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 AFTER THE EPIPHANY
January 22, 2023
Almighty and everlasting God, mercifully look upon our infirmities and stretch forth the hand of Your majesty to heal and defend us; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
ST. JOHN’S NEWS
Organist Today: Marcia Hanna ~ Elder: Tony Hatten ~ Assistant Usher: Jerry Koestler
Greeters Today: Boyd and Rosann Shipler ~ Greeters next Week: Dave and Linda Kerkove
Pastoral Vacancy - Our Partnership has submitted our application to receive a seminary graduate to be our associate pastor. We will know if our request will be fulfilled by late April.
St. John’s Fish Fry - Join us on Wednesday, January 25 at 6 pm for a fish fry in the St. John’s basement. Lucas Parsons, our wonderful fishing guide, will also prepare our fish that we caught on December 28. Bring a side or dessert to share! Free will offering to purchase children’s books for evangelism resources. (This event was rescheduled from January 18).
Adult Bible Class is beginning a new study on Dr. Jeffrey Pulse’s book “The Children (Not the Adults!) of God”. Please join us at anytime!
Greeter and Usher sign-up lists are now available in the back for the 2023 year. Please, feel free to fill your name in more than once. I will be assigning Greeters/Ushers in the areas that are not filled out this coming week. So be sure to sign up today where you wish to be a greeter for the new year.
Year-End Reports - The end of the year is upon us! If you’re responsible for a report for the annual yearbook, please be working on them and email them to the church office at churchoffice@stjohnsburt.org by January 29th.
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.
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.
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.
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!
Camp Okoboji News -
· Family Fun Fest - January 27, 2023
Get to know Camp Okoboji while enjoying family activities including inflatables, sledding, Ping Pong Tournament, cookie decorating, smores station, indoor yard games, and a meal. If you hear the call, Camp is still looking for Volunteers to assist with the Family Fun Fest activities!! (10:00AM to 2:00PM in conjunction with Okoboji Winter Games)
· Camp Okoboji Ice Fishing Retreat - January 27-29, 2023
For families or individuals of all sizes and ages who love to fish or want to learn!!
Expect good food, good fellowship, and good fishing for this weekend retreat.
Pastor Ben Dose of Zion - Arcadia & Pastor Jim Stogdill of Messiah - Johnston will be
our Camp and Bible Study leaders. Register online or call the office at (712) 337-3325.
· Volunteer Coordinator has been hired. I am happy to announce that Mary Milbrandt is going to be our new Volunteer Coordinator. We welcome Mary as part of our team at Camp Okoboji!
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.
Did You Know - God gives you many opportunities throughout the week to meet people who don’t know Him as their Savior. At work, in recreation, at community events, in person and online, they are there if we take the time to see and notice them. Who will come across your path who needs a word of hope, an act of kindness or an expression of love motivated by God’s love for you? Keep an eye out for them and for ways to live out 1 John 4:19 this week (…He loved you first!) Lutheran Family Service - www.LutheranFamilyService.org.
COMMUNITY NEWS
Pro-Life Rally 2023 will be held today (Sunday, January 22nd) at 1:30 p.m. in the Columbia Events Center at Algona. Featured speaker/presenter will be Mariah Mogler, to tell her pro life story of their son. His
story is a testament to the blessing and true wonder of life and to the resilience of all babies. Mariah looks forward to sharing his story. All are invited for prayer, music, fellowship and refreshments.
For Your Reflection:
THE THIRD SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY
DOCTRINE OF THE DAY
Doctrine
Some have a negative reaction to the word “doctrine” as it pertains to our Christian faith. However, doctrine is merely a word to describe the teachings of salvation as they are found in Holy Scripture. Rev. Dr. Francis Pieper writes:
From the very beginning the Christian religion dealt with doctrine [...]. The entire Old Testament was written, as the Apostle Paul assures us, for our learning (doctrine [in the Greek text]), Rom. 15:4, and is profitable (doctrine [in the Greek]), 2 Tim. 3:16. When in the fullness of time the Son of God appeared in the flesh and walked here on earth, He engaged in teaching. He teaches from theship (Luke 5:3), on the mount (Matt. 5:2), in the synagogues (Luke 4:15), went about the land teaching (Matt. 4:23). He als makes use of the forty days between His resurrection and ascension to teach (Acts 1:3), and before His ascension He gives His Church the commission to teach all nations to the Last Day: “Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you” (Matt. 28:20). [...] Teaching the saving doctrine was [St. Paul’s] chief business, and he tells his successors in the ministry that it must be their chief business (Christian Dogmatics I, p. 70).
LESSON ON THE LITURGY
Apostles’ & Nicene Creeds in Worship
Over time, the two major creeds of the Church each became associated with one of the two sacraments. Since it is the creed used in the rite of Holy Baptism, the Apostles’ Creed became known as the baptismal creed. This, then, is the creed that Christians are encouraged to confess in their daily life of faith. The Nicene Creed, because of its detailed confession of the Son of God, became the creed used during the Sunday Divine Service, which, for the majority of Christian history, always included the Lord’s Supper. In continuation of this tradition we at St. John’s confess the Nicene Creed at every Sunday Divine Service, and the Apostles’ Creed at every other service which does not include Holy Communion.
CHAT WITH THE CHURCH FATHERS
“That you may understand that the Lord was speaking of spiritual fishing, however, Peter says, ‘Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.’ It is as if he were saying, ‘Through the whole night our fishing has brought us nothing, and we have been laboring in vain. Now I will not fish with fishing gear but with grace, not with diligence acquired by skill but with the perseverance acquired by devotion.’ When Peter lets down the nets at the word, therefore, he is in fact letting down the teachings in Christ. When he unfolds the tightly woven and well-ordered nets at the command of the Master, he is really laying out words in the name of the Savior in a fitting and clear fashion. By these words he is able to save not creatures but souls. ‘We toiled all night,’ he says, ‘and took nothing.’ Peter, who beforehand was unable to see in order to make a catch, enduring darkness without Christ, had indeed toiled through the whole night. But when the Savior’s light shone upon him the darkness scattered, and by faith he began to discern in the deep what he could not see with his eyes.” - Maximus of Turin, Sermon 110.2, qtd. in ACCS: Luke, p. 88-89.
Phone: 515-924-3344
Email: churchoffice@stjohnsburt.org
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