When We Are Offered Shortcuts
While we often think of Satan’s temptations as earthly pleasures or frivolous desires, what Satan actually offers Christ are the very tools he could use to carry out the mission God gave him–feeding the hungry, ruling the nations, trusting in God. On their own, they are not bad things, these temptations. Yet Satan offers a shortcut to each of them, one that leads Jesus to skip the long walk of his own faith, one that takes him away from the people he is sent to, one that skips all the hard work of discipleship. In this scripture, Jesus shows us that true faithfulness says no to shortcuts and yes to walking in God’s paths. Rev. Mary Elyn Bahlert is preaching. Join us.
Sunday worship begins at 10:15AM.
Join us in person in our sanctuary or watch online via Zoom, Facebook or YouTube Live.
Bulletin Link
March 9th, 2025
You may give your Tithes & Offerings by mail, or click here to give online.
Watch Online
Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87993979913
Meeting ID: 879 9397 9913
Passcode: 326043
Or dial the following number: 1(669) 900-6833.
When prompted, enter the meeting ID & passcode above.
To join Sunday Worship via Facebook, click here and look for the live video at the top of the page.
To watch the livestream of our service on YouTube, click here.
Upcoming Sundays
March 9, 2025
When We Are Offered Shortcuts
Luke 4:1-13
March 16, 2025
When Our Shelter is Torn Away
Luke 13:31-35
March 23, 2025
When Bad Things Happen
Luke 13:1-9
March 30, 2025
When It Goes to Waste
Luke 15:1-3, 11-32
April 6, 2025
When There’s Not One Right Answer
John 12:1-8
April 13, 2025
When We Keep Silent
Luke 19:29-40
April 20, 2025
When All Seems Lost
Luke 24:1-12
The Pearl of Great Price
The parable of the pearl is one of Jesus’ shortest teachings. A merchant searches for pearls, finds the greatest particularly special pearl, and sells everything in order to have it. What is your “great pearl”? Biblical scholar Amy Jill-Levine asks the question, “Will we know what we truly want when we see it?” We take a closer look at this teaching and what it means for us today.
Sunday worship begins at 10:15AM.
Join us in person in our sanctuary or watch online via Zoom, Facebook or YouTube Live.
Bulletin Link
March 2nd, 2025
You may give your Tithes & Offerings by mail, or click here to give online.
Watch Online
Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87993979913
Meeting ID: 879 9397 9913
Passcode: 326043
Or dial the following number: 1(669) 900-6833.
When prompted, enter the meeting ID & passcode above.
To join Sunday Worship via Facebook, click here and look for the live video at the top of the page.
To watch the livestream of our service on YouTube, click here.
Upcoming Sundays
March 2, 2025
The Pearl of Great Price
Matthew 13:45-46
Please read ALL of the ANNOUNCEMENTS!
Children and Youth Ministry Updates
Thank you to all the families who joined us for the farm outing! We were blessed to have over 25 people come together for a wonderful time of fellowship. We’re grateful for a beautiful day to connect with nature, the animals, our church community, and God.
Upcoming Gatherings:
? 3/2—Children’s Choir: The 20-minute choir class will follow the Children’s Moment in worship, just before Godly Play/childcare.
? 3/9 – Youth Group: Join us at St. John’s Episcopal Church from 12 PM – 2 PM for faith, food, and fellowship! RSVP to Lulu at office@lakemerritumc.org.
Celebrating March Birthdays
Sunday, March 2nd
On Sunday, March 2nd, we will be honoring everyone who will be celebrating their birthdays in March.
There will be birthday cake for all to share during Fellowship time immediately following Worship.
Ash Wednesday Self Guided Prayer Walk
Wednesday, March 5th
On Ash Wednesday, March 5th, we will observe the first day of the Lenten season with a self guided prayer walk available in our Sanctuary. The Sanctuary will be open from 1:00 to 2:00 and from 5:30 to 6:30. There will be five stations with the reflection topics of Dirt, Brokenness, Ashes, Water, and Permission. While you can walk the stations at any pace, we do think they will have more impact if you go through them in order, one through five. Of course, ultimately the path you take is up to you; this prayer walk is intended to be a self paced, self-guided experience designed to meet you where you are. We hope to see you there.
Daylight Savings Time
March 9th
Daylight savings time is just around the corner! On the night of the 8th before you go to bed, please set your clocks forward one hour.
Oakland Marathon Road Closure
March 23rd
Church access during the Oakland Marathon will be available from the intersection of International Blvd and 1st Ave. Between the hours of 6:00 AM to 9:30 AM, vehicles should access International Blvd by crossing the route at 5th Ave. Vehicles will be directed to cross the route on 1st Ave when gaps in runners allow. Vehicles arriving between before 7:30 AM will need to cross the course at the following intersections to access International Blvd. Vehicles MUST wait for participants and will be directed to cross when gaps in runners allow.
- 5th Ave & Foothill Blvd
- International Blvd & 12th Ave
- Foothill Blvd
In order to reduce wait times, it is highly suggested that parishioners arrive within the following times during the road closures.
- Before 6:45 AM
- 7:30 AM to 8:20 AM
- After 9:30 AM
Join Us for Lenten Membership Classes at Lake Merritt United Methodist Church!
Sundays, March 16th & 23rd, 12pm-1:30pm
As we journey through this sacred season of Lent, we invite you to deepen your faith and connection by joining two sessions of Membership Class. Whether you’re new to Lake Merritt UMC or have been worshiping with us for a while, these classes offer a wonderful opportunity to explore your faith, learn more about our United Methodist Church and our church community, and consider what it means to become a member. Meet with Pastor Sunae after Sunday service on March 16th and March 23, 12pm – 1:30pm. Please fill out the Membership Class Registration form. Ask our Ushers for the form. Should you have any questions, please email Pastor Sunae at pastorsunae@gmail.com.
Sumetra’s Baby Shower
Saturday, March 15th, 11am-1pm
The women of the church are invited to Sumetra’s baby shower on 3/15 from 11am-1pm. The shower will be held at the church. Please RSVP by 3/10 to Judi Fabrizio, (510) 530-7094.
Worship Music
“Sing the psalms, compose hymns and songs inspired by the Spirit, and keep on singing –
sing to God from hearts full and spilling over with thankfulness.” Colossians 3:16 (The Voice)
The Worship Team would like to hear from YOU about what songs you would like to sing in Worship.
Drop a note into the suggestion box by the sanctuary door to let us know what favorite hymns you would like to sing again, and what praise songs fill your heart.
Lend YOUR HAND for 10th LIFT Concert Celebration!
Have you enjoyed the LIFT concert over the years?! Guess what? We are approaching our 10th concert! Connectional Ministries is putting an all-call to help make this 10th concert celebration a special one. Please email liftconcertoakland@gmail.com or talk to anyone on Connectional Ministries (Tom, Rose Lynn, Kathleen, Liz H) to get plugged in.
YOUR HELP is much needed in making LIFT happen in just 8 weeks on April 12!
Meal Train and Home Recovery Support
We keep the Sliheet family in our hearts and prayers as Jane and Raja care for Tanas. If you wish to support them through their meal train, please sign up
here. George Han and Deacon Ken Schoon thank you for your prayers as George recovers from surgery.
Churches Together (OCT) Lenten Worships
This Lent we are praying, singing and worshipping with our neighbors! At 7pm, each Wednesday, we are coming together, at different Oakland Churches Together churches, and experiencing short worship services. Here is the schedule:
- 3/12- Lakeshore Baptism and Faith in Action (on Zoom @ 7:15pm. Click Here to Zoom)
- 3/19- Montclair Presbyterian Church
- 3/26- St John’s Episcopal Church
- 4/2- St Paul Lutheran
- 4/9- Park Blvd Presbyterian Church
Kairos Palestine Lenten Study
March 6, 13, 20, 27, & Apr 24; Noon-1pm
The Cal-Nev Annual Conference’s Palestine Task Force and Friends of Wadi Foquin are teaming up to offer a 5-session study during the upcoming Lenten Season to sit with and reflect on the words of our Palestinian Christian siblings via the Kairos Palestine document. The short, powerful letter is described as “modern scripture,” written to us much like the Apostle Paul wrote to the ancient churches in various locales. It offers us insight into the current reality, calls us to grapple with our understanding of faith and action in light of that reality, and invites us – through repentance – into faithful response. To register and receive the Zoom link, please complete the form here.
Ways to Support Those Impacted by the Los Angeles Fires
Let us pray for our siblings impacted by the devasting fires in Los Angeles. We also pray for the firefighters, first responders, and community leaders. You can read more about the fires
here. Here are a few ways to support financially:
1.Donate to the recovery efforts for Altadena UMC
here.2. Donate to the Los Angeles Fire Recovery Fund through the UMC California Pac Conference. These funds will benefit all the Los Angeles communities suffering in the fires. Donate
here.
3. Donate to UMCOR (United Methodist Committee on Relief) for its disaster relief for all the California fires. Donate
here.
4. Send donations of e-gift cards (amazon, target, grubhub. etc.) to palisadesmethodist@gmail.com. These will be given to community members who lost their homes and belongings.
5. Donate directly to the church in Pacific Palisades. The funds will be used to help people who lost their homes cover immediate expenses and for the church’s eventual reconstruction. Donate
here.
If you would like to submit an announcement for our weekly e-blast, please adhere to the guidelines found here. All submissions are due Wednesday by noon.
The Good Samaritan
This Sunday, we revisit the parable of the Good Samaritan through the ears of a first-century Jewish audience. While we often see ourselves as the Samaritan, called to care for others, biblical scholar Amy-Jill Levine reminds us that the original listeners would have heard something quite different. In antiquity, this was known as the parable of the man who fell among robbers—shifting the focus in surprising ways. Let’s listen anew and discover what this powerful story reveals for us today. Join us!
Sunday worship begins at 10:15AM.
Join us in person in our sanctuary or watch online via Zoom, Facebook or YouTube Live.
Bulletin Link
February 23rd, 2025
You may give your Tithes & Offerings by mail, or click here to give online.
Watch Online
Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87993979913
Meeting ID: 879 9397 9913
Passcode: 326043
Or dial the following number: 1(669) 900-6833.
When prompted, enter the meeting ID & passcode above.
To join Sunday Worship via Facebook, click here and look for the live video at the top of the page.
To watch the livestream of our service on YouTube, click here.
Upcoming Sundays
February 23, 2025
The Good Samaritan
Luke 10:25-37
March 2, 2025
The Pearl of Great Price
Matthew 13:45-46
