1

2580 Mt. Rose Ave., York, PA 17402 (717-840-0382)

www.StJohnYorkPA.com

September 27, 2020 10:00 am

2

COVID-19 Worship Guidelines Welcome to St. John! During these challenging times we have tried to create a worship experience that helps us worship in a safe manner and is considerate and loving of our fellow believers in Christ. We do ask that you adhere to a few guidelines that are in place for your safety as well as the safety of others around you. We ask, regardless of your opinion on these difficult issues, to follow the guidelines listed below:

• Please use hand sanitizer when entering the building.

• Please wear a mask for your safety and others.

• Please stay socially distanced in your selection of seating and please allow room for others who arrive later, by moving toward the middle section of the pew.

• We ask that you don’t sing, but hum or mouth the words as they are sung by our music leaders. If you do want to sing, please wear your mask in consideration of others.

• For Holy Communion make sure your used all-in-one communion cup and any other trash is placed in your baggies and discarded in the trash can when you exit the building.

• Please adhere to our exit strategy below:

Front of Sanctuary

Exit Here (First 4 rows)

Exit Here (First 3 rows)

(Last 4 rows) Exit Here

(Last 4 rows) Exit Here

Back of Sanctuary

To Overhang Area

Thank you for following these simple guidelines. We appreciate your understanding and your consideration of others as we navigate through these trying and difficult times.

If You Are a Visitor: We thank you for worshipping with us today! If you would like to be part of our daily distribution of

devotions and prayers from our Elders, please fill out the form at the back of this bulletin and leave

it on your seat. If you do not have a writing implement available, we do have some pencils located

on a table in the Narthex. You can fill the form out there and place it in the basket when complete.

Thank you and you are always free to speak to the Pastor after the service or you can email him any

questions you may have considering the ministry of St. John at pstrcosgrove@comcast.net

OUR MISSION STATEMENT

“St. John will do whatever it takes for the sake of God’s Kingdom.”

We accomplish this by: RELY(ing) on God; RELATE (ing) to each other as Christ taught;

RESPOND (ing) to His grace with the help of the Holy Spirit

To Parking Lot Entrance

3

SEVENTEENTH SUNDAY

AFTER PENTECOST September 27, 2020

10:00 am

PRELUDE

WELCOME AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

PREPARATION

Congregation Stands

OPENING SONG “Blessed Assurance” (words on screen)

INVOCATION

P In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. C Amen. OPENING SENTENCES

P The LORD lifts up the humble; C He casts the wicked to the ground. P Remember Your mercy, O LORD, and Your steadfast love C for they have been from of old. P Remember not the sins of my youth or my transgressions; C according to Your steadfast love, remember me, for the sake of Your

goodness, O LORD!

4

CONFESSION AND ABSOLUTION

P O almighty God, merciful Father, C I, a poor, miserable sinner, confess unto You all my sins and iniquities with

which I have ever offended You and justly deserved Your temporal and eternal punishment. But I am heartily sorry for them and sincerely repent of them, and I pray You of Your boundless mercy and for the sake of the holy, innocent, bitter sufferings and death of Your beloved Son, Jesus Christ, to be gracious and merciful to me, a poor, sinful being.

P Upon this your confession, I, by virtue of my office, as a called and ordained servant of the Word, announce the grace of God unto all of you, and in the stead and by the command of my Lord Jesus Christ I therefore declare to you the forgiveness of all your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

C Amen. P May the Lord, who has begun this good work in us, bring it to completion in the

day of our Lord Jesus Christ. The peace of the Lord be with you. C And also with you.

WORD

PRAYER OF THE DAY

P The Lord be with you. C And also with you.

P Let us pray. Almighty God, You exalted Your Son to the place of all honor and authority. Enlighten our minds by Your Holy Spirit that, confessing Jesus as Lord, we may be led into all truth; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

C Amen. Congregation Is Seated

OLD TESTAMENT READING Ezekiel 18:1-4, 25-32 1The word of the LORD came to me: 2“What do you mean by repeating this proverb

concerning the land of Israel, ‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge’? 3As I live, declares the Lord GOD, this proverb shall no more be used by you in Israel. 4Behold, all souls are mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is mine: the soul who sins shall die. 25“Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ Hear now, O house of Israel: Is my way not just? Is it not your ways that are not just? 26When a righteous person turns away

5

from his righteousness and does injustice, he shall die for it; for the injustice that he has done he shall die. 27Again, when a wicked person turns away from the wickedness he has committed and does what is just and right, he shall save his life. 28Because he considered and turned away from all the transgressions that he had committed, he shall surely live; he shall not die. 29Yet the house of Israel says, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ O house of Israel, are my ways not just? Is it not your ways that are not just? 30“Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, declares the Lord GOD. Repent and turn from all your transgressions, lest iniquity be your ruin. 31Cast away from you all the transgressions that you have committed, and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! Why will you die, O house of Israel? 32For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Lord GOD; so turn, and live.”

EPISTLE Romans 15:1-13

1We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. 2Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. 3For Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me.” 4For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. 5May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, 6that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 7Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God. 8For I tell you that Christ became a servant to the circumcised to show God’s truthfulness, in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, 9and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written, “Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles, and sing to your name.” 10And again it is said, “Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people.” 11And again, “Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and let all the peoples extol him.” 12And again Isaiah says, “The root of Jesse will come, even he who arises to rule the Gentiles; in him will the Gentiles hope.” 13May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

L This is the Word of the Lord. C Thanks be to God.

6

Congregation Stands

P The Holy Gospel according to St. John, the sixteenth chapter. C Glory to You, O Lord.

HOLY GOSPEL John 16:16-24

16“A little while, and you will see me no longer; and again a little while, and you will see me.” 17So some of his disciples said to one another, “What is this that he says to us, ‘A little while, and you will not see me, and again a little while, and you will see me’; and, ‘because I am going to the Father’?” 18So they were saying, “What does he mean by ‘a little while’? We do not know what he is talking about.” 19Jesus knew that they wanted to ask him, so he said to them, “Is this what you are asking yourselves, what I meant by saying, ‘A little while and you will not see me, and again a little while and you will see me’? 20Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy. 21When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come, but when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. 22So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you. 23In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. 24Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.

P This is the Gospel of the Lord. C Praise to You, O Christ. APOSTLES' CREED

C I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth. And in Jesus Christ, His 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 into hell. The third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.

7

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life T everlasting. Amen.

Congregation is Seated

HYMN “Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee” #803, vs 1-3

MESSAGE Welcoming Spirit

8

HYMN “Lord of All Hopefulness” #738, vs 1-2, 4

PRAYER OF THE CHURCH

LORD’S SUPPER PREFACE

P The Lord be with you. C And also with you. P Lift up your hearts. C We lift them to the Lord. P Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. C It is right to give Him thanks and praise.

9

THE WORDS OF OUR LORD PROCLAMATION OF CHRIST

P As often as we eat this bread and drink this cup, we proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.

C Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. P Preserve among us, Father, the preaching of Your Word and the Sacraments

Christ has established that we rejoice and hold fast to Your promise of eternal life. Grant to us Your Holy Spirit so that we be delivered from all our enemies and kept in Your protective care. Help us to follow the example of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, walking in His ways by faith, and showing forth in our lives the good works that glorify You, until at last we possess the kingdom You have prepared for us in heaven, where You live and reign, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, one God, now and forevermore.

C Amen. P Lord, lead us into Your kingdom and teach us to pray: LORD'S PRAYER

C 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 OF THE LORD P The peace of the Lord be with you always. C And also with you. Congregation is Seated

AGNUS DEI

10

As the Pastor leads you, reveal each portion of the communion cup and partake of God’s grace and forgiveness to you.

WE DEPART IN PEACE Congregation Stands

BENEDICTION

CLOSING SONG “In Christ Alone” (words on screen)

DISMISSAL P The worship is ended. C The service now begins. P As we enter the mission field, Relying, Relating, and Responding. C Let us do whatever it takes for the sake of God’s kingdom. Thanks be to

God! POSTLUDE “Joy” Creative Worship for the Lutheran Parish, Series A, Quarter 3. Copyright © 2020 Concordia Publishing House. All rights reserved. Used by permission. © Oxford University Press. Used by permission: , no. 809822. Public domain

11

Pastor: Tab E. Cosgrove Director of Spiritual Growth (DSG): Denise Wright Audio/Visual Specialist: Mike Pearl Parish Administrator: Sherry Gable DSG Ministry Assistant: Chris Hanes Music: Brooke LaNasa

12

A note to our visitors:

If you would like to receive our church congregational emails, please provide the information below, tear off this page, and place it in the offering bin or leave it on the pew bench.

(please print)

Name:____________________________________________________________ Address:__________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ Phone:___________________________________________________________ Email:____________________________________________________________ Visit our website at: http://stjohnyorkpa.com/