INTRODUCTION
Witnesses to the glory of God in the face of Jesus reflect that glory in the world. It was true for Moses. It was doubtless true for Peter, James, and John. We pray that it will be true of all of us who see God’s glory in the word and in the supper and who are being “transformed into the same image” by God’s Spirit.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
PRELUDE
* CONFESSION AND FORGIVNESS
Blessed be the holy Trinity, one God, our creator, our protector,
our wellspring of life. Amen.
Trusting that God receives our words and the meditations of our hearts, let us confess our sin.
Merciful God,
you speak blessing and compassion into the world. Forgive us for the ways we act with judgment, cruelty, or indifference. We ignore the needs of our neighbors; we resist your call to oppose injustice;
we give in to scarcity and fear; we assume the worst about one another. Cleanse us from our faults and release us from their grasp.
Show us your lovingkindness. Restore our hearts and repair your world, that we may live in Christ’s ways. Amen.
God proclaims these words of assurance: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you. I have called you by name. You are mine.” In Christ, you are forgiven.
In the Spirit, you are made free. Refreshed by the waters of mercy, live anew as beloved children of God. Amen.
* PRAYER OF THE DAY
Let us pray.
Holy God, mighty and immortal, you are beyond our knowing, yet we see your glory in the face of Jesus Christ. Transform us into the likeness of your Son, who renewed our humanity so that we may share in his divinity, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
GATHERING SONG Beautiful Savior (ELW 838)
FIRST READING: Exodus 34:29-35
29 Moses came down from Mount Sinai. As he came down from the mountain with the two tablets of the covenant in his hand, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God. 30 When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, the skin of his face was shining, and they were afraid to come near him. 31 But Moses called to them; and Aaron and all the leaders of the congregation returned to him, and Moses spoke with them. 32 Afterward all the Israelites came near, and he gave them in commandment all that the LORD had spoken with him on Mount Sinai. 33 When Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil on his face; 34 but whenever Moses went in before the LORD to speak with him, he would take the veil off, until he came out; and when he came out, and told the Israelites what he had been commanded, 35 the Israelites would see the face of Moses, that the skin of his face was shining; and Moses would put the veil on his face again, until he went in to speak with him.
PSALM: Psalm 99
1 The LORD is king; let the | people tremble.
The LORD is enthroned upon the cherubim; let | the earth shake.
2 The LORD, | great in Zion,
is high above all peoples.
3 Let them confess God’s name, which is | great and awesome;
God is the | Holy One.
4 O mighty king, lover of justice, you have established equity;
you have executed justice and righteousness in Jacob.
5 Proclaim the greatness of the LORD and fall down be- | fore God’s footstool;
God is the | Holy One.
6 Moses and Aaron among your priests, and Samuel among those who call upon your | name, O LORD,
they called upon you, and you | answered them,
7 you spoke to them out of the pillar of cloud;
they kept your testimonies and the decree | that you gave them.
8 O LORD our God, you answered | them indeed;
you were a God who forgave them, yet punished them for their | evil deeds.
9 Proclaim the greatness of the LORD and worship upon God’s | holy hill;
for the LORD our God is the | Holy One.
SECOND READING: 2 Corinthians 3:12—4:2
12 Since, then, we have such a hope, we act with great boldness, 13 not like Moses, who put a veil over his face to keep the people of Israel from gazing at the end of the glory that was being set aside. 14 But their minds were hardened. Indeed, to this very day, when they hear the reading of the old covenant, that same veil is still there, since only in Christ is it set aside. 15 Indeed, to this very day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their minds; 16 but when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit.
4:1 Therefore, since it is by God’s mercy that we are engaged in this ministry, we do not lose heart. 2 We have renounced the shameful things that one hides; we refuse to practice cunning or to falsify God’s word; but by the open statement of the truth we commend ourselves to the conscience of everyone in the sight of God.
GOSPEL: Luke 9:28-36 [37-43a]
The holy gospel according to Luke. Glory to you, O Lord.
28 Now about eight days after these sayings Jesus took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray. 29 And while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white. 30 Suddenly they saw two men, Moses and Elijah, talking to him. 31 They appeared in glory and were speaking of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. 32 Now Peter and his companions were weighed down with sleep; but since they had stayed awake, they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. 33 Just as they were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah”—not knowing what he said. 34 While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were terrified as they entered the cloud. 35 Then from the cloud came a voice that said, “This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!” 36 When the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and in those days told no one any of the things they had seen.
The gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ.
MEDITATION Pastor Wende Bleam
*HYMN OF THE DAY How Good, Lord, to Be Here! (ELW 315)
* 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.
*PRAYERS OF INTERCESSION
With the Spirit of Christ shining upon us, let us boldly pray for the church, the world, and all of creation.
Transfiguring God, through the glory of your presence, you transform us. Move the church from complacency to boldness in sharing the good news with others. God of grace, hear our prayer.
We pray for your creation. As seasons change, give patience and skill to all who tend to animals giving birth. Grant nourishing weather for the growing of crops. God of grace, hear our prayer.
We pray for all in leadership, especially for those who lead states, counties, and town councils. Give them wisdom to protect local resources so that all will flourish both now and in the years to come. God of grace, hear our prayer.
Bring your healing grace to those who feel distant from you. Speak comfort to those who need your words of mercy. We pray for those close to our communities and in our hearts. We pray especially for the family of Shawn Bell, Trena, Keyasi, Sorie, Bill, Carol, Vince, Danielle, Barbara, 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. God of grace, hear our prayer.
God of our past, present, and future, lead us into new beginnings, trusting in the promise of new life in Christ. Accompany congregations needing to close, and give courage to congregations starting new ministries. God of grace, hear our prayer.
Renewing God, the saints who have gone before us witnessed to the ways you transform your church and people. We give thanks for their example and pray we carry it forward. God of grace, hear our prayer.
We entrust our prayers to you, O God, in the sure and certain hope that your promise is revealed among the people.
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 give thanks and praise to you, almighty and merciful God, through our Savior Jesus Christ; who, sharing our life, lived among us to reveal your glory and love, that our darkness should give way to your own brilliant light.
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 I Want to Walk as a Child of the Light (ELW 815)
*PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION
*BLESSING
The Spirit of the triune God bless you with joy, anoint you with compassion, and send you in love. Amen.
* SENDING SONG Alleluia, Song of Gladness (ELW 318)
DISMISSAL - Go in peace. Live in hope. Thanks be to God.
The Eternal Candle is sponsored for the month of March by the Shortt family in memory of Beatrice and Edwin Shortt.
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 (February)
CURRENT
Budgeted costs per month $ 7,263.55
Offering last month $ 4,483.14
Budget required to date (2 months) $.. 14,527.10
Total received to date $ 9,370.28
MISSION SUPPORT
Budget required to date (2 months) $ 4,800.00
Total received to date $ 700.44
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.
