ANNOUNCEMENTS
PRELUDE For the Bread Which You Have Broken (Gerike)
* CONFESSION AND FORGIVENESS
Blessed be the holy Trinity, one God, who is eager to forgive
and who loves us beyond our days. Amen.
Dear friends, together let us acknowledge our failure to love this world as Jesus does.
God of mercy and forgiveness,
we confess that sin still has a hold on us. We have harmed your good creation. We have failed to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with you. Turn us in a new direction. Show us the path that leads to life.
Be our refuge and strength on the journey, through Jesus Christ, our redeemer and friend. Amen.
Beloved of God:
your sins are forgiven and you are made whole. God points the way to new life in Christ, who meets us on the road. Journey now in God’s abiding love through the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
* PRAYER OF THE DAY
Let us pray.
God among us, we gather in the name of your Son to learn love for one another. Keep our feet from evil paths. Turn our minds to your wisdom and our hearts to the grace revealed in your Son, 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 Take My Life, That I May Be (PATMOS) (ELW 685)
FIRST READING: Amos 8:4-7
4Hear this, you that trample on the needy,
and bring to ruin the poor of the land,
5saying, “When will the new moon be over
so that we may sell grain;
and the sabbath,
so that we may offer wheat for sale
We will make the ephah small and the shekel great,
and practice deceit with false balances,
6buying the poor for silver
and the needy for a pair of sandals,
and selling the sweepings of the wheat.”
7The LORD has sworn by the pride of Jacob:
Surely I will never forget any of their deeds.
PSALM: Psalm 113
1Hallelujah! Give praise, you servants | of the LORD;
praise the name | of the LORD.
2Let the name of the | LORD be blessed,
from this time forth for- | evermore.
3From the rising of the sun to its | going down
let the name of the | LORD be praised.
4The LORD is high a- | bove all nations;
God’s glory a- | bove the heavens.
5Who is like the | LORD our God,
who sits en- | throned on high,
6but stoops | to behold
the heavens | and the earth
7The LORD takes up the weak out | of the dust
and lifts up the poor | from the ashes,
8enthroning them | with the rulers,
with the rulers | of the people.
9The LORD makes the woman of a | childless house
to be a joyful mother of children. | Hallelujah!
SECOND READING: 1 Timothy 2:1-7
1First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, 2for kings and all who are in high positions, so that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and dignity. 3This is right and is acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4who desires everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 5For
there is one God;
there is also one mediator between God and humankind,
Christ Jesus, himself human,
6who gave himself a ransom for all
—this was attested at the right time.7For this I was appointed a herald and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying), a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.
* GOSPEL: Luke 16:1-13
The holy gospel according to Luke. Glory to you, O Lord.
1Then Jesus said to the disciples, “There was a rich man who had a manager, and charges were brought to him that this man was squandering his property. 2So he summoned him and said to him, ‘What is this that I hear about you Give me an accounting of your management, because you cannot be my manager any longer.’ 3Then the manager said to himself, ‘What will I do, now that my master is taking the position away from me I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg. 4I have decided what to do so that, when I am dismissed as manager, people may welcome me into their homes.’ 5So, summoning his master’s debtors one by one, he asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master’ 6He answered, ‘A hundred jugs of olive oil.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it fifty.’ 7Then he asked another, ‘And how much do you owe’ He replied, ‘A hundred containers of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill and make it eighty.’ 8And his master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly; for the children of this age are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light. 9And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of dishonest wealth so that when it is gone, they may welcome you into the eternal homes.
10“Whoever is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much; and whoever is dishonest in a very little is dishonest also in much. 11If then you have not been faithful with the dishonest wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches 12And if you have not been faithful with what belongs to another, who will give you what is your own 13No slave can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.”
The gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ.
MEDITATION: Pastor Wende Bleam
* HYMN OF THE DAY Son of God, Eternal Savior (ELW 655)
* 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.
* PRAYERS OF INTERCESSION
As scattered grains of wheat are gathered together into one bread, so let us gather our prayers for the church, those in need, and all of God’s good creation.
God our Savior, you keep your church in faith and truth. Accompany those preparing for baptism or affirmation of baptism. Enlighten preachers, teachers, seminarians, and all those who share your good news with the world. God of grace, hear our prayer.
Divine teacher, you instruct your children to be responsible stewards of your creation. Show us how best to care for the earth and its resources, and guide those who work to develop sustainable practices. God of grace, hear our prayer.
Ruler of the nations, you direct those in authority. Give leaders wisdom and compassion so that all may live in peace. Inspire public servants to follow the example of courageous leaders and safeguard the dignity of each person. God of grace, hear 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. God of grace, 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. God of grace, receive our prayer.
Helper of the needy, you lift up those who are oppressed. Breathe justice into economic and social systems that perpetuate poverty and hunger. Sustain food ministries, clothing banks, and emergency shelters. 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. God of grace, receive our prayer.
Sustainer and giver of life, you bless this congregation with abundance. Instruct us in the proper and faithful use of wealth and resources, that we share generously. God of grace, hear our prayer.
God of glory, you gather your saints around your throne. Keep us thankful for the witness of those who have gone before us, and bring us with them to the heavenly feast that has no end. God of grace, hear our prayer.
Gathered together in the sweet communion of the Holy Spirit, gracious God, we offer these and all our prayers to you; through Jesus Christ, our Savior.
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.
PEACE
The peace of Christ be with you always. And also with you.
OFFERING OF TITHES AND GIFTS TO GOD
Offerings may be placed in the tray as you leave the sanctuary, or on line using the donate button on our website, or mailed to the church. All gifts are welcomed and appreciated. Thank you for supporting our ministry as we bring God’s Word to people and help provide for their needs.
* OFFERING PRAYER
Gracious God,
in your great love you richly provide for our needs. Make of these gifts a banquet of blessing, and make us ready to share with all in need; through Jesus Christ, who sets a table for all. Amen.
* DIALOGUE (SPOKEN)
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them to the Lord.
It is right to give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.
* PREFACE
It is indeed right, our duty and our joy,
that we should at all times and in all places
offer thanks and praise to you, almighty and merciful God,
through our Savior Jesus Christ;
who on this day overcame death and the grave,
and by his glorious resurrection opened to us the way to everlasting life.
And so with all the choirs of angels,
with the church on earth and the hosts of heaven,
we praise your name and join their unending hymn:
* HOLY, HOLY, HOLY
* THANKSGIVING AT THE TABLE
In the night in which he was betrayed,
our Lord Jesus took bread, and gave thanks;
broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying:
Take and eat; this is my body, given for you.
Do this for the remembrance of me.
Again, after supper, he took the cup, gave thanks,
and gave it for all to drink, saying:
This cup is the new covenant in my blood,
shed for you and for all people for the forgiveness of sin.
Do this for the remembrance of me.
INVITATION TO COMMUNION
Christ invites you to this table.
Come, taste and see.
COMMUNION SONG
CONGREGATIONAL SONG Build a Longer Table (ACS 1062)
COMMUNION
The body of Christ, given for you.
The blood of Christ, shed for you. Amen.
TABLE BLESSING
The body and blood of our Lord, Jesus Christ strengthen you
and keep you in his grace. Amen.
PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION
God of the abundant table, you have refreshed our hearts in this meal
with bread for the journey. Give us your grace on the road that we might serve our neighbors with joy; for the sake of Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Amen.
* BLESSING
God, who gives life to all things and frees us from despair, bless you with truth and peace. And may the holy Trinity, one God, guide you always in faith, hope, and love. Amen.
* SENDING SONG Let Justice Flow like Streams (ELW 717)
* DISMISSAL Go in peace, with Christ beside you. Thanks be to God.
POSTLUDE O Son of God, in Galilee. (Bobb)
The ETERNAL CANDLE is sponsored for the month of September by the Fisher family in memory of Barbara Fisher.
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
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.
Our Financial Response (August)
CURRENT
Budgeted costs per month $ 9,048.05
Offering last month $ 5,518.29
Budget required to date (8 months) $ 72,384.40
Total received to date $ 42,761.32
MISSION SUPPORT
Budget required to date (8 months) $ 4,000.00
Total received to date $ 3,905.89
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.
