PASTOR'S DAILY DEVOTION

Jesus' Word that Sustains the Weary (Isaiah 50:4)

Today's Devotion from Pastor Merrill Thursday, March 19, 2020

"Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?" Matthew 6:26

Monday afternoon the word came that President Trump in a speech had recommended that Americans stay away from crowds having more than 10 people. "Great," I thought, "this is going to make it real difficult to do anything here at church." Sure enough, word came Tuesday morning from the Iowa Governor's office. A declaration of a Public Health Disaster Emergency. All gatherings of more than 10 people, including religious gatherings, were prohibited, at least through March 31.

So began a new detour on this strange journey you and I are on, and at this point we are unsure when it is going to end. This unfamiliar virus that so far has effected only a handful of Iowans has sure caused a lot of disruption in our lives.

Monday afternoon as I was discouraged from the rapidly changing social landscape, I looked out he glass doors of the church lobby and saw a robin hopping around, looking for worms, or maybe just out for a stroll. I thought, "That robin has no concern about coronavirus exposure or 'social distancing.' He's just going about his day-to-day life."

Then these words of Jesus came to mind. "Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?" Later on in Jesus' sermon He says, "Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear? For... your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." (Matthew 6:31-33)

The coronavirus pandemic has certainly caused a lot of anxiety, even to the point of people buying and hoarding supplies and creating temporary shortages for those who may need them. Brothers and sisters in Christ, there is no need for us to panic. Listen to what Jesus says, "You are worth more than birds!" The birds are living in this coronavirus world and they are fine. Don't you think your heavenly Father will take care of you?

Certainly we need to stay safe, take precautions like washing our hands and even avoiding close contact if it will help stop the spread of this virus. But above all we need to remember our heavenly Father and His love for us in Jesus Christ His Son. He tells us to seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness--the righteousness God offers through the forgiveness of sins Jesus earned for us on the cross--and all these things will be ours as well. Food, clothing, health, community--God will provide. He does it for the birds. He'll do it for you. Next time you see a robin, remember, God will take care of you!

Prayer: Lord Jesus, Your words and Your love are our comfort in trying times. Thank You for reminding us that You died to make us Your own, and that we can trust in our heavenly Father's care. Amen.

This Week @ St.John

Pastor @ 'Concordia Cubs Week'  @ Camp Okoboji this week; For any pastoral needs, please call the office & Linda will direct you to the appropriate resources.

• SAT 7/21- Please deliver your RAGBRAI Pies to the Charter Oak Senior Center
• 6:00PM Worship with communion at St. Paul, Hanover
• SUN 7/22- 8:00AM Adult Bible Class
• 9:00AM Worship
• ALL DAY; Register's Annual Bike-Ride Across Iowa (RAGBRAI) traveling through Soldier, Ute, Charter Oak and Denison. St. John selling homemade pie, bananas, iced tea, bottled water, & frozen candy bars in front of Senior Center
• Biker Blessings at the Arboretum at 10am, Noon, 2pm & 4pm

• HELP NEEDED- Four children need clothing for school. Boy (1); Pant size 8, Shirt size 8-10
  Boy (2); Pants size 8, Shirt size 7-8, Boy (3); Pants size 5, Shirt size 5-6, Girl; Pants size 4-5, Shirt 4-5. If you can help please leave items with Linda in the church office.
• SCHOOL LUNCHES- For three years now, St. John has been providing free lunches for the children of Charter Oak while COU school is closed for cleaning. We have the opportunity to do it again this year. This year there are 5 days the school will not be open for lunches- July 30- August 3. The first four days are the same as St.John's VBS. We're seeking volunteers to help with meals again this year. Children are always very appreciative and sometimes we even have guests from other communities. If you'd be willing to help with a meal for a day, please sign up on the counter in the church lobby or let Linda inn the office know.

VACANCY NEWS- Pastor Merrill continues to serve the vacancy at the Triple Parish (Immanuel, Soldier TWP/St. Luke, Ricketts/St. Paul, Hanover TWP). Voters of St. Luke, Rickets have voted to dissolve as a congregation.St. Luke will host Triple Parish services in August. The final two services as St. Luke as a congregation will be inn September.

• SUN SEP 16 - 2:00PM Celebration Service featuring Pastor Gene Ernst preaching and Pastor Tim Frank leading music.
• SUN SEP 30- Official Closing with Iowa District West President Rev. Steve Turner. Representatives of the Triple Parish met with St. John's Board of Elders on June 20 to discuss the possibility of forming a partnership with St. John. A report will be given at the July 12 Voter's Meeting and we will entertain the initial questions or concerns before we continue discussions with the two remaining congregations of the Triple Parish.Please keep the Triple Parish members and leadership in your prayers for God's continued guidance in this time of transition. Triple Parish services for the Summer months will be held 6:00PM on Saturday Nights.
• JULY- St. Paul, Hanover Township
• AUG- St. Luke Ricketts

Vacation Bible School (VBS)"Splash Canyon;
God's Promises on Life's Wild Ride" 

July 29-August 2, 6:00-8:30

All children ages preschool (potty trained) - grade 6 invited

Free brown bag snack @ 5:45 each evening

Call or text Bethany @ 269.5970 

or Linda at 678.3630

Life is full of thrills and spills! We don't know what's around the bend, but God does! As Splash Canyon VBS God's children of all ages learn the good news that God is with us and keeps His promises to us on all of life's wild ride. As staff members for Splash Canyon VBS, you have fun and share the Splash Canyon message with kids. If you can help full time or part time, we have ways to be involved that fit your schedule and gifts. Please call Bethany Mallory at 269 -5970 for more information.

We appreciate your prayers for Splash Canyon VBS! Please ask God to bring children to our program so that they can know and grow in Jesus, our Savior! Ask God to provide leaders and helpers for this important mission. Thank you!

Visit our NEW YouTube Channel

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKnSxRLA32sh44z5nrLgiIA
St.John has begun posting Pastor's sermons on YouTube. If you haven't visited our new YouTube Channel yet, please like, subscribe, bookmark or share it today! If you have videos at or about St.John Charter Oak, please share them with us or tag us in them so that we can link to them or include them in our playlists. Thank you.

Take a look at our NEW tabs/pages on THIS website https://stjohncharteroak.blogspot.com
If you haven't visited our church website in a while, there's been some changes, including links to our new YouTube ministry and pages base on the LCMS three emphases of "Witness, Mercy and Life Together."Please visit, bookmark it, share it, or subscribe to it. There are lots of links to resources, information about us, and of course weekly news about what's going on.

'Like,' Follow, & Share our Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/StJohnLuthCOIA
We also have our own Facebook page. If you're on Facebook, please take a look and "like" our page. Consider "sharing" the page or inviting friends to take a look. Lots of friends and family who are from Charter Oak but moved away seem to like it as a way to keep in touch, But guess what? It's a great (and simple/easy) way to share with open arms the love of Jesus to your friends and neighbors in and around our area!

Finding St.John Online

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKnSxRLA32sh44z5nrLgiIA

St.John has begun posting Pastor's sermons on YouTube. If you haven't visited our new YouTube Channel yet, please like, subscribe, bookmark or share it today! If you have videos at or about St.John Charter Oak, please share them with us or tag us in them so that we can link to them or include them in our playlists. Thank you.

https://stjohncharteroak.blogspot.com

If you haven't visited our church website in a while, there's been some changes, including links to our new YouTube ministry and pages base on the LCMS three emphases of "Witness, Mercy and Life Together." Please visit, bookmark it, share it, or subscribe to it. There are lots of links to resources, information about us, and of course weekly news about what's going on.

https://www.facebook.com/StJohnLuthCOIA

We also have our own Facebook page. If you're on Facebook, please take a look and "like" our page. Consider "sharing" the page or inviting friends to take a look. Lots of friends and family who are from Charter Oak but moved away seem to like it as a way to keep in touch, But guess what? It's a great (and simple/easy) way to share with open arms the love of Jesus to your friends and neighbors in and around our area! 

Keep In Touch

Just a reminder- you can "subscribe" to this website's updates, by email, RSS feed, or on google+.

We're also on "Lutherans Online." And, if you "like" us on Facebook, our updates will show up in your news stream.

http://stjohncharteroak.blogspot.com

http://www.lutheransonline.com/stjohnco

www.facebook.com/StJohnLuthCOIA

stjohn@frontiernet.net