INTRODUCTION
Cradle and cross are inextricably connected on the fourth Sunday of Advent. Between a lovely tribute to the little town of Bethlehem and Mary’s magnificent song of praise, the letter to the Hebrews reminds us in no uncertain terms that Christ’s advent is for “the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” It is the kind of tension in which the church always lives as when in holy communion—with high delight—“we proclaim the Lord’s death.”
ANNOUNCEMENTS
PRELUDE O Come, O Come, Emmanuel
* CONFESSION AND FORGIVENESS
Blessed be the holy Trinity, one God, alive in the world, reviving creation,
arriving soon. Amen.
Let us confess our sin in the presence of God and of one another..
God of mercy,
we confess that we have sinned. We trust earthly powers and human authority alone. We grow fearful. We cling to false comforts.
God of might,
we confess that we have sinned. We have turned away from our neighbors. We have trusted false promises.
God in our midst,
we confess that we have sinned. We plead: come to us. Bring your mercy to birth in us.
A righteous branch springs forth: it is Christ the Lord, our Savior, in whom we have forgiveness, life, and mercy. By the power of the Holy Spirit,
receive the grace and forgiveness of God through Christ Jesus,
whose day draws near. Amen.
* PRAYER OF THE DAY
Let us pray.
Stir up your power, Lord Christ, and come. With your abundant grace and might, free us from the sin that binds us, that we may receive you in joy and serve you always, for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
* GATHERING SONG Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus (ELW 254)
FIRST READING: Micah 5:2-5a
2 But you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah,
who are one of the little clans of Judah,
from you shall come forth for me
one who is to rule in Israel,
whose origin is from of old,
from ancient days.
3 Therefore he shall give them up until the time
when she who is in labor has brought forth;
then the rest of his kindred shall return
to the people of Israel.
4 And he shall stand and feed his flock in the strength of the LORD,
in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God.
And they shall live secure, for now he shall be great
to the ends of the earth;
5a and he shall be the one of peace.
ADVENT 4 CANDLE LIGHTING
CONGREGATIONAL SONG HE CAME DOWN (ELW 253) Vs 1
SECOND READING: Hebrews 10:5-10
5 Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said,
“Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired,
but a body you have prepared for me;
6 in burnt offerings and sin offerings
you have taken no pleasure.
7 Then I said, ‘See, God, I have come to do your will, O God’
(in the scroll of the book it is written of me).”
8 When he said above, “You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings” (these are offered according to the law), 9 then he added, “See, I have come to do your will.” He abolishes the first in order to establish the second. 10 And it is by God’s will that we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
GOSPEL Luke 1:39-45 [46-55]
The holy gospel according to Luke. Glory to you, O Lord.
39 In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, 40 where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit 42 and exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. 43 And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me 44 For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. 45 And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.”
The gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ.
MEDITATION Pastor Wende Bleam
* HYMN OF THE DAY O Come, O Come, Emmanuel (ELW 257)
* NICENE CREED
We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one Being with the Father;
through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven,
was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary
and became truly human.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in accordance with the scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son,*
who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. 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
PRAYERS OF INTERCESSION
As we prepare for Emmanuel, God-with-us, let us pray for all people and places that long for God’s presence.
God our uniter, increase communication and cooperation in our relationships with those of other traditions and religions. Root your church in the radical message of your incarnation, and enable us to pursue your justice in the world. Lord, in your mercy, receive our prayer.
God our creator, we praise you for the beauty that surrounds us. Awaken in us a renewed sense of care for the wildlife in our communities. Lord, in your mercy, receive our prayer.
God our sovereign, Mary proclaims a new way of life that lifts up the lowly and fills the hungry with good things. Nurture in local governments and municipalities a desire to care for all who are overlooked and ignored. Lord, in your mercy, receive our prayer.
God of mercy, be with the people who have lost family, friends, homes or been injured from hurricanes, tornadoes and seas. Comfort them as they grieve and as they rebuild in their lives from this disaster. Lord, in your mercy, 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. Lord, in your mercy, receive our prayer.
God our beacon, as the northern hemisphere begins its slow turn toward more daylight, remind us that even in the deepest nights, you are there. Comfort the lonely and bereaved. Hold closely the frightened, anxious, depressed, and ill. We pray especially for Bill, Carol, Talayia, Tiana, Vince, Danielle, Barbara. Scarlet, Deb, Connor, Dawn, Elaine, Rich, Robert, Anna, Don, Bryant, Lois, Curt, Calvin, Robin, Ana, Helen, Hoon, Pat, 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. Lord, in your mercy, receive our prayer.
God our guide, shepherd the leadership of this congregation. Bless the council and staff in discerning future ministry and open their hearts to the voices of the community. Lord, in your mercy, receive our prayer.
God our life, you remember the promises you have made to your people. In gratitude for those who have died, we praise you for your faithfulness throughout history. Lord, in your mercy, receive our prayer.
Savior of the nations, come, and receive these prayers and the pleas of our hearts, in the name of Jesus Christ.
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
God of endings and beginnings, God in the darkness and the light, God, our hope for the journey, bless and keep you now and forever. Amen.
* SENDING SONG Soon and Very Soon (ELW 439)
DISMISSAL - Go in peace. Prepare the way for Emmanuel. Thanks be to God.
The Eternal Candle is sponsored for the month of December by the McCombs family in memory of Joan Stinsman.
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 (November)
CURRENT
Budgeted costs per month $ 8,443.07
Offering last month $ 4,558.14
Budget required to date (11 months) $ 92,873.77
Total received to date $ 58,492.70
MISSION SUPPORT
Budget required to date (11 months) $ 4,400.00
Total received to date $ 3,941.98
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.
Upcoming St. John's Events:
Fall Food collection:
November 24 - vegetable oil, potato flakes
December 1 - flour, sugar, biscuit mix
December 8 - tuna fish, spam, canned meat
December 15 - shelf stable milk, juice
You are welcome to bring in any food, not just what is on the list! Thank you in advance for your donations. The food will be packaged following coffee talk for delivery to Mt. Zion Church, Sharon Hill.
Advent week 4: December 22 - We will have coffee talk, sponsored by Martie, and everyone is invited to bring Christmas cookies to share. We will also view The Chosen: Jesus Loves the Little Children
December 24, Christmas Eve Worship at 7:00 pm
December 29, Lessons and Carols
This year we will again adorn the sanctuary with beautiful poinsettias. You may choose from red, white or pink poinsettias. Or, you can choose to donate to ELCA World Hunger program. The cost of each is $8.00.
