INTRODUCTION
James tells us to stop showing favoritism in the assembly, treating the rich visitor with more honor than the poor one. Jesus himself seems to show partiality in his first response to the Syrophoenician woman in today’s gospel. Was he testing her faith in saying Gentiles don’t deserve the goods meant for God’s children Or was he speaking out of his human worldview, but transcended those limits when she took him by surprise with her reply Either way, the story tells us that God shows no partiality. Everyone who brings a need to Jesus is received with equal honor as a child and heir.
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.
Gracious God, throughout the ages you transform sickness into health and death into life. Open us to the power of your presence, and make us a people ready to proclaim your promises to the whole world, through Jesus Christ, our healer and Lord. Amen.
GATHERING SONG Earth and All Stars! (ELW 731)
FIRST READING: Isaiah 35:4-7a
4Say to those who are of a fearful heart,
“Be strong, do not fear!
Here is your God.
He will come with vengeance,
with terrible recompense.
He will come and save you.”
5Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,
and the ears of the deaf unstopped;
6then the lame shall leap like a deer,
and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy.
For waters shall break forth in the wilderness,
and streams in the desert;
7athe burning sand shall become a pool,
and the thirsty ground springs of water.
PSALM: Psalm 146
1Hal- | lelujah!
Praise the LORD, | O my soul!
2I will praise the LORD as long | as I live;
I will sing praises to my God while I | have my being.
3Put not your | trust in rulers,
in mortals in whom there | is no help.
4When they breathe their last, they re- | turn to earth,
and in that day | their thoughts perish.
5Happy are they who have the God of Jacob | for their help,
whose hope is in the | LORD their God;
6who made heaven and earth, the seas, and all that | is in them;
who keeps promises forever;
7who gives justice to those who are oppressed, and food to | those who hunger.
The LORD sets the | captive free.
8The LORD opens the eyes of the blind; the LORD lifts up those who | are bowed down;
the LORD | loves the righteous.
9The LORD cares | for the stranger;
the LORD sustains the orphan and widow, but frustrates the way | of the wicked.
10The LORD shall | reign forever,
your God, O Zion, throughout all generations. | Hallelujah!
SECOND READING: James 2:1-10 [11-13] 14-17
1My brothers and sisters, do you with your acts of favoritism really believe in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ 2For if a person with gold rings and in fine clothes comes into your assembly, and if a poor person in dirty clothes also comes in, 3and if you take notice of the one wearing the fine clothes and say, “Have a seat here, please,” while to the one who is poor you say, “Stand there,” or, “Sit at my feet,” 4have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts 5Listen, my beloved brothers and sisters. Has not God chosen the poor in the world to be rich in faith and to be heirs of the kingdom that he has promised to those who love him 6But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich who oppress you Is it not they who drag you into court 7Is it not they who blaspheme the excellent name that was invoked over you
8You do well if you really fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 9But if you show partiality, you commit sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. 10For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it.
14What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works Can faith save you 15If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, 16and one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill,” and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that 17So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.
GOSPEL: Mark 7:24-37
The holy gospel according to Mark. Glory to you, O Lord.
24[Jesus] set out and went away to the region of Tyre. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know he was there. Yet he could not escape notice,25but a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit immediately heard about him, and she came and bowed down at his feet. 26Now the woman was a Gentile, of Syrophoenician origin. She begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. 27He said to her, “Let the children be fed first, for it is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.” 28But she answered him, “Sir, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.” 29Then he said to her, “For saying that, you may go—the demon has left your daughter.” 30So she went home, found the child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.
31Then he returned from the region of Tyre, and went by way of Sidon towards the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis. 32They brought to him a deaf man who had an impediment in his speech; and they begged him to lay his hand on him. 33He took him aside in private, away from the crowd, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spat and touched his tongue. 34Then looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.” 35And immediately his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. 36Then Jesus ordered them to tell no one; but the more he ordered them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. 37They were astounded beyond measure, saying, “He has done everything well; he even makes the deaf to hear and the mute to speak.”
The gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ.
MEDITATION
HYMN OF THE DAY Healer of Our Every Ill (ELW 612)
*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
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.
Awaken in our communities of faith a spirit of radical hospitality. Encourage our churches to celebrate and embrace people of diverse backgrounds, experiences, and abilities. Deepen our commitment to ecumenical and interreligious partnerships . Hear us, O God. Your mercy is great.
Bring forth water to nourish plants and animals in places suffering from drought. Renew our commitments to protect rivers, lakes, and streams, and make us good stewards of water in our homes and communities. Preserve wetland habitats and the creatures that make their homes there. Hear us, O God. Your mercy is great.
Inspire leaders of cities, nations, and tribes to lead with wisdom and humility. Bring peace among peoples in conflict and strengthen global commitments to nonviolent solutions. Guide all who seek refuge from war to a safe haven. 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, 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. Hear us, O God. Your mercy is great.
Comfort all who live with chronic illness. Surround them in your tender embrace and sustain all who provide ongoing care and support. Bring hope and healing to people struggling with addiction and nourish the spirits of all who are in recovery. Care for those on our hearts. We pray especially for Connor, 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. Hear us, O God. Your mercy is great.
Nurture in all people the gift of your creating Spirit. Inspire artists and musicians, woodworkers and quilters, poets and dancers. Revive those whose artistic wells have run dry and enliven all who doubt their creative talents. Hear us, O God. Your mercy is great.
We give you thanks for all who have died and now find their rest in you. May their faithful witness guide us in our daily life with you. Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
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
*BLESSING
The blessing of God, who provides for us, feeds us, and journeys with
us, be upon you now and forever. Amen.
* SENDING SONG God, Whose Almighty Word (ELW 673)
DISMISSAL - Go in peace. You are the body of God . Thanks be to God.
The 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.
