L.A. First Nazarene

05/31/2026

Welcome to the CHURCH OF THE NAZARENE As a global community of faith, we are commissioned to take the Good News of life in Jesus Christ to people everywhere and to spread the message of scriptural holiness across the lands.

LA FIRST CHURCH OF THE NAZARNE, LOS ANGELES

Mission Statement
To reflect God’s love in the city and inspire people to experience a changed life filled with joy, hope and peace.

Vision Statement
To be a place of inspiration, healing, and compassion, where all cultures, races, and ages, will experience God’s love and impact our community for good.

05/22/2026

Looking for a practical way to involve your church or small group in compassionate ministry?

Assembling Crisis Care Kits or School Pal-Paks is a simple, hands-on way to support people facing challenging situations and help meet real needs around the world.

Find everything you need to get started at ncm.org/kitsandpaks

04/09/2026

04/05/2026

HE is RISEN! HE is Risen indeed!

This sermon reflects on the meaning of Resurrection Sunday, emphasizing that Easter is not just a historical event but a present reality that transforms believers’ lives.
Raised with Christ: Believers are called to live from the new identity given by being raised with Christ, leaving behind old fears and wounds. Resurrection is the foundation of their new life.

Seek the things above: Followers are encouraged to prioritize values exemplified by the risen Christ such as mercy, justice, and compassion, choosing forgiveness, courage, generosity, truth, and hope over their opposites.

Life hidden with Christ: The true life of believers is securely held in God’s heart, offering protection and hope even in times of feeling unseen or unfinished.

Revealed in glory: The sermon concludes with the promise that when Christ is revealed in glory, believers will also be revealed with Him, living in the tension of resurrection hope and transformation.

04/03/2026

Good Friday

The Crucifixion of Jesus Christ
Matthew 27:1–61 • Mark 15:1–47 • Luke 22:66–23:55 • John 18:28–19:42

Entering the Silence of the Cross

Good Friday is the day the church dares to stand still before the mystery of a God who suffers. It is the day we refuse to look away. The day we acknowledge that the world’s violence, injustice, and fear converged on the body of Jesus—and that he bore it not with retaliation, but with a love that refuses to die.

Each Gospel tells the story with its own texture:

• Matthew emphasizes the tearing of the temple curtain and the earth shaking, as if creation itself cannot remain unmoved.
• Mark gives us the raw cry of abandonment—“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”—the honest prayer of every suffering soul.
• Luke shows Jesus forgiving even as he is crucified, and welcoming the criminal beside him into paradise.
• John reveals Jesus as the sovereign Lamb who lays down his life willingly, completing the work of love.

Together, they form a single truth:
The cross is where God meets humanity at its worst and refuses to give up on us.

03/29/2026

02/20/2026

02/15/2026

Transfiguration of Our Lord
A glimpse of future glory

O God of the covenant,
the cloud of your splendor and the fire of your love
revealed your Son on the mountain heights.
Transform our lives in his image,
write your law of love on our hearts,
and make us prophets of your glory,
that we may lead others into your presence. Amen.

Matthew 17:1-9
The Transfiguration
17 Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain, by themselves. 2 And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became bright as light. 3 Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. 4 Then Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if you wish, I[a] will set up three tents here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” 5 While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, the Beloved;[b] with him I am well pleased; listen to him!” 6 When the disciples heard this, they fell to the ground and were overcome by fear. 7 But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Get up and do not be afraid.” 8 And when they raised their eyes, they saw no one except Jesus himself alone.
9 As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus ordered them, “Tell no one about the vision until after the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.”

2 Peter 1:16-21
Eyewitnesses of Christ’s Glory
16 For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we had been eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17 For he received honor and glory from God the Father when that voice was conveyed to him by the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, my Beloved,[a] with whom I am well pleased.”18 We ourselves heard this voice come from heaven, while we were with him on the holy mountain.
19 So we have the prophetic message more fully confirmed. You will do well to be attentive to this as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. 20 First of all you must understand this, that no prophecy of scripture is a matter of one’s[b] own interpretation, 21 because no prophecy ever came by human will, but men and women moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.[c]

Purpose: Strengthening the Disciples’ Faith — A Foretaste of Resurrection Glory and a Call to Holiness

The Transfiguration was not only meant to prepare the disciples for the shock of the crucifixion; it was also meant to shape them into holy people who could carry Christ’s mission into the world. In the Church of the Nazarene, we understand holiness not as perfectionism, but as Christlikeness formed in us by grace. The mountain becomes a classroom of holiness.