Live Stream Worship:
Facebook: Los Angeles First United Methodist Church - Home
Instagram: Los Angeles First UMC (@lafirstumc)
YouTube: Los Angeles First United Methodist Church
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 - Savannah Southern-Smith & Mandy McDow, vocals; Stephen Folds, piano
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:
Stewardship Campaign: Our goal is to raise $20,000/month for payroll, so that we can continue to employ all the people who are working tirelessly to bring the Good News to all who need to hear it. My prayer is that we can raise enough money to cover our church’s payroll over the next three months. This allows the congregation to use any money we have on hand to directly support our ministries.
We have converted our parsonage into a co-housing community, which now has 6 residents living safely and affordably together. We have been able to support people who might not have been able to find sustainable housing in the current market, and we can ensure that they will stay housed during the pandemic. It would be an additional hope to raise $3,000/month to support the utilities and expenses of the co-housing community.
Jubilee Fund: This fund is designated to helping reduce the burden of debt in our community. As we make our way through the pandemic, the economic pressures are going to be challenging. If you feel led, you can now donate through Venmo!
VENMO: You can find us here: https://venmo.com/LAFirstUMC
PAYPAL: https://paypal.me/LAFirstUMC
SQUARE: https://checkout.square.site/pay/be673aef7fcb424e98387016d184e57d
DISCIPLE BIBLE STUDY, Monday, December 21: Week 25 - The Book of Acts
Time: 5:30 - 7:00 PM PST
Join Zoom Meeting: https://zoom.us/j/598868178?pwd=U1B2YjZYWURDRXJXMStKajI3L1RWZz09
Monday, Dec. 21 at 5:30 - Week 25, “Conversion” - The Book of Acts
Monday, Jan 4 at 5:30 - Week 26, “Justified,” - The Book of Romans
Monday, Jan. 11 at 5:30 - Week 27, “Love,” - The Book of 1 Corinthians
Monday, Jan. 25 at 5:30 - Week 28, “Freedom,” - The Book of Galatians
Monday, Feb. 1 at 5:30, Week 29, “Training,” - The Books of 1 & 2 Timothy, Titus
Monday, Feb. 8 at 5:30, Week 30, “Sacrifice,” - The Book of Hebrews
Monday, Feb. 22 at 5:30, Week 31, “Holy,” - The Books of 1 & 2 Peter, Leviticus 11, 19; Isaiah 52-53, 55-56
Monday, March 1 at 5:30, Week 32, “Victory,” The Book of Revelation
Monday, March 8 at 5:30, Week 33, “Ministry,” The gifts of each disciple
Monday, March 15 at 5:30, Week 34, “Remember,” A Last Supper Together (Holy Week)
Upcoming Sermon Series:
December 20: Advent IV: Soon and Very Soon - Cast Down the Mighty, Lift the Lowly, Fill the Hungry, Send the Rich Away Empty - Luke 1:46-55
December 24: Christmas Eve VIrtual Service at 7:30 PM: A Change Is Gonna Come - Luke 2:1-20
December 27: Sabbath Sunday
January 3: Epiphany Sunday - This is a Day of New Beginnings - Matthew 2:1-12; Isaiah 60:1-6
ADVENT SONG OF THE DAY Available on Spotify, and on the Pastor’s Blog each day!
Following the prompts for each day of Advent, this playlist is created with hope, preparation, joy, and promise in mind. May the music help you cast down the mighty lift the lowly, and fill the hungry with good things.
Nov. 29: HOPE - “Soon & Very Soon” - El Dorado
Nov. 30: HONESTY - “People, Get Ready” - Eva Cassidy
Dec. 1: PRESENCE - “Once In Royal David’s City” - Sufjan Stevens
Dec. 2: KINDLES - “A Change Is Gonna Come” - Sam Cooke
Dec. 3: KNOWN - “Somebody to Love” - Queen
Dec. 4: AWESOME - “Lovely Day” - Bill Withers
Dec. 5: PERCEIVE - “Lo, How A Rose E’er Blooming” - Sufjan Stevens
Dec. 6: PREPARE - “Prepare Ye, the Way of the Lord” - Godspell
Dec. 7: TENDERLY - “Watch Over Us” - The Lone Bellow (El Dorado version)
Dec. 8: REMEMBER - “It Don’t Have to Change” - John Legend
Dec. 9: GLORY - “Jesus, What a Wonderful Child” - John Legend
Dec. 10: REVEALED - “Gold & Green/The First Noel” - Sugarland
Dec. 11: VOICE - “Betelehemu” - Morehouse College Glee Club
Dec. 12: MIGHT - “Suo Gan” - CANTUS
Dec. 13: NEWS - “Ain’t That Good News” - Sam Cooke
Dec. 14: CARRY - “The Weight” - Aretha Franklin (w/ Duane Allman on Slide Guitar)
Dec. 15: RELEASE - “River” - Joni Mitchell
Dec. 16: COMFORT - “Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy” - David Bowie/Bing Crosby
Dec. 17: PROVIDE - “In the Bleak Midwinter” - The Indigo Girls
Dec. 18: JOY - “Joy to the World” - Nat King Cole
Dec. 19: ACKNOWLEDGE - “Angels We Have Heard on High” - The Indigo Girls
Dec. 20: EXULT - “Ave Maria” - Franz Biebl peformed by Chanticleer
Dec. 21: GIVEN
Dec. 22: BUILD
Dec. 23: MOVING
Dec. 24: WORD
Dec. 25: FOREVER
Jan 3: EPIPHANY
THANK YOU, UMW!
It was a joy to deliver gifts to our congregation this week, thanks to the generosity of the United Methodist Women and the hard work of Debbie Bowlus!
Community Resources
Justice for Dr. Aysha Khoury
Our congregation is blessed to know Dr. Aysha Khoury. Dr. Khoury is a brilliant doctor and professor. She was suspended unjustly for speaking honestly about racial bias in medicine during a lecture she was asked to prepare on that very topic. (See thread here).
This petition, to be submitted to the Board of Directors at the Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine. The petition calls for:
1) Immediate Full Reinstatement
2) Public Apology
3) Actionable Commitment to Antiracism
We invite you to consider signing, as a show of support to our own Dr. Khoury.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfA8RLpg5As4VQXmb-oZusHCJLjjbHTpXT2634MqyCrnDGbjw/viewform?fbclid=IwAR2Oz-r631T2V1s35bXb5LS6Hakcs75gwkqHXeRFDY-FpGyhGFicxPZNhzU
Here are two new jobs available in our area from CORE (Community Organized Relief Effort):
1. Mobile Program Associate - CORE (Community Organized Relief Effort)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA /FIELD OPERATIONS – MOBILE PROGRAM ASSOCIATE /FULL TIME https://jobs.lever.co/coreresponse/b9c06fa2-e33d-4880-8550-0b6622c26e0c
2. Program Associate - CORE (Community Organized Relief Effort)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA /FIELD OPERATIONS – PROGRAM ASSOCIATE /FULL TIME https://jobs.lever.co/coreresponse/0bcf124b-47d5-495b-90cc-439a5d6c270d
California’s Regional Stay At Home Order from the office of the Governor
All gatherings with members of other households are prohibited in the Region except as expressly permitted herein.
All individuals living in the Region shall stay home or at their place of residence except as necessary to conduct activities associated with the operation, maintenance, or usage of critical infrastructure, as required by law, or as specifically permitted in this order.
Los Angeles’ Safer At Home Order from the office of the Mayor
Subject only to the exceptions outlined in this Order, all persons living within the City of Los Angeles are hereby ordered to remain in their homes. Residents of the City of Los Angeles who are experiencing homelessness are exempt from this requirement. The City is working, along with partner government agencies and non-governmental organizations, to make more emergency shelters available for the unhoused residents of our City. City of Los Angeles officials and contracted partners responsible for homelessness outreach shall make every reasonable effort to persuade such residents to accept, if offered, temporary housing or shelter, as the Health Officer of the County of Los Angeles recommends that sheltering individuals will assist in reducing the spread of the virus and will protect the individual from potential exposure by allowing the individual access to sanitation tools. People at high risk of severe illness from COVID-19 and people who are sick are urged to stay in their residence to the extent possible except as necessary to seek medical care.
Free Internet for LA Students:
In partnership w/ @TMobile, @MayorOfLA and @MayorsFundLA are working to close the homework gap by extending free internet connectivity to 18,000, K-12 LA students!
Learn more about the Angeleno Connectivity Trust (ACT) Program by dialing 3-1-1 or visit lamayor.org/Connectivity.
COVID-19 Testing:
The LA City Mobile Testing Group is bringing COVID-19 testing to communities throughout the City for those who are unable to drive to a testing site.
✅ No appointment necessary
✅ Tests are free with or without insurance
Learn more:Coronavirus.LACity.org/MobileTesting
LA Public Library: Sign Up for the Winter Reading Challenge
Celebrate the season by signing up for the Winter Reading Challenge. Beginning December 7, read and complete a series of fun activities and you could win a prize from The Library Store.
LA Public Library: Bring a Hands-On Art Experience Home
The Los Angeles Public Library is teaming up with The Broad Museum to bring families a hands-on art experience at home! Only a limited number of The Broad To Go free art kits are available, so sign up now to learn more and take part in the program.
LA Public Library: Find Some Holiday Cheer at the LibraryWith cooking demonstrations, crafting classes and expert storytelling, the library has virtual activities for everyone to feel festive this month. We even have a meditation class to help you stay sane and manage your holiday stress.
Get Help in One of Our Virtual Student Zones
Don't fall behind on your homework as a result of your hectic schedule. Students in grades K-12 can now sign up for a free, 25-minute session with a trained, L.A.-based Homework Helper who can help you find library resources to help with your school assignments.
Aid For Food Service Workers:
SERVE is a new partnership between @MayorOfLA and @MayorsFundLA to provide cash aid to food service workers who reside in the City of Los Angeles. SERVE is a one-time stipend of $800 to help food service workers during this critical period.
Learn more: corona-virus.la/SERVE
Aid for Childcare Workers:
Due to popular demand, @LAEWDD @LACity @WeAreDACE has added orientations to assist childcare workers at risk of job loss, been laid off, furloughed, or had hours reduced due to #COVIDー19.
Sign up➡️bit.ly/36UQPt4
📅Sessions: 10AM 12/8 & 12/15; 5PM 12/17
Food Assistance:
Help starts with 211 LA ! If you or someone you know is in need of food assistance , dial 2-1-1 or visit 211la.org. 211 LA can connect you to all types of health, social, and human services in LA County!
Free - 24 hrs, 7 days a week - Multilingual - Confidential.
Disability Resources:
LA CITY and @LACDOD is committed to ensuring accessibility to services, city programs, and facilities to our disabled residents.
LA supports our disabled residents on this Day of People with Disabilities.
Learn more: disability.lacity.org/services
Food, Testing, and Support Services Information:
211 LA is here to help! Dial 2-1-1 or visit 211LA.org and get connected to food resources, COVID-19 testing information, and all types of support services available to you in @CountyofLA
Covered California Open Enrollment
The enrollment period for Covered California, and for the individual market outside the exchange, started Nov. 1 and runs through Jan. 31. To apply for new health insurance or update your plan, visit coveredca.com.
Vintage United Methodist Recipes: Stained Glass Marshmallow Cookies 🍪
https://www.umc.org/en/content/stained-glass-marshmallow-cookies
CALL TO PRAYER:
Advent Wreath Lighting: O Come, O Come Emmanuel - Sienna Shepherd & Lauren Korczakowski
2 Samuel 7:1-16
Reader One: We live on the brink every day. We stand on the threshold between this world
and the next one. We live and move between the ordinary and divine, between the mundane and the mystery. Too often, we forget to look up and see the angels in our living room. We forget that the love we give and live is a sign of eternity, God with us, right now. We forget that company is coming.
Reader Two: Luke tells us that God’s favor came to a girl, an ordinary girl. It might have been you or your daughter; it might have been the girl down the street or your grandchild. But the messenger of God came and greeted her and said, “The Lord is with you.” What a gift and a promise: Emmanuel, God is with us.
Reader One: We light these candles with peace in our hearts for the promise of proximity, the nearness of God. Even when we forget to listen, to lean into that presence, God is as close as our own breath. This, in a confused and confusing world, is a peace that passes all understanding. It is the peace that knows that company is coming.
Reader Two: O Come, O Come Emmanuel.
“O Come, O Come, Emmanuel”, v. 5
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 1:26-38, 46-55 NRSV: The Annunciation & Mary’s Magnificat
In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.
And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.”
But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.
The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?”
The angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.” Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.
And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”
One: This is the Word of God for us, the people of God.
All: Thanks be to God!
Sermon: ADVENT IV: SOON AND VERY SOON: Cast Down the Mighty! - 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: It Came Upon A Midnight Clear - 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