INTRODUCTION
Today we hear James warn against selfish ambition, while the disciples quarrel over which one of them is the greatest. Jesus tells them the way to be great is to serve. Then, to make it concrete, he puts in front of them a flesh-and-blood child. We are called to welcome the children God puts in front of us, to make room for them in daily interaction, and to give them a place of honor in the assembly.

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 teacher and guide, you draw us to yourself and welcome us as beloved children. Help us to lay aside all envy and selfish ambition, that we may walk in your ways of wisdom and understanding as servants of your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

GATHERING SONG  God Is Here! 

FIRST READING: Jeremiah 11:18-20
18It was the LORD who made it known to me, and I knew;
then you showed me their evil deeds.
19But I was like a gentle lamb
led to the slaughter.
And I did not know it was against me
that they devised schemes, saying,
“Let us destroy the tree with its fruit,
let us cut him off from the land of the living,
so that his name will no longer be remembered!”
20But you, O LORD of hosts, who judge righteously,
who try the heart and the mind,
let me see your retribution upon them,
for to you I have committed my cause.

PSALM: Psalm 54
1Save me, O God, | by your name;
in your might, de- | fend my cause.
2Hear my | prayer, O God;
give ear to the words | of my mouth.
3For strangers have risen up against me, and the ruthless have | sought my life,
those who have no re- | gard for God.
4Behold, God | is my helper;
it is the Lord who sus- | tains my life. 
5Render evil to those who | spy on me;
in your faithful- | ness, destroy them.
6I will offer you a | freewill sacrifice
and praise your name, O LORD, for | it is good.
7For you have rescued me from | every trouble,
and my eye looks down | on my enemies. 

SECOND READING: James 3:13—4:3, 7-8a
13Who is wise and understanding among you Show by your good life that your works are done with gentleness born of wisdom. 14But if you have bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not be boastful and false to the truth. 15Such wisdom does not come down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, devilish. 16For where there is envy and selfish ambition, there will also be disorder and wickedness of every kind. 17But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy. 18And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace for those who make peace.4:
1Those conflicts and disputes among you, where do they come from Do they not come from your cravings that are at war within you 2You want something and do not have it; so you commit murder. And you covet something and cannot obtain it; so you engage in disputes and conflicts. You do not have, because you do not ask. 3You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, in order to spend what you get on your pleasures. 7Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8aDraw near to God, and he will draw near to you.

GOSPEL: Mark 9:30-37
The holy gospel according to Mark. Glory to you, O Lord.
30[Jesus and the disciples went on] and passed through Galilee. He did not want anyone to know it;31for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, “The Son of Man is to be betrayed into human hands, and they will kill him, and three days after being killed, he will rise again.” 32But they did not understand what he was saying and were afraid to ask him.
33Then they came to Capernaum; and when he was in the house he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the way” 34But they were silent, for on the way they had argued with one another who was the greatest. 35He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, “Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.” 36Then he took a little child and put it among them; and taking it in his arms, he said to them, 37“Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.”

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

MEDITATION                            

*HYMN OF THE DAY Children of the Heavenly Father  (ELW 781)

*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.

Loving God, you welcome all at your table of grace. Instill in your church a spirit of humility and curiosity, that we embrace all who seek you. We pray especially for ministries of hospitality and faith formation. Hear us, O God. Your mercy is great.

Creating God, you shape the world so there is more than enough for all. Curb our habits of overuse, and guide us toward more sustainable sources of energy, food, and water. Hear us, O God. Your mercy is great.

Gracious God, your peace brings justice and solidarity. Encourage peace among peoples, tribes, and nations; heal divisions in our country and local communities, that together we might cooperate for the good of all. 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.

Faithful God, you draw near to you all who are in need. Bring healing and wholeness to all who suffer. Transform economic, political, and social systems that oppress vulnerable people, especially systems of structural racism and generational poverty. 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.

Transforming God, you accompany all through changes and transitions. Help us to see where you are calling this community to new ways of living the gospel promise; assure us that even as change brings loss, it also brings hope and life. Hear us, O God. Your mercy is great.
Merciful God, you embrace us on our final pilgrimage from this life. Accompany all who have died, console those who mourn, and at the last, show us the way to eternal life in 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
God all mighty, God most merciful  bless you, keep you,and give you peace.  Amen.
* SENDING SONG  Lord of All Hopefulness (ELW 765)

DISMISSAL - Go in peace. Follow Jesus . 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.