LENT II - Order of Worship for March 16, 2025: Cultivating Gratitude

LOS ANGELES MARATHON: TODAY!
3 a.m., Sunday, March 16, 2025 through 10:30 a.m., Sunday, March 16, 2025
 Many roads throughout LA will be closed either partially or fully, starting as early as 3 a.m.
for the Los Angeles Marathon.
Click here for month in depth coverage on which streets will be affected and at exactly what time. 

Call to Worship - Those of you joining us from home are invited to light a candle to welcome the presence of the Holy Spirit

Who Am I? - Need to Breathe - El Dorado

Welcome - Stephen Folds

Called Me Higher - All Sons and Daughters - 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. 

Class resumes this week with Chapter 16 (John 1)

Join us to say the Lord’s Prayer each day at Noon during Lent on Facebook Live

Here are some things you can do right now:

  • Watch the video from the training session we had with Alba Jaramillo from the Immigration Law and Justice Network.

  • Print out and make available these Know your right cards in whatever languages are relevant to your context. Link to know your rights cards.

  • Host a “Know Your Rights” training session at your church or mission area.

  • Host a “Safety Packet” session at your church or mission area.

  • Research and make note of the RRT phone numbers in your area here.

  • Switch to a safe and encrypted messaging app such as Signal.

  • Watch our page for updates.

Additional Reading:

Know Your Rights:

You have constitutional rights:

• DO NOT OPEN THE DOOR if an immigration agent is knocking on the door.

• DO NOT ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS from an immigration agent if they try to talk to you. You have the right to remain silent.

• DO NOT SIGN ANYTHING without first speaking to a lawyer. You have the right to speak with a lawyer.

• If you are outside of your home, ask the agent if you are free to leave and if they say yes, leave calmly.

• GIVE THIS CARD TO THE AGENT. If you are inside of your home, show the card through the window or slide it under the door.

I do not wish to speak with you, answer your questions, or sign or hand you any documents based on my 5th Amendment rights under the United States Constitution.

I do not give you permission to enter my home based on my 4th Amendment rights under the United States Constitution unless you have a warrant to enter, signed by a judge or magistrate with my name on it that you slide under the door.

I do not give you permission to search any of my belongings based on my 4th Amendment rights.

I choose to exercise my constitutional rights.

These cards are available to citizens and noncitizens alike.

MONETARY DONATIONS: 

We've set up a special fund - the Los Angeles Fires Recovery Fund - where you can contribute directly towards relief and recovery from the effects of the winds and firestorms this week.  www.calpacumc.org/donate 

Check donations payable to the California-Pacific Conference can be mailed to California-Pacific Conference, Los Angeles Fires Recovery Fund, PO Box 6006, Pasadena CA 91102.

Register to Vote for the Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council

Why should I vote for my Neighborhood Council?

Neighborhood Councils form a grassroots level of the City of Los Angeles government. The system was created to connect Los Angeles’ diverse communities to City Hall and was established in 1999 by an amendment to the City Charter. Read more in the handbook here.

What if I don’t live in the Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council boundary area? Can I vote as a Stakeholder?

YES! NC membership is open to all Stakeholders. Los Angeles Administrative Code section 22.801, defines a “Stakeholder” as any individual who:

(1) Lives, works, or owns real property within the boundaries of the NC: https://dlanc.com/boundary-map/ or

(2) Is a Community Interest Stakeholder, defined as an individual who is a member of, or participates in, a Community Organization within the boundaries of the NC.

A “Community Organization” is an entity that has continuously maintained a physical street address within the boundaries of the NC for not less than one year, and that performs ongoing and verifiable activities and operations that confer some benefit on the community within the boundaries of the neighborhood council. A for-profit entity shall not qualify as a Community Organization. Examples of Community Organizations may include Chambers of Commerce, houses of worship or other faith-based organizations, educational institutions, or non-profit organizations.

Area Wide Stakeholder
Stakeholders who are at 16 years of age and live, work or own property within the DLANC boundaries.
(requires documentation)

Area-Wide Homeless Resident
Stakeholder who is at least 16 years of age and who self-attest as homeless within the DLANC boundaries in places not meant for human habitation, such as cars, parks, sidewalks, abandoned buildings, in emergency transitional or residing in supportive housing for homeless persons who originally came from the streets; or who receives assistance (housing or resources) from a homeless services agency. (self-affirmation) To register, you may use the address of the Weingart Center or Downtown Women’s Center.

Social Services Provider (SSP)
Stakeholders who are at least 16 years of age and live, work or own property within the DLANC boundaries. (requires documentation)

At Large
Any stakeholder within the DLANC boundaries and who is at least 16 years of age. (requires documentation)

Neighborhood Council Vote-By-Mail Application Portal

Voters who wish to complete a VBM Application online must first create an Angeleno Account at https://angeleno.lacity.org/. After creating an account, voters can access the NC Portal to apply for a NC Ballot. To access the NC Portal complete the following steps:

1. Click on the ‘Register Today’ button and enter the following information:

a. Email Address
b. Password
c. First and Last Name

2. An email will be sent to the voter confirming creation of the account. Voters must verify email address and activate account, by clicking "Activate Account" in email.

3. Click ‘Services’ to access the NC Portal.

How can I register to vote for the Downtown Neighborhood Council? You can register for a Vote-By-Mail Application this way:

Stakeholders can complete and submit a Vote By Mail Application online at https://clerkappsele.lacity.org/NCElection or obtain a paper application from the City Clerk’s website.

When completing a VBM Application, stakeholders must provide the following information:

1. Neighborhood Council Name* Downtown Los Angeles NC
2. First, Middle, and Last Name*
3. Stakeholder Status (Live, Work, Own Property, or Community Interest)* Community Interest - Worship at Los Angeles First UMC
4. Qualifying Address - If you do not have a permanent address at which to receive your mailed ballot, you may use the Weingart Center at 501 E 6th Street, Los Angeles, CA 90021 (NC Region 6, DLANC) or the Downtown Women’s Center at 442 San Pedro St., Los Angeles, CA 90013 (NC Region 6, DLANC).
5. Date of Birth
6. Mailing Address
7. If documentation is required, documentation must be provided proving stakeholder status. LA First UMC will provide documentation attesting to the fact that you worship at the church. All we need is your legal first and last name which matches your voter registration. E-mail Rev. Mandy to request a letter verifying your status as a stakeholder as one who worships at the church.
8. If submitting a paper application, a voter must also provide their signature.

ALL VOTERS WILL NEED TO PROVIDE PROOF OF AGE AND A PHOTO ID.

Election Timeline:
Candidate Filing Period Ends: Monday February 10, 2025
Vote-By-Mail Application Period Begins: Friday February 21, 2025
Ballot Mailing Period Begins: Tuesday March 18, 2025
Vote-By-Mail Application Period Ends: Sunday April 13, 2025
Mail Ballots/Resends Deadline: Tuesday April 15, 2025
Election Day: Tuesday April 22, 2025

Download the Watch Duty app for up-to-date information on existing and new fires.

CALL TO PRAYER: Prayer of St. Francis - Sarah McLaughlin- El Dorado

Joys and Concerns: Prayers of the People We believe that the best way to bear our burdens is to share them with one another. You welcome 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.

Hebrew Bible Reading: Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18 - God’s Covenant with Abram

After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, ‘Do not be afraid, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.’ But Abram said, ‘O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?’ And Abram said, ‘You have given me no offspring, and so a slave born in my house is to be my heir.’ But the word of the Lord came to him, ‘This man shall not be your heir; no one but your very own issue shall be your heir.’ He brought him outside and said, ‘Look towards heaven and count the stars, if you are able to count them.’ Then he said to him, ‘So shall your descendants be.’And he believed the Lord; and the Lord reckoned it to him as righteousness.

Then he said to him, ‘I am the Lord who brought you from Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to possess.’ But he said, ‘O Lord God, how am I to know that I shall possess it?’ He said to him, ‘Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtle-dove, and a young pigeon.’ He brought him all these and cut them in two, laying each half over against the other; but he did not cut the birds in two. And when birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away.

As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram, and a deep and terrifying darkness descended upon him.

When the sun had gone down and it was dark, a smoking fire-pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces. On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, ‘To your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates.

Gospel Lesson - Luke 13:31-55 - The Lament over Jerusalem

At that very hour some Pharisees came and said to him, ‘Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you.’ He said to them, ‘Go and tell that fox for me, “Listen, I am casting out demons and performing cures today and tomorrow, and on the third day I finish my work. Yet today, tomorrow, and the next day I must be on my way, because it is impossible for a prophet to be killed away from Jerusalem.” Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! See, your house is left to you. And I tell you, you will not see me until the time comes when you say, “Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.””

One: This is the word of God for us, the People of God.
All: Thanks be to God!

Sermon: Cultivating Gratitude, Rev. Dr. Mandy McDow, preaching

CALL TO CONFESSION - Joel 2:12-13

The prophet Joel cried out:
Return to the Lord with all your heart,
with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;
rend your hearts and not your clothing.
For God is gracious and merciful, slow to anger,
and abounding in steadfast love.
Let us confess our sins and repent of our unrighteousness:

PRAYER OF CONFESSION - Isaiah 58:4-7, Joel 2:17

Merciful God, we confess that we are a rebellious people.
We have broken your covenant, and we have tolerated injustice in our land.
We have not shared our food with the hungry,
We have not sheltered the homeless,
and we have not aided the sick and destitute.
We quarrel and fight among ourselves,
and we use religion to cover our deceit.
We have become a mockery of our heritage;
the world looks at us and asks, Where is their God?
Forgive us, O God.
Subdue our rebellious hearts and restore in us the light of salvation;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

DECLARATION OF FORGIVENESS - Isaiah 58:9b-10

If you remove the yoke from among you,
the pointing of the finger, the speaking of evil,
if you offer your food to the hungry and satisfy the needs of the afflicted,
then your light shall rise in the darkness and your gloom be like the noonday.
In the name of Jesus Christ, know that you are forgiven and rejoice.
Thanks be to God!

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 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: How Great Thou Art - Carl Boberg & Stuart K. Hine - El Dorado

Benediction

Beloved, observe a Holy Lent:
Loose the bonds of injustice,
Break the yoke of oppression,
Feed the hungry,
Shelter the poor.
With the blessing of God our creator, Christ our redeemer, and the Spirit our sustainer,
receive the promise of Isaiah:
Your light shall break forth like the dawn,
and your healing shall spring up quickly;
God your protector shall go before you,
and the glory of the Lord shall be your guard.

And 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!

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