INTRODUCTION
Though Jesus was a devout Jew who practiced his faith, he was criticized for eating with tax collectors and sinners—the religiously nonobservant. Jesus criticizes the self-righteous and reminds us that mercy is to be at the heart of our religious practices. God continues to be made known in those on the margins of society, like Matthew the tax collector and the hemorrhaging woman. As we gather each Lord’s day we receive the healing that makes us well and sends us forth to be signs of God’s mercy for the world.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
* CONFESSION AND FORGIVENESS
In the name of the Father,
and of the Son,
and of the 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 sin in the presence of God and of one another.
Most merciful God,
we confess that we are captive to sin and cannot free ourselves. We have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. For the sake of your Son, Jesus Christ, have mercy on us. Forgive us, renew us, and lead us, so that we may delight in your will and walk in your ways, to the glory of your holy name. 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. As a called and ordained minister of the church of Christ, and by his authority, I therefore declare to you the entire forgiveness of all your sins, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
* PRAYER OF THE DAY
O God, you are the source of life and the ground of our being. By the power of your Spirit bring healing to this wounded world, and raise us to the new life of your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
* GATHERING SONG Morning Has Broken (ELW 556)
FIRST READING: Hosea 5:15—6:6
A reading from Hosea.
15I will return again to my place
until they acknowledge their guilt and seek my face.
In their distress they will beg my favor:
6:1“Come, let us return to the LORD,
for it is he who has torn, and he will heal us;
he has struck down, and he will bind us up.
2After two days he will revive us;
on the third day he will raise us up,
that we may live before him.
3Let us know, let us press on to know the LORD;
his appearing is as sure as the dawn;
he will come to us like the showers,
like the spring rains that water the earth.”
4What shall I do with you, O Ephraim
What shall I do with you, O Judah
Your love is like a morning cloud,
like the dew that goes away early.
5Therefore I have hewn them by the prophets;
I have killed them by the words of my mouth,
and my judgment goes forth as the light.
6For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice,
the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.
PSALM: Psalm 50:7-15
7“Listen, my people, and I will speak: Israel, I will bear wit- | ness against you;
for I am | God, your God.
8I do not accuse you because | of your sacrifices;
your burnt offerings are al- | ways before me.
9I will not accept a calf | from your stalls,
nor goats | from your pens;
10for all the wild animals of the for- | est are mine,
the cattle on a | thousand hills. R
11I know every bird | of the mountains,
and the creatures of the | fields are mine.
12If I were hungry, I | would not tell you,
for the whole world is mine and all | that is in it.
13Do you think I eat the | flesh of bulls,
or drink the | blood of goats
14Offer to God a sacrifice | of thanksgiving
and make good your vows to | the Most High.
15Call upon me in the | day of trouble;
I will deliver you, and you shall | honor me. R
SECOND READING: Romans 4:13-25
A reading from Romans.
13The promise that he would inherit the world did not come to Abraham or to his descendants through the law but through the righteousness of faith. 14For if it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. 15For the law brings wrath, but where there is no law, neither is there transgression.
16For this reason the promise depends on faith, in order that it may rest on grace, so that it may be guaranteed to all his descendants, not only to the adherents of the law but also to those who share the faith of Abraham (who is the father of all of us, 17as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”), in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist. 18Hoping against hope, he believed that he would become “the father of many nations,” according to what was said, “So shall your descendants be.” 19He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was already as good as dead (for he was about a hundred years old), and the barrenness of Sarah’s womb. 20No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, 21being fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. 22Therefore “it was reckoned to him as righteousness.” 23Now the words, “it was reckoned to him,” were written not for his sake alone 24but for ours also. It will be reckoned to us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, 25who was handed over for our trespasses and was raised for our justification.
GOSPEL: Matthew 9:9-13, 18-26
The holy gospel according to Matthew. Glory to you, O Lord.
9As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax-collection station, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he got up and followed him.
10And as he sat at dinner in the house, many tax collectors and sinners came and were sitting with Jesus and his disciples. 11When the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners” 12But when he heard this, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 13Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous but sinners.”
18While he was saying these things to them, suddenly a leader came in and knelt before him, saying, “My daughter has just died, but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live.” 19And Jesus got up and followed him, with his disciples. 20Then suddenly a woman who had been suffering from a flow of blood for twelve years came up behind him and touched the fringe of his cloak, 21for she was saying to herself, “If I only touch his cloak, I will be made well.” 22Jesus turned, and seeing her he said, “Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well.” And the woman was made well from that moment. 23When Jesus came to the leader’s house and saw the flute players and the crowd making a commotion, 24he said, “Go away, for the girl is not dead but sleeping.” And they laughed at him. 25But when the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took her by the hand, and the girl got up. 26And the report of this spread through all of that district.
The gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ.
MEDITATION Pastor Wende Bleam
*HYMN OF THE DAY We Come to You for Healing, Lord (ELW 617)
*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 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 online 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
Gathered together by the Holy Spirit, let us pray for the church and the needs of the world.
God of mercy, you call us to a life filled with acts of mercy. Ground us in following Christ, that we might extend the mercy we receive. God of grace,
hear our prayer.
God of creation, all you have made is yours. Revive lands in need of healing and make us wise stewards of all you have given us to tend. God of grace, hear our prayer.
God of the nations, you promise to deliver those who call on you. Bring an end to conflict, bigotry, and injustice in all their forms wherever they are found. God of grace, hear our prayer.
God of comfort, you provide for those in need. Bring an end to addiction. Comfort people as they mourn. Provide tenderly for those in need. We pray for the Folcroft Police and Fire Company members, Ceasar, Bruce, Paul, Ruth, Deb, Richie, Donna, Carol, Barbara, Dawn, Vince, Danielle, Connor, Bryant, Walt, Lisa, Pastor Wende, Ray, Lillian, Alexis, Martie, Derek, Robert, Sandy, Tonie, Frank, Billy, Buckley, Birtey and those we now raise before you in our hearts. God of grace, hear our prayer.
God of blessings, you send the Holy Spirit to provide varieties of gifts in the body of Christ. Accompany those who travel this summer, make our gatherings joyous, and grant us a spirit of hospitality and togetherness. God of grace, hear our prayer.
God of life, we give you thanks for saints whose lives revealed your faithfulness. May remembering their faithfulness strengthen our own. God of grace, hear our prayer.
Trusting you receive all our prayers, we commend our spoken and unspoken prayers to you, O God, through Jesus 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.
* THE GREAT THANKSGIVING
The Lord be with you. And also with you.
Lift up your hearts. We lift them 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. Fulfilling the promise of the resurrection, you pour out the fire of your Spirit, uniting in one body people of every nation and tongue. And so, with Mary Magdalene and Peter and all the witnesses of the resurrection, with earth and sea and all their creatures, and with angels and archangels, cherubim and seraphim, 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 to the banquet, for all is now ready.
COMMUNION SONG
The body and blood of our Lord, Jesus Christ strengthen you and keep you in his grace. Amen.
*PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION
*BLESSING
Almighty God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, bless you now and forever.
Amen.
* SENDING SONG I'm So Glad Jesus Lifted Me (ELW 860)
DISMISSAL - Go in peace. Share the good news. Thanks be to God.
The ETERNAL CANDLE is sponsored for the month of June in memory of Grammy Entzminger and 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 (May)
CURRENT
Budgeted costs per month $ 7,305.04
Offering last month $ 5,483.14
Budget required to date (5 months) $ 36,525.20
Total received to date $ 24,065.40
MISSION SUPPORT
Budget required to date (5 months) $ 2,000.00
Total received to date $ 1,799.60
Please continue to support St. John's. Our expenses continue each month.
Your offering and tithes may be made online through our website,
stjohnslutheranfolcroft.org or sent by mail to
St. John’s Lutheran Church, 1500 Glen Avenue, Folcroft, PA 19032.
