The Verdugo Community Church’s Podcast

In his sermon, “The New Birth,” Pastor Brian calls us to consider the meeting between Nicodemus and Jesus set out in John 3:1 – 17. Nicodemus represents the established, well off and powerful members of the Sanhedrin. Jesus points out that no one can even see the Kingdom of God unless that have been born of the spirit. This new life is like our original birth in that we have to leave our comfortable surroundings and take an unknown path with pain and uncertainty along the way. Later in John, Nicodemus shows he has begun this new life journey when he openly sides with Jesus before the Sanhedrin and then joins Joseph of Arimethea in preparing Jesus’ body for burial, an act that makes him ritually unclean. We have to commit to taking action ourselves.

 

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 services and sermons at https://verdugochurch.podbean.com. Please note that video copies may be deleted after 90 days under Facebook rules.

 

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 2026 by Verdugo Community Church. Sermon copyright 2025 by Brian Scott and Verdugo Community Church.

 

Pastor Gail Linstrom begins our service by welcoming all to worship and to participate in the life of our church family. Dale Reynolds focuses us with a reading from Psalm 34 and Pastor Gail opens us in prayer and leads us in the Lord’s Prayer. Ed Manacop and Caroline Sandoval lead us in joyous singing. Greg Hart takes up the praises and concerns of our church, our city, and our world in the Prayers of the People. Pastor Brian Scott, from Foothill Community Church, preaches our sermon and concludes our service by leading us in Communion, and you are invited to participate.

 

In his sermon, “The New Birth,” Pastor Brian calls us to consider the meeting between Nicodemus and Jesus set out in John 3:1 – 17. Nicodemus represents the established, well off and powerful members of the Sanhedrin. Jesus points out that no one can even see the Kingdom of God unless that have been born of the spirit. This new life is like our original birth in that we have to leave our comfortable surroundings and take an unknown path with pain and uncertainty along the way. Later in John, Nicodemus shows he has begun this new life journey when he openly sides with Jesus before the Sanhedrin and then joins Joseph of Arimethea in preparing Jesus’ body for burial, an act that makes him ritually unclean. We have to commit to taking action ourselves.

 

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. Please note that video copies may be deleted after 90 days under Facebook rules.

 

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 2026 by Verdugo Community Church. Sermon copyright 2026 by Brian Scott and Verdugo Community Church.

 

Pastor Gail Linstrom begins our service by welcoming all to worship and to participate in the life of our church family. Dale Reynolds focuses us with the Opening Reading from Psalm 18. Luisa Fernandez leads us in an opening prayer. Kristina James and Ed Manacop lead us in joyous singing. Greg Hart takes up the praises and concerns of our church, our city, and our world in the Prayers of the People. Pastor Gail concludes our service by leading us in Communion, and you are invited to participate.

 

Today Pastor Gail leads the congregation in a Lectio Divina (a “Divine Reading”) of Matthew 4:1 – 11, known as the Temptation of Jesus. The text is read by both women and men, and after each section there is a time of meditation and sometimes a song of response. Michelle Hensley, Luisa Fernandez, Albert Ramseyer and Greg Hart are the readers. Each of us is challenged to put ourselves in the story with Jesus, and to be open to what God wants us to understand about our relationship to him.

 

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. Please note that video copies may be deleted after 90 days under Facebook rules.

 

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 2026 by Verdugo Community Church.

In his sermon, “Let the River Flow,” Chaplain David Saltzman focuses on Jesus declaration in John 7 that with the help of the Holy Spirit rivers of living water will flow through the believers heart. Without flowing water, nature becomes a sterile desert, and if it is not allowed to flow freely, it becomes a sterile artifact like the concreted in Los Angeles River. The good news is that if we allow him, God can use us to spread his love and life through our dry and thirsty 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 services and sermons at https://verdugochurch.podbean.com. Please note that video copies may be deleted after 90 days under Facebook rules.

 

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 2026 by Verdugo Community C

Pastor Gail Linstrom begins our service by welcoming all to worship and to participate in the life of our church family. Dale Reynolds focuses us with the Opening Reading from Psalm 51. Albert Ramseyer leads us in an opening prayer. Ed Manacop leads us in joyous singing. Greg Hart takes up the praises and concerns of our church, our city, and our world in the Prayers of the People. Pastor Gail concludes our service by leading us in Communion, and you are invited to participate.

 

In his sermon, “Let the River Flow,” Chaplain David Saltzman focuses on Jesus declaration in John 7 that with the help of the Holy Spirit rivers of living water will flow through the believers heart. Without flowing water, nature becomes a sterile desert, and if it is not allowed to flow freely, it becomes a sterile artifact like the concreted in Los Angeles River. The good news is that if we allow him, God can use us to spread his love and life through our dry and thirsty 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. Please note that video copies may be deleted after 90 days under Facebook rules.

 

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 2026 by Verdugo Community Church. Sermon copyright 2025 by David Satlzman and Verdugo Community Church.

In her sermon, “Wise Ones Seek the Light,” Pastor Gail looks at the prophecies in Isaiah to set the context of the story in Matthew 2 of the Magi following a star to find and worship Jesus. God, through Isaiah, had promised that when the Messiah came the darkness would flee. The Magi recognized that the true King of the Jews was being born and followed the guiding them first to Jerusalem and then to Bethlehem. When they found Jesus, they recognized who he was and worshipped him. Then after freely sharing their wealth, they followed God’s instructions to return by a different route to avoid King Herod. As we seek to come closer to Jesus, we must follow the light of scripture and the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and like the Magi, worship him and follow God’s directions in our lives.

 

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 services and sermons at https://verdugochurch.podbean.com. Please note that video copies may be deleted after 90 days under Facebook rules.

 

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 20265 by Verdugo Community Church. Sermon copyright 2026by Gail Whitcome Linstrom and Verdugo Community Church.

 

Pastor Gail Linstrom begins our service by welcoming all to worship and to participate in the life of our church family. Dale Reynolds provides the Opening Reading from Psalm 139. Luisa Fernandez offers our Opening Prayer. Kristina James, Ed Manacop, and Caroline Sandoval lead us in joyous singing. Greg Hart takes up the praises and concerns of our church, our city, and our world in the Prayers of the People. Pastor Gail concludes our service by leading us in Communion, and you are invited to participate.

 

In her sermon, “Wise Ones Seek the Light,” Pastor Gail looks at the prophecies in Isaiah to set the context of the story in Matthew 2 of the Magi following a star to find and worship Jesus. God, through Isaiah, had promised that when the Messiah came the darkness would flee. The Magi recognized that the true King of the Jews was being born and followed the guiding them first to Jerusalem and then to Bethlehem. When they found Jesus, they recognized who he was and worshipped him. Then after freely sharing their wealth, they followed God’s instructions to return by a different route to avoid King Herod. As we seek to come closer to Jesus, we must follow the light of scripture and the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and like the Magi, worship him and follow God’s directions in our lives.

 

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. Please note that video copies may be deleted after 90 days under Facebook rules.

 

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 2026 by Verdugo Community Church. Sermon copyright 2026 by Gail Whitcome Linstrom and Verdugo Community Church.

In his sermon, “The Magnificat,” Pastor Daniel Whipple from Rose City church focuses on Mary’s song of praise to God found in Luke 1, known as the Magnificat. In it we see Mary putting together her understanding of what it will mean to have Jesus. Unlike with other children, she has been told what Jesus will become, that he is Son of God. However, unlike other sons, he will not grow up to be a different person than his father. So Mary’s knowledge of God, based on scripture and growing up in her faith, means she knows who Jesus will be. She knows that God both wants a personal relationship with us and wants us to work for the betterment of others and the world he created. This is the good news, the gospel, that Mary celebrates in her song.

 

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 services and sermons at https://verdugochurch.podbean.com. Please note that video copies may be deleted after 90 days under Facebook rules.

 

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 Daniel Whipple and Verdugo Community Church.

Pastor Gail Linstrom begins our service by welcoming all to worship and to participate in the life of our church family. Dale Reynolds provides the Opening Reading from Isaiah 35. Pastor Gail and Luisa Fernandez lead a responsive lighting of the third Advent candle, and Luisa then offers our Opening prayer. Kristina James, Ed Manacop, and Caroline Sandoval lead us in joyous singing. Albert Ramseyer takes up the praises and concerns of our church, our city, and our world in the Prayers of the People. Pastor Gail concludes our service by leading us in Communion, and you are invited to participate.

 

In his sermon, “The Magnificat,” Pastor Daniel Whipple from Rose City church focuses on Mary’s song of praise to God found in Luke 1, known as the Magnificat. In it we see Mary putting together her understanding of what it will mean to have Jesus. Unlike with other children, she has been told what Jesus will become, that he is Son of God. However, unlike other sons, he will not grow up to be a different person than his father. So Mary’s knowledge of God, based on scripture and growing up in her faith, means she knows who Jesus will be. She knows that God both wants a personal relationship with us and wants us to work for the betterment of others and the world he created. This is the good news, the gospel, that Mary celebrates in her song.

 

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. Please note that video copies may be deleted after 90 days under Facebook rules.

 

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 Daniel Whipple and Verdugo Community Church.

In his sermon, “New Peace,” Chaplain David Saltzman uses the promise in Isaiah 11 of a time when war and even conflicts between predator and prey are abolished so they live peaceably side by side. This is the starting point to consider what Jesus means when he gives his peace to believers. Unlike the temporary times of peace in human experience, this peace is permanent and brings everything into balance. From our point of view, it is a journey of a lifetime, not an end point. Advent reminds us that Jesus came into the world to bring this peace, and that we are to work for this peace in everything we do and with everyone we encounter.

 

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 services and sermons at https://verdugochurch.podbean.com. Please note that video copies may be deleted after 90 days under Facebook rules.

 

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 David Satlzman and Verdugo Community Church.