Call to Worship - You are invited to light a candle in your home to welcome the presence of the Holy Spirit
Let the Day Begin- 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 25 - Chapter 25 - Acts of the Holy Spirit
Day 1: Acts 1 - Ascension, Replacement for Judas
Day 2: Acts 2 - Pentecost, Peter’s Sermon, Common Fellowship
Day 3: Acts 3 - Peter and John Heal a Lame Man
Day 4: Acts 4 - Peter and John before the Council, Praying for Boldness, Sharing
Day 5: Acts 5 - Ananias and Sapphira, Obey God not Humans
Day 6: Study Manual, p. 192-199
EPIPHANY SERMON SERIES: JANUARY 2 - FEBRUARY 27 - SUBVERSIVE RESOLUTIONS
JANUARY 9: BAPTISM OF THE LORD - IN YOU I AM WELL PLEASED
JANUARY 16: I WILL NOT KEEP SILENT, I WILL NOT REST
JANUARY 23: LET THE OPPRESSED GO FREE!
JANUARY 30: TO PLUCK UP AND PULL DOWN, TO DESTROY AND OVERTHROW, TO BUILD AND TO PLANT
FEBRUARY 6: BY THE GRACE OF GOD, I AM WHAT I AM
FEBRUARY 13: BLESSED ARE YOU WHEN YOU WEEP
FEBRUARY 20: DO GOOD, EXPECTING NOTHING IN RETURN
FEBRUARY 27: TRANSFIGURATION SUNDAY - ALL WERE ASTOUNDED AT THE GREATNESS OF GOD
MARCH 2: ASH WEDNESDAY
CHURCH COUNCIL MEETING: Tuesday, January 11 at 6:30 PM via Zoom
VENMO: You can find us here: https://venmo.com/LAFirstUMC
PAYPAL: https://paypal.me/LAFirstUMC
SQUARE: https://checkout.square.site/pay/be673aef7fcb424e98387016d184e57d
COMMUNITY RESOURCES:
LAUSD COVID-19 Response
What should I do if my child tests positive for COVID-19?
If your child tests positive, LA Public Health will call you, and it will show up as LA Public Health or 1-833-641-0305 on your caller ID. Contact tracers will ask questions to help stop COVID19's spread. They won't ask for sensitive info. #WeAreAllIn because what happens in the classroom is as critical as what happens outside. Please contact your school district to learn more about school-site testing. #GetTested by visiting covid19.lacounty.gov/testing. #WeAreAllIn when it comes to ensuring student success & the health & wellbeing of everyone in our school communities.
Food Equity
1 in 10 residents struggles with food insecurity. LA County has convened the Food Equity Roundtable to address systemic inequities in our food system. Govt, philanthropy & nonprofit leaders will soon issue a blueprint for change. Have ideas? Email lafoodequityroundtable@gmail.com
Support The Ending PUSHOUT Act
This summer, many United Methodist Women members and friends all across the country participated in the Mission u study of Pushout: The Criminalization of Black Girls in Schools by Dr. Monique Morris. We learned about the extreme racial disparities in discipline impacting Black girls. Addressing the deep roots of intersecting oppressions targeting Black girls is complex and long-term work. There is no simple one-and-done fix. But we can have an impact. One way we can help make change is by showing our support for an important federal bill, The Ending PUSHOUT Act, and by encouraging our loved ones to join us in action.
The Ending PUSHOUT Act of 2021 (H.R.2248):
creates a $2.5 billion fund to incentivize schools and states to abandon unfair and discriminatory disciplinary policies and practices that push children of color out of the classroom;
strengthens civil rights monitoring and enforcement;
and establishes a task force to address school pushout, with particular attention to the needs of girls of color.
Participating states and schools would be supported to invest in restorative practices, trauma-informed care, counselors, social workers and mental health professionals. Funds could not be used for police in schools. Please join us in supporting The Ending PUSHOUT Act. Already taken action in support of this bill? Multiply your impact by asking three friends to join you in taking action on this campaign.
Winter Shelters are open 11/1-3/31.
The Winter Shelter Program provides a warm place to sleep and access to supportive services to our unsheltered neighbors. If you or someone you know needs shelter visit LAHSA.org/winter-shelter or call 1 (800) 548-6047.
GreenFaith: Lauren K wanted to share this interfaith climate change group to pass along if anyone at church is interested: From coast to coast; continent to continent, our message is crystal clear: Our faiths call for an end to climate destruction and a sustainable and just future for all. https://greenfaith.org/
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
MUSIC TO CENTER OUR HEARTS: Take Me to the River - El Dorado
Former LA First UMC Senior Pastor Rev. DarEll T. Weist Remembered
MADISON, N.J. — The Rev. DarEll T. Weist, a board member of the United Methodist Commission on Archives and History, died of a heart attack Dec. 10. Weist, who grew up in the Evangelical United Brethren tradition, revitalized the position of California-Pacific Conference historian and served as chair of the Western Jurisdiction Commission on Archives and History.
Read remembrance
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 3:15-22, NRSV
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. But Herod the ruler, who had been rebuked by him because of Herodias, his brother’s wife, and because of all the evil things that Herod had done, added to them all by shutting up John in prison.
Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.’
One: This is the Word of God for us, the people of God.
All: Thanks be to God!
Sermon: SUBVERSIVE RESOLUTIONS: The Baptism of the Lord, “In You, I Am Well Pleased” - Rev. Mandy McDow
REAFFIRMING OUR BAPTISMAL COVENANT: UMC Book of Worship
Sblings in Christ:
through the sacrament of baptism
God's Spirit has been poured out upon water,
water poured over and immersing us,
water that flows freely for all who will receive it,
water from the streams of God's saving power and justice,
water that brings hope to all who thirst for righteousness,
water that refreshes life, nurtures growth, and offers new birth.
Today we come to the waters,
to renew our commitments
in each other's presence
to Christ who has raised us,
the Spirit who has birthed us,
and the Creator who is making all things new.
Renunciation of Sin and Profession of Faith
On behalf of the whole Church, I ask you:
Do you renounce the spiritual forces of wickedness,
reject the evil powers of this world,
and repent of your sin?
I do.
Do you accept the freedom and power God gives you
to resist evil, injustice, and oppression
in whatever forms they present themselves?
I do.
Do you confess Jesus Christ as your Savior,
put your whole trust in his grace,
and promise to serve him as your Lord,
in union with the Church which Christ has opened
to people of all ages, nations, and races?
I do.
Will you be living witnesses to the gospel, individually and together, wherever you are, and in all that you do?
We will remain faithful members of Christ's holy church
And serve as Christ's representatives in the world.
Will you receive and profess the Christian faith as contained in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments?
We affirm and teach the faith of the whole church
as we put our trust
in God, the Father Almighty.
in Jesus Christ, his only Son.
and in the Holy Spirit,
one God now and forever.
Thanksgiving Over the Water
The Spirit of the Lord is with us.
Even so, come Lord Jesus!
Let us pray.
Almighty God, the life you birthed in us
by baptism into Jesus Christ
will never die.
Your justice never fails.
Your mercy is everlasting.
Come upon us, Holy Spirit!
Come upon these waters.
Let these waters remind us of your righteousness and justice.
Let these waters renew in us the resurrection power of Jesus.
Let these waters make us long for your coming reign.
Glory to you! Almighty God, Jesus Christ, Spirit of fire, Spirit over the waters, Spirit of holiness!
All glory is yours, now and forever. Amen!
Remember that you are baptized, and rejoice!
The Lord’s Prayer
Our 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: Down to the River to Pray - 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