There will be a Worship and Music meeting Sunday, November 19.
INTRODUCTION
Today the prophet Amos calls for justice to roll down like waters. Paul urges us to encourage one another with the promised coming of the Lord. Jesus tells the parable of the wise and foolish bridesmaids. Surrounded by the faithful of every time and place, we celebrate Christ’s coming in our midst in the word of life and the feast of victory—the marriage feast of the lamb.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
PRELUDE Heavenly Father Send Your Blessing" (Pooler)
*CONFESSION AND FORGIVENESS
Blessed be God, the one who forms us, Jesus who bears the cross,
the Spirit who makes our joy complete. Amen.
Let us bow before God in humility, confessing our sin.
Steadfast and faithful God,
you have revealed the ways of justice, yet we fail to follow you. We are overwhelmed by the world’s violence and suffering. We are afraid to risk what we have for the sake of others. For the harm we have caused,
known and unknown, forgive us. For the unjust demands we place on others and your creation, forgive us. For the ways we turn away
from you and our neighbor, forgive us. Lead us back to you and set us on the right path; in the name of Jesus Christ, our Savior. Amen.
Beloved in Christ, God’s justice stretches beyond all understanding.
God’s compassion is beyond compare. In Jesus, God is always making a new way for us. In Christ, you are already and always forgiven. Amen.
* PRAYER OF THE DAY
Let us pray.
O God of justice and love, you illumine our way through life with the words of your Son. Give us the light we need, and awaken us to the needs of others, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
GATHERING SONG My Lord, What a Morning (ELW 438)
FIRST READING: Amos 5:18-24
18Alas for you who desire the day of the LORD!
Why do you want the day of the LORD
It is darkness, not light;
19as if someone fled from a lion,
and was met by a bear;
or went into the house and rested a hand against the wall,
and was bitten by a snake.
20Is not the day of the LORD darkness, not light,
and gloom with no brightness in it
21I hate, I despise your festivals,
and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies.
22Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings,
I will not accept them;
and the offerings of well-being of your fatted animals
I will not look upon.
23Take away from me the noise of your songs;
I will not listen to the melody of your harps.
24But let justice roll down like waters,
and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.
PSALM: Psalm 70
1Be pleased, O God, to de- | liver me;
O LORD, make | haste to help me.
2Let those who seek my life be put to shame | and confounded;
let those who take pleasure in my misfortune draw back and | be disgraced.
3Let those who say to me “Aha!” and gloat | over me
turn back because | of their shame.
4Let all who seek you rejoice and be | glad in you;
let those who love your salvation say forever, “Great | is the LORD!”
5But as for me, I am poor and needy; come to me quickly, O God.
You are my helper and my deliverer; O LORD, | do not tarry.
SECOND READING: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
13We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who have died, so that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. 14For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have died. 15For this we declare to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will by no means precede those who have died. 16For the Lord himself, with a cry of command, with the archangel’s call and with the sound of God’s trumpet, will descend from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up in the clouds together with them to meet the Lord in the air; and so we will be with the Lord forever. 18Therefore encourage one another with these words.
Gospel: Matthew 25:1-13
The holy gospel according to Matthew. Glory to you, O Lord.
[Jesus said to the disciples:] 1“Then the kingdom of heaven will be like this. Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. 2Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. 3When the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them; 4but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. 5As the bridegroom was delayed, all of them became drowsy and slept. 6But at midnight there was a shout, ‘Look! Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ 7Then all those bridesmaids got up and trimmed their lamps. 8The foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 9But the wise replied, ‘No! there will not be enough for you and for us; you had better go to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.’ 10And while they went to buy it, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went with him into the wedding banquet; and the door was shut. 11Later the other bridesmaids came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ 12But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I do not know you.’ 13Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.”
The gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ.
MEDITATION
HYMN OF THE DAY By Gracious Powers (ELW 626)
*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 OF TITHES AND GIFTS TO GOD
Please place your offering in the plate near the Sanctuary door any time during or following worship. 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.
* OFFERING PRAYER
God of field and forest, sea and sky, you are the giver of all good things.
Sustain us with these gifts of your creation, and multiply your graciousness in us, that the world may be fed with your love, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
*PRAYERS OF INTERCESSION
Let us turn our hearts to God, our breath and life, as we pray for the church, the world, and all who are in need.
O God for whom we wait, come quickly to your people, bring your salvation, and center us in hope found only in you. Deepen our faith through meaningful worship and send us out with your justice and truth. Hear us, O God. Your mercy is great.
O God for whom we watch, we glimpse your power in rushing water and your beauty in the darkening night. Restore this creation, and provide clean water to all people and animals. Save us from foolish, wasteful living. Hear us, O God. Your mercy is great.
O God for whom we long, let justice roll down like waters on all nations. Bless citizens with wise leaders; save your children from war. We pray for the veterans of this community, that they are supported and loved. Hear us, O God. Your mercy is great.
Lord, we pray for the people of Israel and Palestine, for those the Gaza Strip who are suffering the ravages of war We also 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. Hear us, O God. Your mercy is great.
O God, in whom we hope, we pray for all who are in need. Provide for those who experience homelessness or hunger, support the under- or unemployed, and comfort any who are suffering this day. We pray especially for Dan, Sue, Jennifer, Ray, Ashton, Justin, Lois, Kathy and Rich McLaughlin, Carol, Connor, Ana, Helen, Jose, Hoon, Connie, Pat, Hazel, Deb, Joe, Ruth, Lisa, 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. Hear us, O God. Your mercy is great.
O God for whom we listen, inspire the music ministry of our congregation. Fill our worship with songs to proclaim your greatness. Help us to sing and dance with joy and tell boldly of your salvation. Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
O God, in whom we remain, we remember our loved ones who have died and now live in you. Bring comfort and the assurance of new life to all who grieve. Hear us, O God. Your mercy is great.
We offer our spoken prayers and those held in our hearts trusting in your mercy; through Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord. 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
May the God of all creation,
in whose image we are made,
who claims us and calls us beloved,
who strengthens us for service,
give you reason to rejoice and be glad!
The blessing of God,
Sovereign, Savior, and Spirit,
be with you today and always.
Amen.
* SENDING SONG Let Justice Flow like Streams (ELW 717)
DISMISSAL - Go in peace. Share the harvest. Thanks be to God.
POSTLUDE: Toccata in g (Leo)
The ETERNAL CANDLE is sponsored for the month of November by the Modge and Snell families in loving memory of William Reese, Sr.
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 Social Ministry Committee would love to hear from you if you have any ideas for small fundraising and/or social ministry events that we could pull off with minimal effort. Challenge us with your ideas!!
With our church building getting older, we need everyone’s eyes and ears to help keep her in good repair. If you see any problems like a burnt out light bulb, please let Charlotte, Barb or Bud know or drop a note in the offering plate on Sunday. We need to get a jump on current or upcoming problems.
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. If you are in need of food, please notify Pastor Wende and she will let you know what we have available.
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.
Our Financial Response (October)
CURRENT
Budgeted costs per month $ 8,510.68
Offering last month $ 5.929.29
Budget required to date (10 months) $ 85,966.80
Total received to date $ 58,548.19
MISSION SUPPORT
Budget required to date (10 months) $ 4,000.00
Total received to date $ 3,910.10
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.
