St. John’s is an inclusive congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Worship is central to everything we do. It brings us together in celebration, in understanding each other, in sharing and growing and living our faith. Our styles of worship are diverse, but all are meaningful and moving encounters with God, whose grace is a constant presence in all of our services. Each service, traditional, contemporary or contemplative, reminds always of what God is doing in our lives and what we can do to return God’s love and care.
Advent is Coming! Every Home needs a Yule Log! Come to the St.
John’s Advent Festival on Sunday, December 2, 10:15 am in Oehler
Hall. It’s a long-standing tradition at St. John’s for every home
to have it’s own Yule Log to warm the winter nights and prepare
us for the joy of Christmas. There will be Yule Logs to decorate,
advent crafts and activities, some edible treats, and maybe even
an Advent Sing-along. Don’t miss this special and fun event!
“Joy to the world, the Lord is come!” Brightly wrapped packages,
Christmas trees, holiday parties, unending upbeat carols in
stores, visits from friends and family — and the awed, hushed
joy of welcoming a tiny Infant to our world and our hearts–these
are the images and memories of Christmas most of us celebrate and
treasure. But each year some people – the grieving, the lonely,
the hopeless – dread the approach of the holiday season.
Christmas is a time many travel to be with family,which we all
know is a wonderful thing. However, being away for the Holidays
has one drawback – missing the beautiful Christmas Eve service at
St. John’s. Missing Christmas Eve won’t be a problem this year.
That’s because our first Christmas Eve worship service will be on
December 19 at 7 pm – A Christmas Eve for Travelers – a
candlelight service with carols, choirs & our traveling
members in our pews worshiping the coming of the baby Jesus,
Emmanuel, God with us.
“This is the house of God and it is today dedicated and
consecrated to God’s work.”
Those words were spoken in the new sanctuary of the German
Lutheran Church at 17th and L Streets in Sacramento on October 6,
1912.
Now we are celebrating 100 years in this worship home, a gift
from those who came before us, a gift that remains as a powerful
and dramatic and timeless presence in the heart of a city, a gift
that stands as a reminder that St. John’s is a vibrant urban
church overflowing with the spirit of service and generosity.
We have been welcoming people in Midtown for more than a century.
This fall we mark a century in our current sanctuary with 100
days of festivities.
Join us as we celebrate 100 years at 17th and L Streets.
Have you noticed how many new faces surround you every Sunday at
St. John’s? We are a congregation filled with light and hope and
life — qualities that draw people to our community every week.
But because our staff currently operates at (really mostly
beyond) capacity, we haven’t been able to take full advantage of
this rising tide of interest, and therefore, we miss
opportunities to share the Gospel. We are poised for tremendous
growth and profound outreach into our community, but to make this
happen, St.
St. John’s is an inclusive congregation of the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Worship is central to
everything we do. It brings us together in celebration, in
understanding each other, in sharing and growing and living our
faith. Our styles of worship are diverse, but all are meaningful
and moving encounters with God, whose grace is a constant
presence in all of our services. Each service, traditional,
contemporary or contemplative, reminds always of what God is
doing in our lives and what we can do to return God’s love and
care.
Through baptism, we witness the joy of new life within the
church, trusting that God is genuinely present. In baptism, we
are cleansed by water and with the word of God that promises
grace and forgiveness.
For a half century, young people have served in worship through
the Order of St. John. They have been acolytes, crucifers,
torchbearers, and banner bearers, providing life and energy and
promise to our worship experience.
Adult mentors and high school leaders, as well as an in-depth
training program, provide the support, structure and instructions
that allow our youth to serve confidently and graciously. If you
are Junior High or High School age, this is one place for you to
actively participate as a leader in worship.
At St. John’s, we begin our Sunday morning worship in a quiet,
contemplative manner.
God calls us together in worship and speaks to us through
silence, prayers, the readings of the Good News, through the
sermons, and contemplative music. God nourishes us with a meal of
bread and wine, the Holy Eucharist, and then we are sent out to
live and share God’s love in the world that rests beyond the
walls of our sanctuary
At St. John’s, we know how to do the traditional high mass
service, and we do it every Sunday morning.
God calls us together in worship and speaks to us through the
readings of the Good News, through the sermons, the prayers and
the music and the singing that fills the air, the sharing of
peace. God nourishes us with a meal of bread and wine, the Holy
Eucharist, and then we are sent out to live and share God’s love
in the world that rests beyond the walls of our sanctuary.
This worship service uses a variety of contemporary liturgical
sources. While still following liturgical forms, the music is led
by piano, guitar, percussion and worship leaders. Each week we
are nourished by God through the Holy Eucharist of bread and
wine. The worship always sends us out to live God’s love in the
world that rests beyond the walls of our sanctuary.
Each year we offer the challenge of taking on the spiritual
practices of study and prayer during the season of Lent. This
year our devotional is completely online. You will be encouraged
to use your copy of Bread for the Day (which can be picked up in
the church office) each day for scripture readings and prayers.
Additionally, sign up for our devotional email blast, and
you’ll get other stories of faith and reflections each week.
We wish you a Lenten season of quiet listening — listening to
the Scriptures, to stories of faith, and to God in your life.
Blessings.
At St. John’s, we believe, as all Lutherans do, that worship is
the center of how we come together and that in worship we are all
drawn into God’s saving story, and that children of all ages are
welcome.
But because we recognize that this isn’t practical for every
family, our nursery is available on Sunday mornings (9 am – 1
pm), Sunday evenings, and during various church activities.
Children ages 6 weeks to 4 years old are welcome to come and play
and to be cared for.
Take a look at the announcements page for this week. These
documents are in pdf format and you must have Adobe Reader to
view them. Download a free copy of Adobe Reader
here.
