VERDUGO COMMUNITY CHURCH EASTER WORSHIP SERVICE APRIL 7, 2024

We open our service with song. Pastor Gail welcomes all to worship and to participate in the life of our church family. Linda Kozik and Pastor Gail lead us with a reading from Psalm 34 and a responsive Call to Worship. Luisa Fernandez centers us with an opening prayer. Nick Baltazar and Ed Manacop lead us in our praise singing. Greg Hart takes up the praises and concerns of the church and our world in the Prayers of the People.

 

Pastor Gail in her sermon, “Continuing on the Way with Jesus,” invites us into the Easter story from Luke 24 with the experiences of the two followers who encounter Jesus on the road to Emmaus. In response to Jesus’ questions, they relate how Jesus of Nazareth was considered the Messiah, but had been crucified by the authorities. Now three days later there was a rumor that he had been raised from the dead, but they are grieving and doubtful. Jesus responds by teaching that this all was in accordance with the Scriptures concerning the Messiah. He agrees to stay for dinner and when he breaks the bread they suddenly realize it was him, but he disappears. They return to Jerusalem to tell their story to the other followers and share in the news that Jesus is indeed risen from the dead. We are like those followers, living on the other side of the Cross, searching the Scriptures for guidance and sharing our faith with others. As with these travelers, Jesus meets us on the road and travels with us, helping us to find the answers to our questions and doubts, and affirming our relationship to him and others.

 

Verdugo makes its Sunday sermons available to you on Facebook and posts audio copies of the service and sermon at https://verdugochurch.podbean.com.

 

Prayers of the People have been edited to respect the privacy and confidentiality of those participating or mentioned. All CCLI songs are performed under Verdugo Community Church’s CCLI license # 2486815.

 

Verdugo Community Church is a Free Methodist congregation serving the Glassell Park, Eagle Rock, and Glendale areas in Los Angeles. It is located at 4300 Verdugo Road, Los Angeles, CA 90065. Our email address is verdugofmc@gmail.com. Contact Pastor Gail at (323) 500-3343.

 

Worship service copyright 2024 by Verdugo Community Church. Sermon copyright 2024 by Gail Whitcome Linstrom and Verdugo Community Church