VERDUGO COMMUNITY CHURCH WORSHIP SERVICE FEBRUARY 23, 2025

We begin our service with Pastor Gail Linstrom welcoming all to worship and to participate in the life of our church family. Pastor Gail calls us to worship, and Dale Reynolds centers our thoughts with a reading from Psalm 96. Luisa Fernandez opens us in prayer. Nick Baltazar leads us in our praise singing. Greg Hart takes up the praises and concerns of the church, our city, and our world in the Prayers of the People. Chaplain David Saltzman leads us in Communion, and you are invited to participate.

 

In her sermon Pastor Gail uses the ancient tradition of Lectio Divina to explore the story of the Good Samaritan found in Luke 10. In a Lectio, the scripture is read by different voices and then prayerfully reflected on. In this story Jesus answers the question of who is the neighbor that we should love as ourselves. Jesus wants us to look beyond our formulations of faith to show true love and compassion to others. On the road to Jericho, two Jewish priests passed by the injured man, but it was it was the Samaritan who showed the victim mercy and took steps to give him loving support and care. We need to demonstrate the same love for every “neighbor” and situation that God sends our way.

 

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 2025 by Verdugo Community Church. Sermon copyright 2025 by Gail Whitcome Linstrom and Verdugo Community Church.