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St. John's Worship Service - October 18, 2020
Pastor Patty Rich
Pastor Patty Rich
Sunday, October 18, 2020
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St. John’s Lutheran Church, Folcroft
Worship Service October 18, 2020

https://stjohnslutheranfolcroft.org

WELCOME AND ANNOUNCEMENTS:


PRELUDE:  Invocation   (Kullak),   Rick Vanstone, violin


CONFESSION AND FORGIVENESS

We begin in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.

God of all mercy and consolation, come to the help of your people, turning us from our sin to live for you alone. Give us the power of your Holy Spirit that we may confess our sin, receive your forgiveness, and grow into the fullness of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

Let us confess our sins in the presence of God whose mercy is unending.

Gracious God, have mercy on us. We confess that we have turned from you and given ourselves into the power of sin. We are truly sorry and humbly repent. In your compassion forgive us our sins, known and unknown, things we have done and things we have failed to do. Turn us again to you, and uphold us by your Spirit, so that we may live and serve you in newness of life through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

In the mercy of almighty God, Jesus Christ was given to die for us, and for his sake God forgives us all our sins. By grace you have been saved. In the name of Jesus Christ, your sins are forgiven. Almighty God strengthen you with power through the Holy Spirit, that Christ may live in your hearts through faith. Amen.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you. And also with you:

PRAYER OF THE DAY Let us pray.
Sovereign God, raise your throne in our hearts. Created by you, let us live in your image; created for you, let us act for your glory; redeemed by you, let us give you what is yours, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.
Amen.

GATHERING HYMN: Sing Praise to God, the Highest Good (ELW 871)

FIRST READING: Isaiah 45:1-7
A reading from Isaiah.
1Thus says the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus,
whose right hand I have grasped
to subdue nations before him
and strip kings of their robes,
to open doors before him—
and the gates shall not be closed:
2I will go before you
and level the mountains,
I will break in pieces the doors of bronze
and cut through the bars of iron,
3I will give you the treasures of darkness
and riches hidden in secret places,
so that you may know that it is I, the LORD,
the God of Israel, who call you by your name.
4For the sake of my servant Jacob,
and Israel my chosen,
I call you by your name,
I surname you, though you do not know me.
5I am the LORD, and there is no other;
besides me there is no god.
I arm you, though you do not know me,
6so that they may know, from the rising of the sun
and from the west, that there is no one besides me;
I am the LORD, and there is no other.
7I form light and create darkness,
I make weal and create woe;
I the LORD do all these things.

PSALM: Psalm 96:1-9 [10-13]
1Sing to the LORD| a new song;
sing to the LORD, | all the earth.
2Sing to the LORD, bless the name | of the LORD;
proclaim God’s salvation from | day to day.
3Declare God’s glory among the nations
and God’s wonders among all peoples.
4For great is the LORD and greatly | to be praised,
more to be feared | than all gods. 
5As for all the gods of the nations, they | are but idols;
but you, O LORD, have | made the heavens.
6Majesty and magnificence are | in your presence;
power and splendor are in your | sanctuary.
7Ascribe to the LORD, you families | of the peoples,
ascribe to the LORD honor and power.
8Ascribe to the LORD the honor due the | holy name;
bring offerings and enter the courts | of the LORD.
9Worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness;
tremble before the LORD, | all the earth. 

SECOND READING: 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10
A reading from 1 Thessalonians.
1Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy,
To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:
Grace to you and peace.
2We always give thanks to God for all of you and mention you in our prayers, constantly 3remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. 4For we know, brothers and sisters beloved by God, that he has chosen you, 5because our message of the gospel came to you not in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction; just as you know what kind of persons we proved to be among you for your sake. 6And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for in spite of persecution you received the word with joy inspired by the Holy Spirit, 7so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. 8For the word of the Lord has sounded forth from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but in every place your faith in God has become known, so that we have no need to speak about it. 9For the people of those regions report about us what kind of welcome we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols, to serve a living and true God, 10and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath that is coming.

GOSPEL: Matthew 22:15-22
The holy gospel according to Matthew. Glory to you, O Lord.

15Then the Pharisees went and plotted to entrap [Jesus] in what he said. 16So they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are sincere, and teach the way of God in accordance with truth, and show deference to no one; for you do not regard people with partiality. 17Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not ” 18But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why are you putting me to the test, you hypocrites 19Show me the coin used for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius. 20Then he said to them, “Whose head is this, and whose title ” 21They answered, “The emperor’s.” Then he said to them, “Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” 22When they heard this, they were amazed; and they left him and went away.

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

MEDITATION: Patty Rich

HYMN OF THE DAY O God of Every Nation (ELW 713)

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.

OFFERING

Offerings 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.

PRAYERS OF THE INTERCESSION:

With confidence in God’s grace and mercy, let us pray for the church, the world, and all those in need.

Gracious God, you call us by name and invite us to share your good news. Send your Holy Spirit among preachers, missionaries, and evangelists. We give thanks for the witness of your servant Luke, the evangelist, whom the church commemorates today. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

God of praise, the heavens and all creation declare your salvation. From the rising of the sun to its setting, may the whole universe show forth your goodness. Raise up devoted stewards of all that you have made. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

God of all, may your word of justice sound forth in every place. Restore divided nations and communities with reconciling truth. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

God of light, we pray for those living with pain, illness, isolation, grief, anger, or doubt. Join their voices in a new song, assuring them that you call them each by name. We especially pray for those who are affected by the wild fires in our western states and for the firefighters who are battling the fires, those who are all  affected by the covid virus in mind, body or spirit and for Derek, Morgan, Priscilla, Connie and her family, Lois, Pat, Hazel, Bill, Jacklyn, Addison, Joe, Deb, Tim, Ash, Sue, Gavin, Donna, Robert, Alannah, Lillian, Alexis, Sarah, Bob, Sharon, Shane, Tom, Carl, Cindy, Chrissy, Monica, Norman, Tucker, Marc, Helen, Lucas the Folcroft Police, Holy Spirit Secane, St. Timothy, Aston, and those we now raise before you in our hearts; Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

God of truth, you show no partiality. May your spirit guide the work of justices, magistrates, court officials, and all vocations of the law, that your promise of restoration may be known. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Living God, as you raised Jesus from the dead, so raise up those who have died in you. We give thanks for their witness, confident of your rescuing welcome for all. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Listen as we call on you, O God, and enfold in your loving arms all for whom we pray, in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Gathered into one by the Holy Spirit, let us pray as Jesus taught us.


The Lord’s Prayer:

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: Mothering God, Father,  Son, and Holy Spirit, bless you and lead you into the way of truth and life. Amen.

SENDING SONG You Servants of God (ELW 825)

DISMISSAL: Let the love of Christ shine through all you do and say, serve the Lord. Thanks be to God. Amen

We hope that this service was meaningful for you and brought God’s peace and comfort into your homes. Continue to shelter in place to love others as yourself. Pray, trust, believe and wait. See you next week.

POSTLUDE:   Postlude in G   (Kullak)
You are welcome to watch the live service at 10:15 am at https://www.facebook.com/stjohnslutheranfolcroft
Or you can watch live streaming on the St. John's website:  https://stjohnslutheranfolcroft.org
If you are having trouble accessing, please let us know.


From Sundays and Seasons.com. Copyright 2013 Augsburg Fortress. All rights reserved. Reprinted by permission under Augsburg Fortress Liturgies Annual License #44714. New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.


Our Financial Response (September)

CURRENT
Budgeted costs per month $ 9,021.10
Offering last month $ 4,346.00

Budget required to date (9 months) $ 81,189.82
Total received to date $ 43,063.26

MISSION SUPPORT
Budget required to date (9 months) $ 5,625.00
Total received to date $ 3,974.00


Please continue to support St. John's.
Our expenses continue each month even if we are
not worshipping together inside our building.