INTRODUCTION
The fourth of the Old Testament promises providing a baptismal lens this Lent is the promise God makes to Moses: those who look on the bronze serpent will live. In today’s gospel Jesus says he will be lifted up on the cross like the serpent, so that those who look to him in faith will live. When we receive the sign of the cross in baptism, that cross becomes the sign we can look to in faith for healing, for restored relationship to God, for hope when we are dying.
ANNOUNCEMENTS Mid-week Lenten Journey (Social room)
PRELUDE The Old Rugged Cross Made All the Difference (Gaither)
* CONFESSION AND FORGIVENESS
Blessed be the holy Trinity, one God, who writes the law on our hearts,
who draws all people together through Jesus. Amen.
Held in God’s mercy, let us confess our sin in the presence of God and of one another.
Holy God,
we confess that we are caught in snares of sin and cannot break free.
We hoard resources while our neighbors are hungry and cold. We speak in ways that silence others. We are silent when we should speak up. We keep score in our hearts. We let hurts grow into hatred. For all these things and for sins only you know, forgive us, Lord.
Amen.
Here is a flood of grace: Out of love for the whole world, God draws near to us, breaks every snare of sin, washes away our wrongs, and restores the promise of life through Jesus Christ. Amen.
* PRAYER OF THE DAY
Let us pray.
O God, rich in mercy, by the humiliation of your Son you lifted up this fallen world and rescued us from the hopelessness of death. Lead us into your light, that all our deeds may reflect your love, 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 Jesus, Keep Me Near the Cross (ELW 335)
FIRST READING: Numbers 21:4-9
4From Mount Hor [the Israelites] set out by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; but the people became impatient on the way. 5The people spoke against God and against Moses, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness For there is no food and no water, and we detest this miserable food.” 6Then the LORD sent poisonous serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many Israelites died. 7The people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned by speaking against the LORD and against you; pray to the LORD to take away the serpents from us.” So Moses prayed for the people. 8And the LORD said to Moses, “Make a poisonous serpent, and set it on a pole; and everyone who is bitten shall look at it and live.” 9So Moses made a serpent of bronze, and put it upon a pole; and whenever a serpent bit someone, that person would look at the serpent of bronze and live.
PSALM: Psalm 107:1-3, 17-22
1Give thanks to the LORD, for the | LORD is good,
for God’s mercy endures forever.
2Let the redeemed of the | LORD proclaim
that God redeemed them from the hand | of the foe,
3gathering them in | from the lands;
from the east and from the west, from the north and | from the south.
17Some were fools and took rebellious paths;
through their sins they | were afflicted.
18They loathed all manner of food
and drew near | to death’s door.
19Then in their trouble they cried | to the LORD
and you delivered them from | their distress.
20You sent forth your | word and healed them
and rescued them | from the grave.
21Let them give thanks to you, LORD, for your | steadfast love
and your wonderful works | for all people.
22Let them offer sacrifices | of thanksgiving
and tell of your deeds with | shouts of joy.
SECOND READING: Ephesians 2:1-10
1You were dead through the trespasses and sins 2in which you once lived, following the course of this world, following the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work among those who are disobedient. 3All of us once lived among them in the passions of our flesh, following the desires of flesh and senses, and we were by nature children of wrath, like everyone else. 4But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us 5even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—6and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7so that in the ages to come he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God—9not the result of works, so that no one may boast. 10For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.
GOSPEL: John 3:14-21
The holy gospel according to John. Glory to you, O Lord.
[Jesus said:] 14“Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.
16“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.
17“Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18Those who believe in him are not condemned; but those who do not believe are condemned already, because they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God. 19And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. 20For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed. 21But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God.”
The gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ.
MEDITATION Rev. Wende Bleam
HYMN OF THE DAY God Loved the World (ELW 323)
* 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 our provider, by your merciful hand abundance springs up from the earth. Receive and bless these gifts of your own bounty. Let them be a sign of your steadfast love and faithfulness for all people, through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
PRAYERS OF INTERCESSION
Trusting in God’s promise to reconcile all things, let us pray for the church, the well-being of creation, and a world in need.
Gracious God, your love unites. Give vision to the global church and foster cooperation in mission. Increase inter-religious understanding and ecumenical dialog. Make your church a sanctuary for all fleeing persecution, disaster, and war. Hear us, O God. Your mercy is great.
Creating God, your love enlivens. Restore balance to the earth’s fragile habitats. Preserve wilderness lands, rainforests, and wildlife. Cleanse oceans and rivers Make us good stewards of the earth. Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
Righteous God, your love liberates. We give thanks for those who courageously witness to your liberating love. Free all people from the evils of racism, religious strife, and hatred. 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.
Merciful God, your love heals. Care tenderly for all whose loved ones perished from pandemic disease in every nation. Strengthen health care workers, first responders, and caregivers. Relieve all who live with chronic illness and pain. We pray especially for the family of Hazel Hammond, the family of Dick Weaver, the friends and family of Lynda Strand, and the family of Connie Captis, Calvin, Krystal, Alexandra, Jim, Robin, Dan, Sue, Jennifer, Ray, Ashton, Justin, Lois, Kathy and Rich McLaughlin, Carol, Connor, Ana, Helen, Jose, Hoon, Pat, Deb, Joe, Ruth, Lisa, Rick, 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.
Incarnate God, your love enlightens. Open our hearts and minds to fresh understandings of our faith. Deepen our love for you and for one another. Teach us to pray for our enemies. Hear us, O God. Your mercy is great.
Abiding God, your love saves. Those who died in the faith are made alive in Christ. We give thanks for your promise that we also will be raised to newness of life. Hear us, O God. Your mercy is great.
Accompany us on our journey, God of grace, and receive the prayers of our hearts, 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
Beloved, we are God’s own people,
holy, washed, renewed.
God bless you and keep you,
shower you with mercy,
fill you with courage,
and give you peace. Amen.
* SENDING SONG There in God’s Garden (ELW 342)
DISMISSAL - Go in peace. Share your bread. Thanks be to God.
POSTLUDE: Verset in C (Boellmann)
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 March by the Shortt family in memory of Beatrice and Edwin Shortt.
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 (February)
CURRENT
Budgeted costs per month $ 8,443.07
Offering last month $ 5,109.29
Budget required to date (2 months) $ 16,886.14
Total received to date $ 9,993.58
MISSION SUPPORT
Budget required to date (2 months) $ 800.00
Total received to date $ 622.22
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.
Easter flowers are beautiful, and this year, especially, we would love to see them in our sanctuary. Make your check payable to St. John’s and send to the church office along with the Easter Flower tear-off included at the end of this bulletin. You may also call the office and leave a message with your specific wishes, or send an email to the office , stjohns1500@gmail.com. Be sure to specify your wishes on the tear-off, and if you are giving in honor or in memory of someone. In the Easter bulletin we will list all who have made flower dedications.
This year we are offering Lilies ($9), Mums ($8) and Tulips, Daffodils and Hyacinths ($7). Deadline for ordering is March 24.
There are extra forms available on the hallway table to sponsor Easter flowers.
Easter Flowers
Choose from:
Lilies ($9) Mums ($8)
Daffodils Hyacinths Tulips (all $7)
Given by _________________________________________________________
In memory of ______________________________________________________
In honor of ________________________________________________________
Make checks payable to St. John’s Lutheran Church.
Place this envelope in the offering or return to the Church Office.
Deadline for ordering: March 24
