INTRODUCTION
Jesus does not abandon his followers. Through the Holy Spirit, Jesus comes to abide with his disciples of every generation. As Pentecost draws near, we are reminded that the risen Christ dwells in us as the Spirit of truth. We receive this Spirit in baptism and pray that in our gathering around the Lord’s table the Spirit will transform us to be the body of the risen Christ in the world.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
* THANKSGIVING FOR BAPTISM
Alleluia! Christ is risen. Christ is risen indeed. Alleluia!
Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne
and to the Lamb! Amen.
Let us give thanks for the gifts of baptism.
Merciful God,
you are the one who was, who is, and who is to come. You lead us beside still waters. We thank you for the waters of creation: morning dew, gentle rain, roaring waves. We thank you for the waters that nourish us. Blessed are you. You guide us to springs of the water of life.
Jesus Christ, you are the faithful witness who accompanies us on our journeys. We give you thanks for your life-giving death and resurrection.
We praise you for joining us in joy and sorrow. Blessed are you. You guide us to springs of the water of life.
Holy Spirit, you anoint our head with oil and our cup overflows. Break down barriers that divide us. Fill us with the breath of peace. Blessed are you.
You guide us to springs of the water of life.
Holy One, we thank you for the gifts and grace of baptism, and for making us a new creation. We join with saints and angels, giving you honor and praise,
now and forever. Amen.
* PRAYER OF THE DAY
Almighty and ever-living God, you hold together all things in heaven and on earth. In your great mercy receive the prayers of all your children, and give to all the world the Spirit of your truth and peace, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
* GATHERING SONG Come, Thou Almighty King (ELW 408)
FIRST READING: Acts 17:22-31
A reading from Acts.
22Paul stood in front of the Areopagus and said, “Athenians, I see how extremely spiritual you are in every way. 23For as I went through the city and looked carefully at the objects of your worship, I found among them an altar with the inscription, ‘To an unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. 24The God who made the world and everything in it, he who is Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in shrines made by human hands, 25nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mortals life and breath and all things. 26From one ancestor he made all peoples to inhabit the whole earth, and he allotted the times of their existence and the boundaries of the places where they would live, 27so that they would search for God and perhaps fumble about for him and find him—though indeed he is not far from each one of us. 28For ‘In him we live and move and have our being’; as even some of your own poets have said,
‘For we, too, are his offspring.’
29“Since we are God’s offspring, we ought not to think that the deity is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of mortals. 30While God has overlooked the times of human ignorance, now he commands all people everywhere to repent, 31because he has fixed a day on which he will have the world judged in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed, and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.”
PSALM: Psalm 66:8-20
8Bless our God, you peoples;
let the sound of praise be heard.
9Our God has kept us among the living
and has not allowed our feet to slip.
10For you, O God, have tested us;
you have tried us just as silver is tried.
11You brought us into the net;
you laid heavy burdens upon our backs.
12You let people ride over our heads; we went through fire and water,
but you brought us out into a place of refreshment.
13I will enter your house with burnt offerings
and will pay you my vows—
14those that I promised with my lips
and spoke with my mouth when I was in trouble.
15I will offer you burnt offerings of fatlings with the smoke of rams;
I will give you oxen and goats.
16Come and listen, all you who believe,
and I will tell you what God has done for me.
17I called out to God with my mouth,
and praised the Lord with my tongue.
18If I had cherished evil in my heart,
the Lord would not have heard me;
19but in truth God has heard me
and has attended to the sound of my prayer.
20Blessed be God, who has not rejected my prayer,
nor withheld unfailing love from me.
SECOND READING: 1 Peter 3:13-22
A reading from 1 Peter.
13Now who will harm you if you are eager to do what is good 14But even if you do suffer for doing what is right, you are blessed. Do not fear what they fear, and do not be intimidated, 15but in your hearts sanctify Christ as Lord. Always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an accounting for the hope that is in you, 16yet do it with gentleness and respect. Maintain a good conscience so that, when you are maligned, those who abuse you for your good conduct in Christ may be put to shame. 17For it is better to suffer for doing good, if suffering should be God’s will, than to suffer for doing evil. 18For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, in order to bring you to God. He was put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, 19in which also he went and made a proclamation to the spirits in prison, 20who in former times did not obey, when God waited patiently in the days of Noah, during the building of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight lives, were saved through water. 21And baptism, which this prefigured, now saves you—not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers made subject to him.
Word of God, word of life. Thanks be to God.
GOSPEL: John 14:15-21
The holy gospel according to John. Glory to you, O Lord.
[Jesus said to the disciples:] 15“If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. 17This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him because he abides with you, and he will be in you.
18“I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you. 19In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me; because I live, you also will live. 20On that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. 21They who have my commandments and keep them are those who love me, and those who love me will be loved by my Father, and I will love them and reveal myself to them.”
The gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ.
MEDITATION
* HYMN OF THE DAY Come, Gracious Spirit, Heavenly Dove (ELW 404)
*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 online through our website, stjohnslutheranfolcroft.org or sent by mail to
St. John’s Lutheran Church, 1500 Glen Avenue, Folcroft, PA 19032.
* OFFERING PRAYER
PRAYERS OF INTERCESSION
Trusting in the power of Christ’s resurrection to heal and redeem our broken world, let us pray for the needs of all creation.
God of new life, you call us through the waters of baptism to be in relationship with you and one another. Guide the church and its leaders to proclaim Christ’s righteousness throughout the world. Merciful God,
receive our prayer.
You create the world and all that is in it. Shelter budding plants and young animals, provide unpolluted habitats and clean water, and raise up stewards for the environment. Merciful God, receive our prayer.
You set civil servants in the places where we live. Instill truth and equity among judges and lawyers, gentleness and courage among first responders, and peace among leaders of towns and nations. Merciful God, receive our prayer.
You provide comfort in times of trouble. Heal those who are sick, shelter any who are unhoused, feed those undernourished, and accompany and console all who are lonely, bereaved, anxious, or ill. We pray for the Folcroft Police and Fire Company members, Ceasar, Bruce, Paul, Ruth, Deb, Richie, Donna, Carol, Barbara, Dawn, Vince, Danielle, Connor, Bryant, Walt, Lisa, Pastor Wende, Ray, Lillian, Alexis, Martie, Derek, Robert, Sandy, Tonie, Frank, Billy, Buckley, Birtey and those we now raise before you in our hearts.. Merciful God, receive our prayer.
You are love and you desire that we love one another. As a mother hen cares for her chicks, bless all who provide motherly care in our lives, and inspire us to care for one another. Merciful God, receive our prayer.
God of new life, your steadfast love endures forever. Inspire us by the example of the faithful departed, who clung to your promises of life, forgiveness of sins, and salvation. Merciful God, receive our prayer.
God of resurrection power, use us and these prayers to proclaim the good news of new life to all the world, through Jesus Christ, our risen Savior. Amen.
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 Almighty, who is the beginning and the end,
Jesus Christ, the firstborn of the dead,
and the Spirit, our advocate and peace,
bless you now and forever.
Amen.
SENDING SONG Alleluia, Sing to Jesus (ELW 392)
DISMISSAL Go in peace. Praise the Lord. Alleluia! Thanks be to God. Alleluia!
The ETERNAL CANDLE is sponsored for the month of May by John Bindi.
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 MaryAnne Rossi 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. If you are in need of food, please notify Pastor Wende and she will let you know what we have available.
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 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.
Our Financial Response (April)
CURRENT
Budgeted costs per month $ 7,305.04
Offering last month $ 4,861.14
Budget required to date (3 months) $ 29,220.16
Total received to date $ 18,582.26
MISSION SUPPORT
Budget required to date (3 months) $ 1,600.00
Total received to date $ 1,414.88
Please continue to support St. John's. Our expenses continue each month.
Your offering and tithes may be made online through our website, stjohnslutheranfolcroft.org or sent by mail to
St. John’s Lutheran Church, 1500 Glen Avenue, Folcroft, PA 19032.
