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
ST. JOHN’S NEWS
Pastoral Vacancy - Our Partnership has submitted our application to receive a seminary graduate to be our associate pastor. Our call committee has interviewed a few seminary students, and we will know if our request will be fulfilled by late April.
Midweek Lenten Services will be Wednesdays, March 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 at 6 p.m. at Trinity. There will be a light meal in the Life Center beginning at 4:45 pm. Our theme will be “Lent with the Lord’s Commands”. Lent is a great time to reflect upon the Commandments. Each week we will walk through one or more of the commandments, talking about what they mean as well as seeing from Scripture how our Lord Jesus Christ fulfilled them.
During Lent, St. John’s Midweek Class will begin in the sanctuary at 6 p.m. at Trinity with the Lenten midweek service. (Enjoy a meal in the Life Center at 4:45 pm.) You can pick up your child in the Life Center after class at 7:30 p.m.
Lenten Devotional Booklets are now available on the back table.
2022 Annual Report is now available on the table along the east wall. Please, take one copy per family!
Adult Bible Class are studying Dr. Jeffrey Pulse’s book “The Children (Not the Adults!) of God”. Please join us anytime!
New Member Class - Our Partnership is offering a new member class for anyone interested in either becoming a member of St. John’s or Trinity, or wants to brush up on the basics of their faith (a number of current members have already signed up to attend)! This Class will be Sunday evenings from Feb. 26 - April 2, 6:00-8:00 p.m. with the first three classes hosted at Trinity, and the final three at St. John’s.
Lenten Midweek Meal - St. John’s has volunteered to serve the midweek Lenten meal at Trinity 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 or there is a sign-up sheet available on the back table.
Parish Messenger - March/April edition is on the table in the back.
Large Print Service Book - We now have available a couple copies of Lutheran Service Book in large print for use during the services. They are available on the back table.
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.
Bible Donations are Needed for a Midweek Service Wednesday evangelism project. All gently-used Bibles that are still in readable condition will be passed on through this project; and any severely worn or damaged Bibles will be properly and respectfully disposed of. Bibles can be brought to the church and placed in the designated box in the back of the sanctuary.
Thrivent Action Cards - Are you a Thrivent Member? Did you know that your member benefits enable you to receive two $250 Thrivent Action cards per year, which can be used to help one of St. John’s various groups and committees with fundraisers, educational projects, and service activities? There’s no cost to you – it simply takes a few minutes of your time to apply. If you’d like to offer your Thrivent Action card for use here at St. John’s, please contact Pastor and he can help you with the application process.
Daily Prayer Chain is Back! - We have resumed sending Flocknote Prayer Chain texts/emails daily at 8:00 a.m. You can sign up to receive daily prayer requests from St. John’s with the church office.
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!
Old Denim Jeans? The TLC Quilters are in need of old denim jeans (any color & any condition) to make into quilts. Bring them to the church office or stop by the basement on Tuesdays or Thursdays to see them in action!
Building Healthy Families: “He doesn’t have a prayer.” You’ve heard someone in a hopeless situation described this way. Living with hopelessness is unhealthy, sad, and unnecessary. If you are feeling overwhelmed by hopelessness today – or have been living with that feeling for a long time – you do indeed have a prayer. Our prayer is that you will open yourself to others God has already placed in your life who can help. That may be a family member, friend, pastor, or trusted co-worker. It can also be your Lutheran Family Service counselor. It’s why we’re here. Lutheran Family Service - www.Lutheran FamilyService.org
For Your Reflection: THE FIRST SUNDAY IN LENT LECTIONARY SUMMARY Following His Baptism, Jesus is “led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil” (Matt. 4:1). As He takes upon Himself the curse of our sin and sets Himself against our enemy, He trusts His Father’s voice and waits upon His Father’s hand for all things. The devil questions His sonship, but the beloved and well-pleasing Son remains faithful and lives “by every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matt. 4:4). Jesus patiently suffers hunger in His mortal flesh and returns to the dust whence man was taken, and by His pain He brings forth food for all the children of men (Gen. 3:18–19). By the sweat of His brow, we eat the fruit of His cross, even as our nakedness is covered by His righteousness. Although all people live in bondage to death through the trespass of the first man, Adam, all the more “have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many” (Rom. 5:15). His righteous obedience “leads to justification and life for all men” (Rom. 5:18). LESSON ON THE LITURGY The Word “Lent” Our word “Lent” derives from a Germanic word meaning “springtime.” As the earth comes to life again after its long winter sleep, so Christ bursts from the tomb radiating the promise of eternal life. He reveals what we are called to be. During Lent we clear the debris of our lives in order to allow the mercy of God to fall upon them. Christ hallows the dust of our humanity with his own blood. What I am to be is presented in the wounded body of the glorified Christ. Lent begins with ashes and ends with the fire, the Paschal fire of the Resurrection-the assurance of what we shall be. - Father Allan James White, Magnificat (Wed., February 18th, 2015), p. 274 CHAT WITH THE CHURCH FATHERS “What does the devil first say? ‘If you are Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.’ The focus is not upon hunger but divine Sonship. Thinking to cheat him with supposed compliments, the devil suggested, ‘If you are Son of God,’ remaining silent about his hunger in order that he not seem to allege that he indeed was hungry and not upbraiding him for it. For unaware of the greatness of the economy which was unfolding, he supposed hunger to be a reproach to him. So flattering him smoothly, he makes mention of his dignity only. How then did Christ respond to this? In order to put down the devil’s pride and signify that there was nothing shameful in Jesus’ hunger nor unbecoming to his wisdom, he brings forward precisely the point that the devil had passed over in silence to flatter him. Jesus said, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone.’ In his way the devil begins his temptation with the necessity of the belly. Mark well the craft of that wicked demon. Note at what precise point he begins his struggling and how well he remembers what he does best. For it was by the same means that he cast out the first man and then encompassed him with thousands of other evils. Now by the same means here he again weaves his deceit: the temptation to indulge the belly. So too even now one may hear many foolish people say their bad words by thousands because of the belly.” - Chrysostom, The Gospel of Matthew, Homily 13.3, qtd. in ACCS: Matthew 1-13, p. 59. |
St. John’s Lutheran Church – Burt, IA.
Phone: 515-924-3344
Email: churchoffice@stjohnsburt.org
