INTRODUCTION
When Amos reports his vision of God judging Israel for its mistreatment of the poor, he becomes a threat to the power of the priests and the king. John the Baptist also speaks truth to power, and Herod has him killed. In Herod’s fear that Jesus is John returned from the dead, we may hear hope for the oppressed: all the prophets killed through the ages are alive in Jesus. We are called to witness to justice in company with them, and to proclaim God’s saving love.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
PRELUDE We Have Come Into his House
* CONFESSION AND FORGIVNESS
Blessed be the holy Trinity, one God, the God of manna, the God of miracles, the God of mercy. Amen.
Drawn to Christ and seeking God’s abundance,
let us confess our sin.
God, our provider,
help us. It is hard to believe there is enough to share. We question your ways when they differ from the ways of the world in which we live.
We turn to our own understanding rather than trusting in you. We take offense at your teachings and your ways. Turn us again to you. Where else can we turn Share with us the words of eternal life and feed us for life in the world. Amen.
Beloved people of God: in Jesus, the manna from heaven, you are fed and nourished. By Jesus, the worker of miracles, there is always more than enough. Through Jesus, the bread of life, you are shown God’s mercy:
you are forgiven and loved into abundant life. Amen.
* PRAYER OF THE DAY
Let us pray.
O God, from you come all holy desires, all good counsels, and all just works. Give to us, your servants, that peace which the world cannot give, that our hearts may be set to obey your commandments; and also that we, being defended from the fear of our enemies, may live in peace and quietness, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
GATHERING SONG Lead On, O King Eternal! (ELW 805)
FIRST READING: Amos 7:7-15
7This is what [the Lord GOD] showed me: the Lord was standing beside a wall built with a plumb line, with a plumb line in his hand. 8And the LORD said to me, “Amos, what do you see” And I said, “A plumb line.” Then the Lord said,
“See, I am setting a plumb line
in the midst of my people Israel;
I will never again pass them by;
9the high places of Isaac shall be made desolate,
and the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste,
and I will rise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword.”
10Then Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, sent to King Jeroboam of Israel, saying, “Amos has conspired against you in the very center of the house of Israel; the land is not able to bear all his words. 11For thus Amos has said,
‘Jeroboam shall die by the sword,
and Israel must go into exile
away from his land.’”
12And Amaziah said to Amos, “O seer, go, flee away to the land of Judah, earn your bread there, and prophesy there; 13but never again prophesy at Bethel, for it is the king’s sanctuary, and it is a temple of the kingdom.”
14Then Amos answered Amaziah, “I am no prophet, nor a prophet’s son; but I am a herdsman, and a dresser of sycamore trees, 15and the LORD took me from following the flock, and the LORD said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel.’”
PSALM: Psalm 85:8-13
8I will listen to what the LORD | God is saying;
for you speak peace to your faithful people and to those who turn their | hearts to you.
9Truly, your salvation is very near to | those who fear you,
that your glory may dwell | in our land
10Steadfast love and faithfulness have | met together;
righteousness and peace have | kissed each other.
11Faithfulness shall spring up | from the earth,
and righteousness shall look | down from heaven.
12The LORD will indeed | grant prosperity,
and our land will | yield its increase.
13Righteousness shall go be- | fore the LORD
and shall prepare for | God a pathway.
SECOND READING: Ephesians 1:3-14
3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4just as he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love. 5He destined us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his will, 6to the praise of his glorious grace that he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. 7In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace 8that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and insight 9he has made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure that he set forth in Christ, 10as a plan for the fullness of time, to gather up all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. 11In Christ we have also obtained an inheritance, having been destined according to the purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to his counsel and will, 12so that we, who were the first to set our hope on Christ, might live for the praise of his glory. 13In him you also, when you had heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and had believed in him, were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit; 14this is the pledge of our inheritance toward redemption as God’s own people, to the praise of his glory.
GOSPEL: Mark 6:14-29
The holy gospel according to Mark.Glory to you, O Lord.
14King Herod heard of [the disciples’ preaching,] for Jesus’ name had become known. Some were saying, “John the baptizer has been raised from the dead; and for this reason these powers are at work in him.” 15But others said, “It is Elijah.” And others said, “It is a prophet, like one of the prophets of old.” 16But when Herod heard of it, he said, “John, whom I beheaded, has been raised.”
17For Herod himself had sent men who arrested John, bound him, and put him in prison on account of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, because Herod had married her. 18For John had been telling Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.” 19And Herodias had a grudge against him, and wanted to kill him. But she could not, 20for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he protected him. When he heard him, he was greatly perplexed; and yet he liked to listen to him. 21But an opportunity came when Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his courtiers and officers and for the leaders of Galilee. 22When his daughter Herodias came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his guests; and the king said to the girl, “Ask me for whatever you wish, and I will give it.” 23And he solemnly swore to her, “Whatever you ask me, I will give you, even half of my kingdom.” 24She went out and said to her mother, “What should I ask for” She replied, “The head of John the baptizer.” 25Immediately she rushed back to the king and requested, “I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter.” 26The king was deeply grieved; yet out of regard for his oaths and for the guests, he did not want to refuse her. 27Immediately the king sent a soldier of the guard with orders to bring John’s head. He went and beheaded him in the prison, 28brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl. Then the girl gave it to her mother. 29When his disciples heard about it, they came and took his body, and laid it in a tomb.
The gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ.
MEDITATION
HYMN OF THE DAY Just a Closer Walk With Thee (TFBF 253)
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.
PRAYERS OF INTERCESSION
One in the communion of saints and in the power of the Holy Spirit, we join our voices in prayer.
You gather your people into the body of Christ. Where your church is wounded, heal it. Where it is right, strengthen it. Where it is divided, reunite it. In your mercy, hear our prayer.
From before the foundation of the world, you are God. Revive ecosystems destroyed by human greed. Curb our desire to put wealth ahead of the health of all who call this planet home. In your mercy, hear our prayer.
You establish equity and make justice. Within every nation, tribe, and land, cause laws to be written and customs to be observed that protect the most vulnerable. In your mercy, hear our prayer.
Lord, we pray for the people of Israel and Palestine, for those the Gaza Strip who are suffering the ravages of war, send your peace into their hearts and let their fighting end, We also pray for the Ukrainian people that they be surrounded by your love and protection against the attacks on their country. Lift all these people up, protect them, and end this war against them. Lord, let your peace reign. In your mercy, hear our prayer.
On the cross your beloved Son endured pain and death. Bring healing to those in need, hope to any in despair, and comfort to the dying. We pray especially for the family and friends of Rick Vanstone, Bryant, Lois, Judi, Bill, Curt, Barb, Calvin, Krystal, Alexandra, Jim, Robin, Dan, Sue, Jennifer, Ray, Ashton, Justin, Kathy, Rich, Carol, Alisia, Jose, Connor, Ana, Helen, Hoon, Pat, Deb, Joe, Ruth, Lisa, Jacklyn, Lillian, Alexis, 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. In your mercy, hear our prayer.
You send your Spirit into this community of faith. Empower our ministries that serve and build up local communities. Nurture our partnerships with other community organizations. In your mercy, hear our prayer.
All peoples praise you, O God. We give you thanks and praise for the lives of our loved ones who now rest in you. In the fullness of time gather us with all your saints in light. In your mercy, hear our prayer.
Holy God, holy and merciful: into your outstretched arms we commend ourselves and all for whom we pray, trusting in the one who is the way, the truth, and the life, 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.
PEACE
The peace of Christ be with you always. And also with you.
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
*BLESSING
The blessing of God,
who provides for us, feeds us, and journeys with us,
be upon you now and forever. Amen.
* SENDING SONG Faith of Our Fathers (ELW 812)
DISMISSAL - Go in peace. You are the body of God . Thanks be to God.
The ETERNAL CANDLE is sponsored for the month of July by MaryAnne Rossi in memory of love ones.
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 (May)
CURRENT
Budgeted costs per month $ 8,443.07
Offering last month $ 4,965.14
Budget required to date (5 months) $ 42,215.35
Total received to date $ 27,035.86
MISSION SUPPORT
Budget required to date (5 months) $ 2,000.00
Total received to date $ 1,729.66
Please continue to support St. John's. Our expenses continue each month.
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.
