St. John’s Lutheran Church, Folcroft
Worship Service February 28, 2021
https://stjohnslutheranfolcroft.org
WELCOME AND ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Events for this week are:
Tuesday 7pm Zoom - Finance Meeting
Wednesday 7pm Zoom, etc - Midweek Lenten Worship
PRELUDE: Prelude on Rockingham Harmon
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.
O God, by the passion of your blessed Son you made an instrument of shameful death to be for us the means of life. Grant us so to glory in the cross of Christ that we may gladly suffer shame and loss for the sake of your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
GATHERING HYMN: O God, My Faithful God (ELW 806) VS 1 & 4
FIRST READING: Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16
1When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said to him, “I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless. 2And I will make my covenant between me and you, and will make you exceedingly numerous.” 3Then Abram fell on his face; and God said to him, 4“As for me, this is my covenant with you: You shall be the ancestor of a multitude of nations. 5No longer shall your name be Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you the ancestor of a multitude of nations. 6I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. 7I will establish my covenant between me and you, and your offspring after you throughout their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you.”
15God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. 16I will bless her, and moreover I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she shall give rise to nations; kings of peoples shall come from her.”
PSALM: Psalm 22:23-31
23You who fear the LORD, give praise! All you of Jacob’s line, give glory.
Stand in awe of the LORD, all you off spring of Israel.
24For the LORD does not despise nor abhor the poor in their poverty; neither is the LORD‘s face hidden from them;
but when they cry out, the LORD hears them.
25From you comes my praise in the great assembly;
I will perform my vows in the sight of those who fear the LORD.
26The poor shall eat and be satisfied,
Let those who seek the LORD give praise! May your hearts live forever!
27All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the LORD;
all the families of nations shall bow before God.
28For dominion belongs to the LORD,
who rules over the nations.
29Indeed, all who sleep in the earth shall bow down in worship;
all who go down to the dust, though they be dead, shall kneel before the LORD.
30Their descendants shall | serve the LORD,
whom they shall proclaim to generations to come.
31They shall proclaim God’s deliverance to a people yet unborn,
saying to them, “The LORD has acted!”
SECOND READING: Romans 4:13-25
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. 14If 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 violation.
16For this reason it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his descendants, not only to the adherents of the law but also to those who share the faith of Abraham (for he 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 numerous 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), or when he considered 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 his faith “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 to death for our trespasses and was raised for our justification.
GOSPEL: Mark 8:31-38
The holy gospel according to Mark. Glory to you, O Lord.
31[Jesus] began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.32He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 33But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.”
34He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 35For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. 36For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life 37Indeed, what can they give in return for their life 38Those who are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”
The gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ.
MEDITATION: Pastor Wende L. Bleam
HYMN OF THE DAY God Loved the World (ROCKINGHAM OLD) (ELW 323)
VS 1, 2, & 5
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:
Relying on the promises of God, we pray boldly for the church, the world, and all in need.
Your gift of grace is for all people. Give confident faith to all the baptized, that they may follow you wholeheartedly. Give new believers joy in your promises; give hope and courage to those who suffer for their faith. Hear us, O God. Your mercy is great.
All the ends of the earth worship you. From galaxies to microorganisms, preserve your creation. Teach humanity to wonder at your works and to join you in tending to creation’s well-being. Hear us, O God. Your mercy is great.
You rule over the nations. Raise up advocates for peace and justice within and between nations. Give life where hope seems dead; call into existence new realities we cannot even imagine. Hear us, O God. Your mercy is great.
In Jesus you joined humanity in suffering and death. Reveal to all the depth of your love shown on the cross. Accompany all who suffer in body, mind, and spirit. Restore all who are sick or grieving. Bring vindication for victims of injustice, exploitation, and oppression. We especially pray for those affected by the covid virus in mind, body or spirit, for Derek, Morgan, Priscilla, Connie, Pat, Hazel, Bill, Jacklyn, Addison, Joe, Deb, Tim, Ash, Sue, Gavin, Donna, Robert, Alannah, Lillian, Alexis, Sharon, Shane, Tom, Carl, Monica, Tucker, Marc, Alisia, Helen, Lucas, Laura, the Folcroft Police, Michael, Kelly, Rick, Dick, Ruth, and those we now raise before you in our hearts. Hear us, O God. Your mercy is great.
You made Abraham and Sarah the ancestors of a multitude of nations. Bless grandparents, parents, and foster parents, and the children who look to them for care and guidance. Console those who deal with infertility, parents who have entrusted their children to adoption, and children longing to be adopted. Equip ministries and services to families. Hear us, O God. Your mercy is great.
We await the day of Christ’s coming in glory. Lead us by the example of all the saints whom you have called to take up their cross and follow you, that together we may find our lives in you. Hear us, O God. Your mercy is great.
We entrust ourselves and all our prayers to you, O faithful God, through 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:
God the creator strengthen you; Jesus the beloved fill you; and the Holy Spirit the comforter keep you in peace. Amen.
SENDING SONG Let Us Ever Walk with Jesus (ELW 802) VS 1 & 2
DISMISSAL Go in peace. Share the good news. Thanks be to God.
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 C (Colborn)
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 (January)
CURRENT
Budgeted costs per month $ 9,041.09
Offering last month $ 10,408.95
Budget required to date (1 month) $ 9,041.09
Total received to date $ 10,408.95
MISSION SUPPORT
Budget required to date (1 month) $ 500.00
Total received to date $ 510.00
Please continue to support St. John's.
Our expenses continue each month even if we are
not worshipping together inside our building.
