St. John’s Lutheran, Folcroft
Worship Service December 11, 2022
https://stjohnslutheranfolcroft.org
WELCOME AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
PRELUDE Light One Candle. (Sleeth)
* CONFESSION AND FORGIVENESS
Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who alone does wondrous things.
Blessed be God’s name forever. Amen.
Beloved, now is the time to wake from sleep. Let us confront our sins,
and confess them to the one who is merciful and just.
God of new beginnings, we confess that we have not welcomed your holy reign. We have strayed from your paths. We prepare for war instead of peace. We dishonor one another and your creation. Purify us with your refining fire and set us again on your way of love, that we may bear fruit worthy of repentance, and welcome your coming among us. Amen.
People of God, a new thing is growing in our midst, a tender branch, a living sign. By water and the Spirit you are joined to this wonder. You have put on Christ, and your sins have been washed away. Rejoice in the way of the Lord. Amen.
Rejoice and be glad! God hears the prayers of all who cry out, and restores us to life through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Therefore, I declare to you the forgiveness of all your sins, in the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
* PRAYER OF THE DAY
Let us pray.
Stir up the wills of all who look to you, Lord God, and strengthen our faith in your coming, that, transformed by grace, we may walk in your way; through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
* indicates please stand as you are able
"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Philippians 4:13
*GATHERING SONG Awake! Awake, and Greet the New Morn
(ELW 242)
FIRST READING: Isaiah 35:1-10
1The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad,
the desert shall rejoice and blossom;
like the crocus 2it shall blossom abundantly,
and rejoice with joy and singing.
The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it,
the majesty of Carmel and Sharon.
They shall see the glory of the LORD,
the majesty of our God.
3Strengthen the weak hands,
and make firm the feeble knees.
4Say to those who are of a fearful heart,
“Be strong, do not fear!
Here is your God.
He will come with vengeance,
with terrible recompense.
He will come and save you.”
5Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,
and the ears of the deaf unstopped;
6then the lame shall leap like a deer,
and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy.
For waters shall break forth in the wilderness,
and streams in the desert;
7the burning sand shall become a pool,
and the thirsty ground springs of water;
the haunt of jackals shall become a swamp,
the grass shall become reeds and rushes.
8A highway shall be there,
and it shall be called the Holy Way;
the unclean shall not travel on it,
but it shall be for God’s people;
no traveler, not even fools, shall go astray.
9No lion shall be there,
nor shall any ravenous beast come up on it;
they shall not be found there,
but the redeemed shall walk there.
10And the ransomed of the LORD shall return,
and come to Zion with singing;
everlasting joy shall be upon their heads;
they shall obtain joy and gladness,
and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
PSALM: LUKE 1:46B-55
46bMy soul proclaims the greatness | of the Lord,
47my spirit rejoices in | God my Savior,
48for you, Lord, have looked with favor on your | lowly servant.
From this day all generations will | call me blessed:
49you, the Almighty, have done great | things for me
and holy | is your name.
50You have mercy on | those who fear you,
from generation to | generation.
51You have shown strength | with your arm
and scattered the proud in | their conceit,
52casting down the mighty | from their thrones
and lifting | up the lowly.
53You have filled the hungry | with good things
and sent the rich | away empty.
54You have come to the aid of your | servant Israel,
to remember the prom- | ise of mercy,
55the promise made | to our forebears,
to Abraham and his chil- | dren forever.
ADVENT 3 CANDLE LIGHTING
SECOND READING: James 5:7-10
7Be patient, therefore, beloved, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious crop from the earth, being patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains. 8You also must be patient. Strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near. 9Beloved, do not grumble against one another, so that you may not be judged. See, the Judge is standing at the doors! 10As an example of suffering and patience, beloved, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.
* GOSPEL: Matthew 11:2-11
The holy gospel according to Matthew. Glory to you, O Lord.
2When John heard in prison what the Messiah was doing, he sent word by his disciples 3and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another” 4Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: 5the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them. 6And blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me.”
7As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to look at A reed shaken by the wind 8What then did you go out to see Someone dressed in soft robes Look, those who wear soft robes are in royal palaces. 9What then did you go out to see A prophet Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. 10This is the one about whom it is written,
‘See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.’11Truly I tell you, among those born of women no one has arisen greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.”
The gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ.
MEDITATION
*HYMN OF THE DAY O Come, O Come, Emmanuel (ELW 257)
* 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:
As we prepare for the fullness of Christ’s presence, let us pray for a world that yearns for new hope.
Gracious God, we rejoice in the gifts of your Spirit. Equip the global church to magnify your love and peace in every land. We pray for the work of the Lutheran World Federation and ELCA Global Mission. God, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
Abundant God, we rejoice in your creation. Revive lands we have squandered and depleted. Make gardens flourish in cities and neighborhoods. Cleanse polluted air and water so living things may breathe, drink, and praise you. God, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Righteous God, we rejoice in your justice. End racism and oppression. Deliver all who are unjustly imprisoned or persecuted. Reconcile nations and peoples in conflict . Help us pray for our enemies. God, in your mercy,
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. Lord, in your mercy, receive our prayer.
Healing God, we rejoice in your compassion. Comfort any in distress because of worry, illness, or loss. Strengthen and protect health care workers, rescue teams, crisis counselors, and all who risk themselves to keep others safe. We pray especially for the family and friends of Lillian, the family of Dajauna, Kathy and Rich McLaughlin, Carol, Connor, Ana, Helen, Arlene, Jose, Hoon, 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. Lord, in your mercy, receive our prayer.
Abiding God, we rejoice in your company. Give us calm and patient hearts as we gather with family and friends. Keep us mindful of those for whom this season is not happy. Console the grieving and surround them with loving support. God, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Faithful God, we rejoice with Mary, Mother of our Lord, and with all the saints, that your mercy endures for all generations. Look with favor on those who have died and lead us to joyfully sing of your everlasting promises. God, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
God of our longing, you know our deepest needs. By your Spirit, gather our prayers and join them with the prayers of all your children. In Jesus’ name we pray. 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:
God the eternal Word,
who dwells with us in Jesus,
and who holds us in the grace of the Holy Spirit,
bless you now and forever.
Amen.
* SENDING SONG All Earth Is Hopeful (ELW 266)
* DISMISSAL: Go in peace. Christ is near. Thanks be to God.
POSTLUDE Freedom Is Coming. (African/ American spiritual)
We hope that this service was meaningful for you and brought God’s peace and comfort into your homes. Continue to wear a mask and wash your hands frequently and to love others as yourself. Pray, trust, believe and wait. See you next week.
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.
The ETERNAL CANDLE is sponsored for the month of November by the Modge and Snell families in loving memory of William J. Reese Sr.
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 helping to continue our ministry.
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.
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 $176, just by doing your shopping through Smile.amazon.
Our Financial Response (October)
CURRENT
Budgeted costs per month $ 9,048.05
Offering last month $ 6,117.74
Budget required to date (10 months) $ 90,480.50
Total received to date $ 54,359.10
MISSION SUPPORT
Budget required to date (10 months) $ 5,000.00
Total received to date $ 4,886.11
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.
Please join us for Christmas Eve Worship, December 24 at 7:00 pm.
This year we will again adorn the sanctuary with beautiful poinsettias. You may choose from red, white or pink poinsettias. Or, you can choose to donate to ELCA World Hunger program. The cost of each is $8.00.
The deadline for ordering this year is December 18th.
