 am Divine Service THIS WEEK IN THE CHURCH YEAR February 2, 2023 Feast of The Purification of Mary and the Presentation of our Lord |
ST. JOHN’S NEWS
Organist Today: Marcia Hanna
Elder: Tony Hatten
Assistant Usher: Jerry Koestler
Greeters Today: Dave and Linda Kerkove
Greeters next Week: Jerry & Betty Koestler
Pastoral Vacancy - Our Partnership has submitted our application to receive a seminary graduate to be our associate pastor. Our call committee will have the opportunity to interview a few seminary students in a couple weeks. We will know if our request will be fulfilled by late April.
Adult Bible Class is beginning a new study on Dr. Jeffrey Pulse’s book “The Children (Not the Adults!) of God”. Please join us anytime!
Easter Service Survey - We are in the process of setting our Lenten schedule and would like your input as to when we should have our Easter Day service. Our two options are:
- Service at 6:30 a.m. with breakfast to follow.
OR
- Service at 9:30 a.m. with breakfast either before or after the service.
Please share your thoughts with an elder or Pastor Cowell by Feb. 5th so we can make our decision.
Year-End Reports - The end of the year is upon us! I will begin running the report this week so if you have something to go in it yet, please let me know immediately at churchoffice@stjohnsburt.org! Deadline today.
Lenten Midweek Meal - The St. John’s council has decided to host Ash Wednesday, Maundy Thursday, and Good Friday services at St. John’s and to join our friends at Trinity for the Wednesday midweek Lenten services. A meal is provided in the Life Center before these services. This meal is cooked and served by different service groups with the freewill donation going to their cause. Our congregation has volunteered to serve the meal on Wednesday, March 29th. Our freewill donation will go toward the seminaries in some way. Hannah Cowell has volunteered to coordinate this meal. If you would be willing to help by working or furnishing food, please call or text Hannah at 712-294-4962.
Any Address changes for you or family members need to be turned in to the church office to update the Annual Report Roster. Deadline today.
Lutheran Witness Renewal for the new subscription year that provides the current list of subscribers are due. The cost for this year is $26.00 for the year. If you do not get the Witness and wish to or wish to cancel, please contact the church office. Please pay in the church office.
Brothers and Sisters in Christ: Your partnership with Lutheran Family Service through financial gifts and prayer allows us the resources to continue being laborers for Christ. Your generous gift of $800.00, received in our office on December 30, 2022, empowers Lutheran Family Services to continue helping those in need get through times they think are impossible, to see that nothing is impossible with God! You are a great blessing to our work!
Pastor Max Phillips, Executive Director Lutheran Family Service
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.
Birthday Cards! We need more volunteers to sign-up to send out birthday cards to members monthly. This is a very simple task. Sign-up sheet on back table. Contact the church office if you have any questions.
Fish Fry Supper was a great success on Wednesday! In spite of the inclement weather, families from the church, community and surrounding area came and enjoyed all those many fish the kids caught. Special thanks to Lucas Parsons and family for preparing the fish and organizing the event. The free will donation for the meal raised $327 for children’s evangelism books for the Easter season.
SYNOD, DISTRICT & PARTNERSHIP NEWS
Trinity Bible Study meets Wednesday mornings at 9:30 am in the 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!
Little Lambs Christian Daycare in Swea City is looking for a full-time person for our baby room; preferably an adult. Must have experience with babies and be reliable. Must be able to get on the floor to interact with them and must be able to work 3-4 days a week. If interested, please stop in to the Daycare for an application in Swea City. Being a nonprofit, Christian daycare, the pay is $7.25 an hour with no benefits.
Building Healthy Families - Have you experienced the grief and loss of infertility? Or maybe you have parenting experience and room in your heart and home for one more child? Prayerfully consider adopting a child, possibly one who exists today as a waiting frozen embryo, or one who is waiting in foster care, in need of a forever family. Adoption builds a family through love that transcends genetics, biology and culture. To learn more, visit https://lutheranfamilyservice.org/adoption-services/. Lutheran Family Service - www.LutheranFamilyService.org
For Your Reflection:
THE FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY
LECTIONARY SUMMARY
God Manifests His Glory in the Humility and Weakness of Christ Crucified
The Lord tells His people, “I brought you up from the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery” (Mic. 6:4). By the sacrifice of His beloved Son, He has redeemed us from our slavery of sin and death; He has forgiven our transgressions by the shedding of His blood. His great mercy and salvation lead us “to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly” with our God (Mic. 6:8). We boast only in the incarnate and crucified Lord Jesus. He is “the power of God and the wisdom of God” (1 Co. 1:24). He is our life and salvation, our “wisdom” and “righteousness and sanctification and redemption” (1 Co. 1:30). Now He opens His mouth and teaches us His wisdom. By His cross and Passion, the kingdom of heaven is ours. We receive mercy and are satisfied; we see God and are called sons of God in Christ. “Blessed are you,” therefore, “when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely” on account of Christ (Mt. 5:11).
DOCTRINE OF THE DAY
Original Sin
“Our churches teach that since the fall of Adam all men begotten in the natural way are born with sin, that is, without the fear of God, without trust in God, and with the inclination to sin, called concupiscence. Concupiscence is a disease and original vice that is truly sin. It damns and brings eternal death on those who are not born anew through Baptism and the Holy Spirit.
Our churches condemn the Pelagians and others who deny that original depravity is sin, thus obscuring the glory of Christ’s merit and benefits. Pelagians argue that a person can be justified before God by his own strength and reason.” - Augsburg Confession, Article II: Original Sin
LESSON ON THE LITURGY
The Circuit Winkel
The LCMS has a long tradition of calling the periodic gathering of the pastors in a circuit a “winkel”. Winkel is a German word that means “corner.” So, picture around ten pastors gathered in a corner of the church discussing theology and current news and issues concerning their circuit and the synod as a whole. The Algona Circuit of Iowa District West consists of 15 area congregations (Trinity, Algona; St. John, Burt; St. Paul, Whittemore; St. John Fenton; St. Paul, Emmetsburg; Peace, West Bend; Trinity, Mallard; Zion, Ayrshire; Zion, LuVerne; Immanuel, Livermore; Immanuel, Lotts Creek; St. Luke, Fairville; St. John, Garner; St. Paul, Garner; Our Savior, Swea City). The 9 pastors of these congregations gather monthly for our circuit Winkel. Please pray for our circuit’s congregations and pastors as we work together in faithfulness to Christ and His Word.
CHAT WITH THE CHURCH FATHERS
“‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.’ The Lord taught by way of example that they glory of human ambition must be left behind when he said, ‘The Lord your God shall you adore and him only shall you serve.’ And when he announced through the prophets that he would choose a people humble and in awe of his words, he introduced the perfect Beatitude as humility of spirit. Therefore he defines those who are inspired as people aware that they are in possession of the heavenly kingdom. … Nothing belongs to anyone as being properly one’s own, but all have the same things by the gift of a single parent. They have been given the first things needed to come into life and have been supplied with the means to use them.” - Hilary of Poitiers, On Matthew 4.2, qtd. in ACCS: Matthew 1-13, p. 81
St. John’s Lutheran Church – Burt, IA.
Phone: 515-924-3344
Email: churchoffice@stjohnsburt.org
