VERDUGO COMMUNITY CHURCH WORSHIP SERVICE DECEMBER 1, 2024

We begin our service with Pastor Gail Linstrom welcoming all to worship and to participate in the life of our church family. Dale Reynolds calls us to worship reading from Psalm 130 and Isaiah 9. Pastor Gail and Dale then light the first Advent candle, the Candle of Hope. Michael Blanco gives our opening prayer. Joletta Sells leads 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.

 

In her sermon, “Prepare to Be Agents of Overflowing Love,” Pastor Gail begins our celebration of Advent by reminding us that it is meant to be a season of reflection and commitment to God. The coming of Jesus as a baby was foretold by the prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah, and we celebrate that today, while also waiting for his return. It is a time of the year when many of us are mindful of being with family, attending church, and helping those in need. These are good acts, but as John Wesley noted, we need to go beyond being superficial “almost” Christians to truly commit ourselves to follow God and become “authentic” Christians. We are sent by Jesus to the world around us to show the way to the Kingdom of God in deeds and words. As we begin our Advent journey, we need to ask ourselves if we have made progress in our faith this year. As Paul said in his first letter to the Thessalonians, if our faith continues to grow, we will be overflowing with love for God and each other. Opening our hearts to receive and give love prepares us to be used in the world.

 

Verdugo makes its Sunday sermons and select worship services available to you on Facebook at https://facebook.com/verdugochurch 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 song titles, lyrics, and music are used with permission. 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.