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St. John's Worship Service - August 28, 2022
Pastor Wende Bleam
Pastor Wende Bleam
Sunday, August 28, 2022
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St. John’s Lutheran, Folcroft
Worship Service August 28, 2022

https://stjohnslutheranfolcroft.org


WELCOME AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

PRELUDE        Prelude in G    (Rinck)

* CONFESSION AND FORGIVENESS
Blessed be the holy Trinity, one God, whose steadfast love endures forever. Amen.

Let us confess our sin in the presence of God and of one another.

Merciful God,
we confess that we have not followed your path
but have chosen our own way.
Instead of putting others before ourselves,
we long to take the best seats at the table.
When met by those in need,
we have too often passed by on the other side.
Set us again on the path of life.
Save us from ourselves
and free us to love our neighbors. Amen.

Hear the good news!
God does not deal with us according to our sins
but delights in granting pardon and mercy.
In the name of  Jesus Christ, your sins are forgiven.
You are free to love as God loves. Amen.

* PRAYER OF THE DAY
Let us pray. 
O God, you resist those who are proud and give grace to those who are humble. Give us the humility of your Son, that we may embody the generosity of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.
Amen.

* indicates please stand as you are able

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."  Philippians 4:13

* GATHERING SONG Open Now Thy Gates of Beauty (ELW 533)

Proverbs 25:6-7
6Do not put yourself forward in the king’s presence
or stand in the place of the great;
7for it is better to be told, “Come up here,”
than to be put lower in the presence of a noble.

PSALM: Psalm 112
1Hallelujah! Happy are they who | fear the LORD
and have great delight in | God’s commandments!
2Their descendants will be mighty | in the land;
the generation of the upright | will be blessed. 
3Wealth and riches will be | in their house,
and their righteousness will | last forever.
4Light shines in the darkness | for the upright;
the righteous are merciful and full | of compassion.
5It is good for them to be generous in lending
and to manage their affairs with justice.
6For they will never be shaken;
the righteous will be kept in everlasting remembrance. 
7They will not be afraid of any | evil rumors;
their heart is steadfast, trusting | in the LORD.
8Their heart is established and | will not shrink,
until they see their desire upon their enemies.
9They have given freely to the poor, and their righteousness stands | fast forever;
 they will hold up their | head with honor.
10The wicked will see it and be angry; they will gnash their teeth and | pine away;
the desires of the wicked will perish. 

SECOND READING: Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16
1Let mutual love continue. 2Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it. 3Remember those who are in prison, as though you were in prison with them; those who are being tortured, as though you yourselves were being tortured. 4Let marriage be held in honor by all, and let the marriage bed be kept undefiled; for God will judge fornicators and adulterers. 5Keep your lives free from the love of money, and be content with what you have; for he has said, “I will never leave you or forsake you.” 6So we can say with confidence, 
“The Lord is my helper;
I will not be afraid.
What can anyone do to me”
7Remember your leaders, those who spoke the word of God to you; consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith. 8Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. 15Through him, then, let us continually offer a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that confess his name. 16Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.

* GOSPEL:  Luke 14:1, 7-14
The holy gospel according to Luke. Glory to you, O Lord.

1On one occasion when Jesus was going to the house of a leader of the Pharisees to eat a meal on the sabbath, they were watching him closely.
7When he noticed how the guests chose the places of honor, he told them a parable. 8“When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, do not sit down at the place of honor, in case someone more distinguished than you has been invited by your host; 9and the host who invited both of you may come and say to you, ‘Give this person your place,’ and then in disgrace you would start to take the lowest place. 10But when you are invited, go and sit down at the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher’; then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at the table with you. 11For all who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
12He said also to the one who had invited him, “When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, in case they may invite you in return, and you would be repaid. 13But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. 14And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

The gospel of the Lord.  Praise to you, O Christ.

MEDITATION                             Pastor Wende Bleam    

*HYMN OF THE DAY  Where Charity and Love Prevail (ELW 359)

* APOSTLES' CREED

I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, God's only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to the dead.* On the third day he rose again; he ascended into heaven, he is seated at the right hand of the Father, and he will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

OFFERING

Offerings may be made on line through our  website:   stjohnslutheranfolcroft.org  or sent by mail to
St. John’s Lutheran church, 1500 Glen Avenue, Folcroft, PA 19032.

Those who are worshipping in person can place their offerings 
in the plate at the door as they enter or leave.

* PRAYERS OF THE INTERCESSION: 

Trusting in God’s extraordinary love, let us come near to the Holy One in prayer.

For the church and its leaders, we pray. Uphold all deacons, pastors, and bishops who serve and teach your people. Awaken in your church a spirit of invitation that reaches ever outward. Merciful God, receive our prayer.

For the well-being of creation and its inhabitants, we pray. Stir in us reverent awe for the beauty of the natural world, for oceans and lakes, rivers and streams, forests and deserts. Merciful God, receive our prayer.

For the nations and peoples of the world, we pray. Sustain the efforts of those who pursue justice and equity for all. Defend and accompany all immigrants and refugees and all who are persecuted for their ethnic origin or religious beliefs. Merciful God, receive our prayer.

Lord, we pray for the Ukrainian people that they be surrounded by your love and protection against the attacks on their country.  Lift them up and protect them, end this war against them and let your peace reign.   Merciful God, receive our prayer.

Lord, we pray for people who are suffering from the effects of fire, flood and drought that you would protect, sustain and provide for them.  Merciful God, receive our prayer.

For all who suffer in body, mind, or spirit, we pray. Be present with those who live in isolation or fear, especially those who are incarcerated or detained. Comfort all who are sick or grieving. We pray especially for Ana, Lillian, Helen, Arlene, Jose, Hoon, the Melendez family, Connie, Pat, Hazel, Deb, Joe, Ruth, Lisa, Bill, Rick, Dick, Alisia, Jacklyn, Lillian, Alexis, Jim and those we now raise before you in our hearts.  We pray for those affected by the Covid virus in mind, body or spirit.  Grant them healing and wholeness.  Merciful God, receive our prayer.

For this congregation and its ministries, we pray. Prepare children, teachers, and youth ministry directors for a new year of learning. Embolden our witness to invite others to the table. Merciful God, receive our prayer.

For all the saints who confessed God’s name, we give thanks. May we cling to the promise of our risen Savior, Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today, and forever. Merciful God, receive our prayer.

Receive the prayers of your children, merciful God, and hold us forever in your steadfast love; through Jesus Christ, our holy Wisdom. Amen.

* LORD'S PRAYER

Gathered into one by the Holy Spirit, let us pray as Jesus taught us.

Our Father, who art in heaven,
   hallowed be thy name,
   thy kingdom come,
   thy will be done,
       on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our trespasses,
   as we forgive those
       who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation,
   but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
   and the power, and the glory,
   forever and ever. Amen.

* BLESSING:    
The God of peace, Father,  Son, and Holy Spirit, bless you, comfort you,
and show you the path of life this day and always.
Amen.

* SENDING SONG The Lord Now Sends Us Forth (ELW 538)

* DISMISSAL:   Go in peace. Love your neighbor. Thanks be to God.

POSTLUDE    Postlude in C    (Tours)

The ETERNAL CANDLE is sponsored for the month of August by John Bindi with thanks for blessings received.

Each week, we collect food for our hungry neighbors in need in our SHARING GOD'S BOUNTY WAGON.  Hunger doesn’t take a vacation.  Please consider making a donation of a food item each week. 
YOU CAN HELP!  You can be a good steward AND get your grocery shopping done.  Did you know that if you purchase a grocery food gift card from St. John’s, our congregation will receive 5% of all sales of gift cards.  Please see Ruth Weaver if you wish to purchase and gift cards.  Thank you for helping us raise that 5% for purchases other than regular budgeted items.

We are registered as Saint Johns Evangelical Lutheran Church for Amazon Smile.  Amazon donates 0.5% of the price of eligible smile.amazon.com purchases to the charities selected by customers. To register your charity designation, you will need to go to Smile.amazon.com.  Then you select our name as your charity.  Again, the name is registered as Saint Johns Evangelical Lutheran Church.  You will only have to register once.  Next time you plan to shop online, go first to smile.amazon.com and you will be redirected to your own Amazon account.  Your charity designation will be listed on the top left.  So far, we have received over $156, just by doing your shopping through Smile.amazon.

The Finance Committee is looking for a member or two to join us in managing the finances of the church.  This committee should have at least five members to be able to function correctly.  Currently, committee consists of Chairperson, Barb Lynn, Financial Secretary, MaryAnne Rossi and Treasurer, Sherrie Modge.  Pastor Wende is also a member of this committee.  Ideally during the formation of the budget, we would be able to rely on the voices of a few other members.  You do not need any degree or accounting classes to join.  Please consider joining!

Our Financial Response  (July)   

CURRENT
Budgeted costs per month                     $   9,048.05
Offering last month                         $   5,317.29

Budget required to date (7 months)             $  63,336.35
Total received to date                         $  37,243.03

MISSION SUPPORT
Budget required to date (7 months)             $   3,500.00
Total received to date                         $   3,394.77

Please continue to support St. John's.  Our expenses continue each month 
even if we are not all worshipping together inside our building.

Your offering and tithes may be made on line through our  website:   stjohnslutheranfolcroft.org  or sent by mail to
St. John’s Lutheran church, 1500 Glen Avenue, Folcroft, PA 19032.

You are welcome to watch the live service at 10:15 am at https://www.facebook.com/stjohnslutheranfolcroft
Or you can watch live streaming on the St. John's website:  https://stjohnslutheranfolcroft.org
If you are having trouble accessing, please let us know.