Call to Worship - You are invited to light a candle in your home to welcome the presence of the Holy Spirit
Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus - El Dorado
Passing of the Peace: Through the act of passing the peace of Christ, we offer our sincere desire to love our neighbor.
You are invited to greet one another in the live stream chat on Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
DISCIPLE 2 BIBLE STUDY: Mondays at 5:30 PM via Zoom
Classes will resume January 10, 2022
January 10: Chapter 24 - Sent as Witnesses
Day 1: Luke 19:28-48 - Palm Sunday
Day 2: Luke 20-21 - Teaching in the Temple
Day 3: Luke 22 - Betrayal, Passover Meal, the Garden, Arrest and Trial
Day 4: Luke 23 - Crucifixion and Burial
Day 5: Luke 24 - Resurrection and Empty Tomb, Emmaus Road, the Great Command
Day 6: Study Manual, p. 184-19
ADVENT SERMON SERIES: November 28-Jan 2
A Season of Fulfilled Promises:
NOV. 28: JUSTICE & RIGHTEOUSNESS
DEC. 5: PREPARED & UNREADY
DEC. 12: REPENT & REJOICE
DEC. 19: BLESSINGS WHICH AREN'T
DEC. 24: PROMISE FULFILLED - 5:30PM - IN PERSON WORSHIP!
DEC. 26: SABBATH SUNDAY
JAN. 2: EPIPHANY SUNDAY
EL DORADO - SONGS OF THE SEASON
Enjoy the music of our own El Dorado this season here!
VENMO: You can find us here: https://venmo.com/LAFirstUMC
PAYPAL: https://paypal.me/LAFirstUMC
SQUARE: https://checkout.square.site/pay/be673aef7fcb424e98387016d184e57d
UNITED METHODIST RESOURCES:
ADVENT PHOTO A DAY 2021:
The United Methodist Church offers a practice for the Advent season that we hope is more meaningful and rewarding than it is hard: Our Advent Photo-a-Day Challenge. Each day during the season of Advent, we'll post a word for reflection. Take a moment (or several moments) of pause and reflection, then share a response to that word through a picture posted on social media. Post your picture on social media with #RethinkChurch.
You can find 2020’s Advent Song a Day Playlist here.
ADVENT 2021 Song-A-Day Playlist:
November 28 - PROMISE: A Change is Gonna Come - Sam Cooke
29 - FULFILL: Every Valley Shall Be Exalted - Handel’s Messiah: A Soulful Celebration, Lizz Lee, Chris Willis, Mike E.
30 - TIME: What Christmas Means to Me - John Legend, Stevie Wonder
December 1 - JUSTICE: O Holy Night, Brandi Carlile (additionally, Tracy Chapman)2 - RIGHTEOUSNESS: New Compassion - HAERTS
3 - LIVE: Nutcracker Suite: Sugar Rum Cherry (Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy) - Duke Ellington, Harmonie Ensemble
4 - CALLED: Christmas Is - Dolly Parton & Miley Cyrus
5 - HOPE: And He Shall Purify - Handel’s Messiah: A Soulful Celebration, Tramaine Hawkins
6 - MESSENGER: Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus - Christy Nockels
7 - PREPARE: People, Get Ready - Eva Cassidy
8 - SEEK: O Come, All Ye Faithful - Nat King Cole
9 - DELIGHT: Hallelujah - HAIM
10 - ENDURE: There’s Still My Joy - Indigo Girls
11 - OFFERING: In the Bleak Midwinter - Indigo Girls
12 - HOME: Home - Michelle Malone
13 - FEAR
14 - GROW
15 - GLADNESS
16 - VICTORY
17 - RENEW
18 - GATHER
19 - GREAT
20 - WATCH
21 - AWE
22 - AMAZED
23 - TREASURED
24 - SEEN
25 - WORSHIP
*Hospitality Representatives Needed for Our Potentially In Person Christmas Eve Service*
As you may have heard the past two Sundays from Senior Pastor Mandy, we have been planning and preparing to have an in-person service, hopefully, on Christmas Eve at 5:30pm at our home base, our beloved parking lot. In order to make that possible, we are looking for volunteers for our new Hospitality Representatives Team. In order to make sure that all are kept safe under Covid protocols, we will need more hands on deck to greet and guide members and guests so that Mandy and El Dorado and Debbie can focus on the efforts of setting up and running the service. If you think you would be great at this vital new role, please email Debbie at debbie@lafirstumc.org
Advent-Themed Online Game Available!
An online United Methodist congregation, has developed a choose-your-own-adventure game that can be played on desktop or mobile browsers. In "Not Another Advent Story," players will control the journey of "MC" as they try to make their way to church on Christmas Eve. Find it here!
Community Resources:
A Holiday Called Home: A Skid Row Community Celebration
Dec 12th- 12-4pm
Free food, open mic, arts workshops, and more! (Our very own UMW donated the hygiene kits that will also be available.)
LAPD Central Division Annual Toy Drive
Join LAPD Central Division for their annual toy drive to benefit underprivileged children in Downtown LA. Please donate a new toy that will help make the holidays special for a deserving child. November 29th through December 18th, you can drop off unwrapped toys at our South Park BID office located at 1150-B S Hope St, during business hours.
COVID Testing:
You can get your digital vaccination record: myvaccinerecord.cdph.ca.gov
healthvana.com or carbonhealth.com
LA City is now offering free testing, without appointments at City-run sites. Find a site near you: Coronavirus.LACity.org/Testing. For additional COVID-19 resources: Coronavirus.LACity.org/Resources
Vaccines:
In case you missed it: Pfizer's #COVID19 vaccine is approved for kids 5-11!! Children may now get vaccinated at select, walk-up clinics county-wide. Please call ahead to check availability. Visit vaccinatelacounty.com for info or talk to your child’s doctor
All COVID-19 vaccines are now approved for boosters - Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson. People may also receive booster doses that are different than their original vaccine. For more info and to make an appointment, visit bit.ly/3m3Uspo--
CVS is already prepared to administer boosters. You can make an appointment for the booster of your choice at https://www.cvs.com/vaccine/intake/store/covid-screener/covid-qns
Vaccine requirements are in effect, LA County is providing mobile vaccinations, testing vendors, as well as a toolkit for owners of bars and businesses that serve alcohol, as well as for those running mega events. For more info visit, ph.lacounty.gov/coronavirus
California residents can now request in-home vaccinations and/or transit assistance to get vaccinated by registering at MyTurn.ca.gov or by calling the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) COVID-19 Call Center at 1-833-422-4255.
Everyone 12 years and older in LA County is now eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Children 12-17 are only eligible to receive the Pfizer vaccine—to find a location near you, visit bit.ly/PfizerSites. Learn more about the vaccines at vaccinatelacounty.com.
Need a ride? Uber and Lyft are providing free rides to and from vaccination sites. Don't have the apps? Call 833-540-0473 to book your ride.
There are several vaccine sites set up by Carbon Health that you can check: https://carbonhealth.com/
LA County: http://www.publichealth.lacounty.gov/media/Coronavirus/vaccine/index.htm
Orange County residents and workers: Register for a vaccination appointment at https://othena.com
ADVENT WREATH LIGHTING: Week 3 – Lee Kucera & Elaine Livingston
Watch and wait for Christ’s coming!
We light candles of hope, peace, joy, and love, remembering the promises of God with prayer.
Hear these words from the prophet Zephaniah: (Zephaniah 3:14-15a, 17b-18a, 20, NRSV)
Sing aloud, O daughter Zion; shout, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter Jerusalem! The LORD has taken away the judgments against you, he has turned away your enemies. The king of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst; he will rejoice over you with gladness, he will renew you in his love; he will exult over you with loud singing as on a day of festival. At that time I will bring you home, at the time when I gather you; for I will make you renowned and praised among all the peoples of the earth, when I restore your fortunes before your eyes, says the LORD.
We light this candle in hope. (Light the first candle.)
We light this candle in peace. (Light the second candle.)
We light this candle in joy. (Light the pink candle.)
Let us pray… God of compassion, you come to us time and time again. As we await your coming into the world as the Christ, we are filled with your hope, your peace, and your joy. Help us to bring such joy to all we encounter this week. Amen.
Verse 3 of O Come, O Come, Emmanuel
Joys and Concerns: We believe that the best way to bear our burdens is to share them with one another. You are invited to share your joys and concerns so that our community can hold these things in our hearts as we lift them to God together.
You are invited to share your prayers in the Facebook Live Chat, or on the YouTube Live chat.
Scripture: Luke 3:7-18, NRSV
John said to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, ‘You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruits worthy of repentance. Do not begin to say to yourselves, “We have Abraham as our ancestor”; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. Even now the axe is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.’
And the crowds asked him, ‘What then should we do?’ In reply he said to them, ‘Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise.’ Even tax-collectors came to be baptized, and they asked him, ‘Teacher, what should we do?’ He said to them, ‘Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you.’ Soldiers also asked him, ‘And we, what should we do?’ He said to them, ‘Do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages.’
As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, John answered all of them by saying, ‘I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing-fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing-floor and to gather the wheat into his granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.’ So, with many other exhortations, he proclaimed the good news to the people.
One: This is the Word of God for us, the people of God.
All: Thanks be to God!
Sermon: ADVENT III: A SEASON OF FULFILLED PROMISES: Repent & Rejoice - Rev. Mandy McDow
HOLY COMMUNION
Invitation to the Table: As we understand the Body of Christ to be inclusive, we understand God’s table of grace and fellowship can extend into our homes. As you’re able, bring your own elements to this time. Bread, Juice, Coffee, Muffins… the Body of Christ is comprised of wonder and mystery. Today, we celebrate that God can reach us where we are, even if we are not together.
The Great Mystery of our Faith
All: Christ has died
Christ is risen.
Christ will come again.
The Lord’s PrayerOur Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name,
thy kingdom come, thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.
MUSIC DURING COMMUNION: Hark! The Herald Angels Sing - El Dorado
Benediction Remember:
God is with you,
God is for you,
God refuses to be God without you.
And may all of God’s people say: Amen.
Virtual Coffee Hour Begins now!
Immediately following worship on Zoom