VERDUGO COMMUNITY CHURCH WORSHIP SERVICE DECEMBER 8, 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 111. Then he and Pastor Gail light the second Advent candle, the Candle of Faith. Albert Ramseyer gives our 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.

 

In her sermon, “Prepare to Be Agents of Abounding Insight,” Pastor Gail continues our celebration of Advent by reminding us that it is a time when we should reflect on how much the coming of Jesus and his promised return demonstrate the depth of the love God has for us. God’s overflowing love is for everyone, even those who reject him or hate him, and is our model as his agents of love. Jesus washed the feet of Judas and shared the bread of the last supper with him. Confronted with those we do not care for, we should show the same type of love. James and Paul challenge us to grow in spiritual wisdom and insight so that our moral conscience lines up more and more with the way God views us and our world. This includes practicing spiritual disciplines that teach us true self denial so that we are open to God’s leading. Christianity is not all about us and our gaining heaven. Opening our hearts to receive and give love prepares us to be used in the world to bring heaven to earth in the here and now!

 

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.