INTRODUCTION

Jesus protests against human customs being given the weight of divine law, while the essence of God’s law is ignored. True uncleanness comes not from external things, but from the intentions of the human heart. Last week Jesus told us “the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life” (John 6:63). Now James says God has given us birth by the word of truth. We who were washed in the word when we were born in the font return to it every Sunday to ask God to create in us clean hearts.

ANNOUNCEMENTS 

PRELUDE We Have Come Into his House

* CONFESSION AND FORGIVNESS

Blessed be the holy Trinity,  one God, who forgives all our sin, whose mercy endures forever. Amen.

Let us confess our sin and come to God for healing.

Gracious God,

have mercy on us. We confess that we have honored you with our lips,

but have harmed our neighbors with our tongues. The cravings at war within us cause conflicts and disputes. In our desire to be first we make distinctions among ourselves. We place the needs of the poor and the suffering last. In your great mercy, forgive us our sins. Draw near to us with grace in time of need, and turn us to follow in the way of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

God promises to forgive our iniquity and to remember our sin no more.

By grace you have been saved. In the name of  Jesus Christ, the source of eternal healing, your sins are forgiven. Amen.

* PRAYER OF THE DAY

Let us pray. 

O God our strength, without you we are weak and wayward creatures. Protect us from all dangers that attack us from the outside, and cleanse us from all evil that arises from within ourselves, that we may be preserved through your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

GATHERING SONG     O Master, Let Me Walk with You (ELW 818)

FIRST READING: Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 6-9

1So now, Israel, give heed to the statutes and ordinances that I am teaching you to observe, so that you may live to enter and occupy the land that the LORD, the God of your ancestors, is giving you. 2You must neither add anything to what I command you nor take away anything from it, but keep the commandments of the LORD your God with which I am charging you.

6You must observe them diligently, for this will show your wisdom and discernment to the peoples, who, when they hear all these statutes, will say, “Surely this great nation is a wise and discerning people!” 7For what other great nation has a god so near to it as the LORD our God is whenever we call to him 8And what other great nation has statutes and ordinances as just as this entire law that I am setting before you today

9But take care and watch yourselves closely, so as neither to forget the things that your eyes have seen nor to let them slip from your mind all the days of your life; make them known to your children and your children’s children.

PSALM: Psalm 15

1LORD, who may dwell in your | tabernacle

Who may abide upon your | holy hill

2Those who lead a blameless life and do | what is right,

who speak the truth | from their heart;

3they do not slander with the tongue, they do no evil | to their friends;

they do not cast discredit up- | on a neighbor.

4In their sight the wicked are rejected, but they honor those who | fear the LORD.

They have sworn upon their health and do not take | back their word.

5They do not give their money in hope of gain, nor do they take bribes a- | gainst the innocent.

Those who do these things shall never be | overthrown. 

SECOND READING: James 1:17-27

17Every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift, is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. 18In fulfillment of his own purpose he gave us birth by the word of truth, so that we would become a kind of first fruits of his creatures.

19You must understand this, my beloved: let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger; 20for your anger does not produce God’s righteousness. 21Therefore rid yourselves of all sordidness and rank growth of wickedness, and welcome with meekness the implanted word that has the power to save your souls.

22But be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves. 23For if any are hearers of the word and not doers, they are like those who look at themselves in a mirror; 24for they look at themselves and, on going away, immediately forget what they were like. 25But those who look into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and persevere, being not hearers who forget but doers who act—they will be blessed in their doing.

26If any think they are religious, and do not bridle their tongues but deceive their hearts, their religion is worthless. 27Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.

GOSPEL: Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23 

The holy gospel according to Mark. Glory to you, O Lord.

1Now when the Pharisees and some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered around [Jesus], 2they noticed that some of his disciples were eating with defiled hands, that is, without washing them. 3(For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, do not eat unless they thoroughly wash their hands, thus observing the tradition of the elders; 4and they do not eat anything from the market unless they wash it; and there are also many other traditions that they observe, the washing of cups, pots, and bronze kettles.) 5So the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, “Why do your disciples not live according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands” 6He said to them, “Isaiah prophesied rightly about you hypocrites, as it is written, 

‘This people honors me with their lips,

but their hearts are far from me;

7in vain do they worship me,

teaching human precepts as doctrines.’

8You abandon the commandment of God and hold to human tradition.”

14Then he called the crowd again and said to them, “Listen to me, all of you, and understand: 15there is nothing outside a person that by going in can defile, but the things that come out are what defile.

21“For it is from within, from the human heart, that evil intentions come: fornication, theft, murder, 22adultery, avarice, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, envy, slander, pride, folly. 23All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”

The gospel of the Lord.  Praise to you, O Christ.

MEDITATION Pastor Wende Bleam

HYMN OF THE DAY Oh That the Lord Would Guide My Ways(ELW 772)

*APOSTLES'CREED

I believe in God, the Father almighty,

I believe in Jesus Christ, God's only Son, our Lord,

I believe in the Holy Spirit,

PRAYERS OF INTERCESSION

Drawn together in the power of the Holy Spirit, we pray with confidence for the church, God’s good creation, and all who are in need.

God of every generation, give the church a sense of purpose and belonging. Sustain and build up leaders and lay people as we accompany one another in our life with Christ. Merciful God, receive our prayer.

God of creation, you named humans as co-creators with you. Where the earth cries out in pain, bring wholeness. Guide governments and industry, that environmental laws and practices seek to heal and not harm. Bring relief and justice to people and places suffering from climate catastrophe. Merciful God, receive our prayer.

Sovereign God, we pray for local communities of every kind: rural and urban; established and new. Lead those in authority to seek the good of all through their words and actions and to mentor others in honest and generous ways. Merciful God, receive 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.  Merciful God, receive our prayer.

Healing God, you draw near to all who are hurting. Be with all who desire relief from chronic and acute illness, cancer, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Strengthen health care workers, therapists, and caregivers. Tend to those who are close to our hearts. We pray especially for the Davis family, Dawn, Elaine, Rich, Robert, Anna, Don, Bryant, Lois, Bill, Curt, Barb, Calvin, Krystal, Alexandra, Jim, Robin, 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. Merciful God, receive our prayer.

On this Labor Day weekend we remember and give thanks for all who have fought for workers’ rights around the world. Continue to improve working conditions and establish fair wages so that all people may thrive. Merciful God, receive our prayer.

Comforting God, console us as we mourn our departed (especially). We hold fast to the promise that death has been defeated by our Savior Jesus Christ. Merciful God, receive our prayer.

We entrust these and all our prayers to you, holy God, in the name of your beloved child, 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.

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

* THE GREAT THANKSGIVING

The Lord be with you.  And also with you.

Lift up your hearts.  We lift the to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.  

It is right to give our thanks and praise.

It is indeed right, our duty and our joy, that we should at all times and in all places offer thanks and praise to you, almighty and merciful God,

through our Savior Jesus Christ; who on this day overcame death and the grave, and by his glorious resurrection opened to us the way to everlasting life. And so with all the choirs of angels, with the church on earth and the hosts of heaven, we praise your name and join their unending hymn:

* HOLY, HOLY, HOLY

In the night in which he was betrayed,

our Lord Jesus took bread, and gave thanks;

broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying:

Take and eat; this is my body, given for you.

Do this for the remembrance of me.

Again, after supper, he took the cup, gave thanks,

and gave it for all to drink, saying:

This cup is the new covenant in my blood,

shed for you and for all people for the forgiveness of sin.

Do this for the remembrance of me.

* INVITATION TO COMMUNION

Come and be nourished by the gift of our Lord and know the God of life and love.

COMMUNION SONG

May the body and blood of our Lord, Jesus Christ strengthen you and keep you in His grace.  Amen.

CONGREGATION HYMN    Take My Life That I May Be (ELW 685)

PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION

Jesus, Bread of life,

we have received from your table more than we could ever ask. As you have nourished us in this meal, now strengthen us to love the world with your own life. In your name we pray. Amen.

*BLESSING

God all mighty, God most merciful  bless you, keep you, and give you peace. Amen.

* SENDING SONG  Savior, Again to Your Dear Name (ELW 534)

DISMISSAL - Go in peace. Follow Jesus . Thanks be to God.

0The ETERNAL CANDLE is sponsored for the month of September by the Fisher family in memory of Barbara Fisher.

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  (August) 

CURRENT

Budgeted costs per month       $   8,443.07

Offering last month       $   4,636.14

Budget required to date (8 months)       $  67,544.56

Total received to date       $  43,055.28

MISSION SUPPORT

Budget required to date (8 months)       $   3,200.00

Total received to date       $   2,824.82

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.