St. John’s Lutheran, Folcroft
Worship Service May 8, 2022
https://stjohnslutheranfolcroft.org
You will need to use your ELW for the sending hymn ELW 764
WELCOME AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
PRELUDE Brother James' Air (Nelson)
* THANKSGIVING FOR BAPTISM
Alleluia! Christ is risen.
Christ is risen indeed. Alleluia!
In the waters of baptism, we have passed over from death to life with Jesus Christ, and we are a new creation. For this saving mystery, and for this water, let us bless God, who was, who is, and who is to come.
We thank you, God, for your river of life, flowing freely from your throne:
through the earth, through the city, through every living thing.
You rescued Noah and his family from the flood; You opened wide the sea for the Israelites. Now in these waters you flood us with mercy, and our sin is drowned forever. You open the gate of righteousness and we pass safely through.
In Jesus Christ, you calm and trouble the waters. You nourish us and enclose us in safety. You call us forth and send us out. In lush and barren places, you are with us. You have become our salvation. Now breathe upon this water and awaken your church once more. Claim us again as your beloved and holy people. Quench our thirst; cleanse our hearts; wipe away every tear.
To you, our Beginning and our End, our Shepherd and Lamb, be honor, glory, praise, and thanksgiving, now and forever. Amen.
* indicates please stand as you are able
"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Philippians 4:13
* PRAYER OF THE DAY
Let us pray.
O God of peace, you brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus Christ, the great shepherd of the sheep. By the blood of your eternal covenant, make us complete in everything good that we may do your will, and work among us all that is well-pleasing in your sight, 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 I Know that My Redeemer Lives! (ELW 619) VS 1-3, 7, 8
FIRST READING: Acts 9:36-43
36Now in Joppa there was a disciple whose name was Tabitha, which in Greek is Dorcas. She was devoted to good works and acts of charity. 37At that time she became ill and died. When they had washed her, they laid her in a room upstairs. 38Since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples, who heard that Peter was there, sent two men to him with the request, “Please come to us without delay.” 39So Peter got up and went with them; and when he arrived, they took him to the room upstairs. All the widows stood beside him, weeping and showing tunics and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was with them. 40Peter put all of them outside, and then he knelt down and prayed. He turned to the body and said, “Tabitha, get up.” Then she opened her eyes, and seeing Peter, she sat up. 41He gave her his hand and helped her up. Then calling the saints and widows, he showed her to be alive. 42This became known throughout Joppa, and many believed in the Lord. 43Meanwhile he stayed in Joppa for some time with a certain Simon, a tanner.
PSALM: Psalm 23
1. The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:
he leadeth me beside the still waters.
3. He restoreth my soul:
he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
4. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
5. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies:
thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
6. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life:
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
SECOND READING: Revelation 7:9-17
9After this I looked, and there was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, robed in white, with palm branches in their hands. 10They cried out in a loud voice, saying,
“Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!”
11And all the angels stood around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12singing,
“Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom
and thanksgiving and honor
and power and might
be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”
13Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, robed in white, and where have they come from” 14I said to him, “Sir, you are the one that knows.” Then he said to me, “These are they who have come out of the great ordeal; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
15For this reason they are before the throne of God,
and worship him day and night within his temple,
and the one who is seated on the throne will shelter them.
16They will hunger no more, and thirst no more;
the sun will not strike them,
nor any scorching heat;
17for the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd,
and he will guide them to springs of the water of life,
and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
* GOSPEL: John 10:22-30
The holy gospel according to John. Glory to you, O Lord.
22At that time the festival of the Dedication took place in Jerusalem. It was winter, 23and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the portico of Solomon. 24So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long will you keep us in suspense If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.” 25Jesus answered, “I have told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name testify to me; 26but you do not believe, because you do not belong to my sheep. 27My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. 28I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. 29What my Father has given me is greater than all else, and no one can snatch it out of the Father’s hand. 30The Father and I are one.”
The gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ.
MEDITATION: Pastor Wende Bleam
*HYMN OF THE DAY The King of Love My Shepherd Is (ELW 502)
* NICENE CREED
We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one Being with the Father;
through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven,
was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary
and became truly human.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in accordance with the scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. 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:
Set free from captivity to sin and death, we pray to the God of resurrection for the church, people in need, and all of creation.
Gentle Shepherd, enable your church to respond to the voice of Jesus. Give us unfailing trust, unafraid to join in Jesus’ work of renewing all things. God, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Feed your people at the table of creation. Prepare a safe place for those whose environments are dangerous or unhealthy, especially those making difficult journeys. Prosper your creation for the sake of every living thing. God, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Warm the hearts of all who celebrate and all who mourn on Mother’s Day. Accompany those yearning to be mothers. Help us to heal from broken family relationships and open us to receive your nurturing love from all who serve mothering roles in our lives.. God, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Seek out those who weep while they await healing or consolation. Set people in their path who can provide the care they need, and wipe away every tear from their eyes. We pray especially for Sherrie, 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, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Inspire the words of prophets and saints who employ innovative imagery to stretch our understanding. Send Christ to instruct us with motherly care. God, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Enfold us in the great multitude of saints from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages. Wash us in your saving grace every day, guiding us to your waters of life. 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. God, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
In your mercy, O God, respond to these prayers, and renew us by your life-giving Spirit; 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.
* BLESSING:
God, the Author of life, Christ, the living Cornerstone,
and the life-giving Spirit of adoption, bless you now and forever.
Amen.
* SENDING SONG Have No Fear, Little Flock (ELW 764)
* DISMISSAL: Alleluia! Christ is risen. Christ is risen indeed. Alleluia!
Go in peace. Tell what God has done. Thanks be to God.
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.
POSTLUDE: My Shepherd (Hallett)
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 May by Bill Knoell in loving memory of Mary,
We recently received a large oil drop with a steep increase in the oil price. After requesting a payment plan from the oil company to pay this bill of over $5,500 in several smaller payments, we will be paying $1,375 in four payments. While we know everyone is dealing with price increases in all aspects of our lives, at this time, it will still be tough to meet these payments within the budget. We prayerfully ask all members to dig deeper and if you are able to help in some small way, please contribute to this fund along with your regular offering, You can use any envelope and just mark as Heating Fund. Thank you for your consideration.
A sign-up sheet is available on the hallway bulletin board. Sign up for the Eternal Candle is available for the year 2022. The cost is now $20.
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
Are you on FACEBOOK Do you ever like or share the church's posts We hope you do. Every little activity on our page is a good thing. More eyes to see what we're about and what we have going on is helpful. And if you leave a comment, even better. Others that may check our Facebook page out see that we're a busy, happening church. If you need our social media addresses on Facebook or Instagram, see Elaine Fisher or check out the hashtag on the bulletin board in the hallway for information.
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 $135, 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. As Barb says, if you can balance your checkbook, you can be a member! Please consider joining!
Our Financial Response (April)
CURRENT
Budgeted costs per month $ 9,048.05
Offering last month $ 5,507.29
Budget required to date (4 months) $ 36,192.20
Total received to date $ 21,731.41
MISSION SUPPORT
Budget required to date (4 months) $ 2,000.00
Total received to date $ 1,923.44
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.
