2020 Sunday August 30 Worship

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THIRTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

August 23, 2020

SERVICE OF PRAYER AND PREACHING         Page 260

Hymn:  "'Come, Follow Me,' the Savior Spake" LSB 688

Opening Versicles 

Reading Romans 12:9–21

Reading Matthew 16:21–28

Responsory 

The First Article

The Second Article

The Third Article

Hymn:  "Holy God, We Praise Thy Name" LSB 940

Prayer LSB 265

Collect for the Word

Lord’s Prayer

Morning Prayer

Blessing

Hymn: 718 Jesus, Lead Thou On LSB 718

This Week @ St.John

SCHEDULE FOR August 30 – September 6

30 9am Worship at St. John

1st 6:30am Men’s Bible Study

4pm LWML Meeting

2nd 3:30pm Confirmation

7pm Board of Education Meeting

5th 6pm Worship at Immanuel

6th 9am Adult Bible Class

10am Communion Service

KEEP IN YOUR PRAYERS: Melvin Goslar, Paul Briggle, Joleen Ketelsen, Milroy Rabe, Marlon Jepsen,
Arlene Nemitz, Lucia Lincoln, Elaine Stoltze, Blaine Schwingdorf, Stan Bukacek & members of our
congregations who are suffering or recovering from Covid 19

Iowa West Branch of Orphan Grain Train will be loading a container to be shipped to Kyrgyzstan
on Tuesday, September 15th. Loading will begin at 9 AM. Any and all volunteers will be more than
welcome. If you wish to wear a mask, please do so. Sharon Ann Irwin, Iowa West Branch Manager,
712-273-5575

 Also, from Ellie Menz:

I have been in contact with the Disaster Response Coordinators in Iowa District East. 
They need our help to continue the process of cleaning up the downed trees. Workers are needed for
next week, and following weeks, too.  Contact me if you are interested in helping. 
ellie@iowadistrictwest.org or 515-370-1159.

WORSHIP SCHUDULE:  We return to our regular worship schedule on Sunday, September 6,
with adult Bible class at 9:00 (slight change), and worship at 10:00 a.m. 
We plan to resume Sunday School and youth Bible study on Rally Sunday September 13,
with first graders receiving Bibles and fifth graders receiving Catechisms in the worship service.

CONFIRMATION CLASSES begin Wednesday, September 2, at 3:30 p.m. 
Sandy Bramley will be our 5th and 6th grade teacher and Pastor will have the 7th and 8th graders. 
Pastor's class will meet in the fellowship hall;  5th and 6th graders will meet downstairs. 
Orientation was held on August 26.  If you did not get your schedule please contact Pastor or Sandy.

MISSION DINNER will be not be held this year due to concerns over COVID-19. 
However, we will take a door offering for missionary support on Sunday, September 13.   
We will have an offering basket at the center door as you enter;  side doors will continue to be for
weekly offerings.  We encourage you to be generous as most missionaries must raise 100 percent
of their own support.  Past recipients of our mission funds have included our own Brent and Eugenie
Friedrichs, Mark and Megan Mantey (Mark's great-grandfather was a teacher at St. John),
as well as other missionaries supported by Mission Central. 
The final decision on missionary support will be made by the voters at their October meeting.

LWML FALL RALLY has been canceled.  St. John will now host the spring rally in April of 2021.

DECORATING COMMITTEE.. we are looking for a couple people to decorate St. John church for
holidays. Please let Pastor or office know if you are interested.

CEMETERY COMMITTEE.. we need one or two people to be on the St. John Cemetery Committee
as soon as possible. Please let James Jepsen or Pastor know if you are interested.

LWML COLLECTING SCHOOL SUPPLIES

Right now the greatest need is for:

Loose leaf paper Spiral notebooks Composition notebooks No. 2 pencils

  Following are appreciated:

Backpacks/Book bags (no wheels) Scissors Vinyl plastic 2 pocket folders

Pocket folders 2 pocket Glue sticks Elmer’s School Glue (4oz, 8oz)

Wireless notebooks Washable markers Crayola markers (24 – 24)

Plastic pencil box or bag

Large box of Kleenex

Clorox wipes

Hand Sanitizer

Pink Bevel erasers

Head phones

Ear buds

Crayons (8, 16, 24)

Dry Eraser Markers & erasers

Ball point pen (blue, black & red)

Ruler 

Colored pencils (12-24)

Highlighters

Soap (gym)

Shampoo (gym)

Deodorant (gym)

September Letter from Pastor Merrill

Dear Friends in Christ,

Our COVID spring has given way to a COVID summer and now we are approaching a COVID fall.  We have been cautiously living with the virus, attempting to keep the Lord's work going while being respectful of the health concerns of our neighbors.  Thanks be to God, we have been able to reopen for in-person worship services and have stayed healthy.

For the fall, we will open up for a few more activities.  Confirmation classes will begin September 2, with social distancing measures in place.  We will be resuming adult Bible class on Sunday mornings in the fellowship hall for those who feel comfortable attending.  Sunday School reopening is also in the works.

Meanwhile--and again, thanks be to God--I have been able to visit our shut-ins and residents of care facilities again.  Most homes are restricting visitors to outdoor or window visits, and appointments are necessary, but it has been a welcome change for our shut-ins as they have missed contact with their families and church.  I have been able to give communion at individual homes and at a couple care facilities.  I even made one hospital call in August!

"Baby steps," is what I have been calling the process.  When you have had a major surgery and are in rehab, you don't regain all your strength and get back to normal health all at once.  The process takes time--sometimes a lot longer than we hope for.  The body of Christ has suffered injury by having to be apart during this pandemic.  But by the grace of God, we will come back.  Slowly, perhaps, but the church will go on.

I am reminded of the words of Jesus from a recent Gospel lesson, "I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."  (Matthew 16:18).  The Lord of the Church, who gave His life so that there could be a Church, will not let His Church be destroyed.  The Lord's work will go on.

The words of St. Paul to the Corinthians are also appropriate here:  "But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.  We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed;  always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies."  (2 Corinthians 4:7-10)

The pandemic has shown us to be vulnerable, like frail jars of clay.  And yet in all our weakness we are privileged to carry in our bodies the death of Jesus, the good news that Christ died for us and rose again, so that we may also bring forth the fruits of His risen life.  In our baby steps, tentative though they may be, Jesus is advancing the Gospel and continuing to build His church.

Peace to you in Christ,

Pastor Merrill

This Week @ St.John

SCHEDULE FOR August 23 to August 30

23rd 9am Worship at St. John

26th 6:30pm 5th & 6th Confirmation Orientation at St. John

7:30pm 7th & 8th Confirmation Orientation at St. John

29th No Worship Service at Hanover

30th 9am Elder Led Service at St. John

KEEP IN YOUR PRAYERS: Melvin Goslar, Paul Briggle, Joleen Ketelsen, Milroy Rabe, Marlon Jepsen, Arlene Nemitz, Lucia Lincoln, Elaine Stoltze, those of our congregations who are suffering or recovering from Covid 19

DECORATING COMMITTEE.. we are looking for a couple people to decorate St. John church for holidays. Please let Pastor or office know if you are interested.

CEMETERY COMMITTEE.. we need one or two people to be on the St. John Cemetery Committee as soon as possible. Please let James Jepsen or Pastor know if you are interested.

LWML COLLECTING SCHOOL SUPPLIES

Right now the greatest need is for:

Loose leaf paper Spiral notebooks Composition notebooks No. 2 pencils

  Following are appreciated:

Backpacks/Book bags (no wheels) Scissors Vinyl plastic 2 pocket folders

Pocket folders 2 pocket Glue sticks Elmer’s School Glue (4oz, 8oz)

Wireless notebooks Washable markers Crayola markers (24 – 24)

Plastic pencil box or bag

Sunday Worship; August 23, 2020

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TWELFTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

August 23, 2020

DIVINE SERVICE, SETTING ONE         Page 151

Hymn of Invocation:  "Christ Is Made the Sure Foundation" LSB 909

Confession and Absolution

Salutation and Collect of the Day

Epistle Romans 11:33—12:8

Holy Gospel Matthew 16:13–20

Hymn of the Day:  "Lord Jesus Christ, the Church's Head" LSB 647

Sermon Matthew 16:13-20 "The Answer"

Apostles’ Creed

Prayer of the Church

Lord’s Prayer

Benediction

Hymn to Depart:  "Onward, Christian Soldiers" LSB 662

Acknowledgments