Beloved Anchor & Hope family,
It’s New Year’s Eve and our final Reset Sunday for the year! As you get ready for the new year, we hope that you will look forward to the ways in which God will bring light & life into your lives this 2024.
You’ll find a short devotion for you & your household to start (or end) this day reflecting on God’s Word.
We look forward to seeing you next week (Sunday, January 7, 2024) for our first Sunday worship of the new year and our church’s anniversary! Until then, may you be filled with the joy and love of Jesus!
with love in our hearts for you,
PJ & PD
Today we take some time to remember the Sabbath in a different kind of way than our usual patterns. While taking a break from our community Sabbath this week, we pray that you will be able to spend this day to remember that you are loved and cared for by God, Who holds all things, and to spend some time in God’s loving presence — whether on your own or together with your family, friends, or community. Feel free to use whatever parts that will help you feel connected to God.
Opening Prayer
Adapted from Entering the New Year, a prayer by Vinita Hampton Wright
Creator of all life,
help us enter the New Year reverently,
aware that You have endowed
every creature and plant,
every person and habitat
with beauty and purpose.
May we regard the world with tenderness.
May we honor and be bearers
of Your life wherever we go.
God of love,
help us enter the New Year joyfully,
willing to laugh and dance and dream,
remembering our many gifts with thanks
and looking forward to blessings yet to come.
May we welcome Your lavish love.
May we cast off the small,
vindictive “god” our fears have made.
May the grace and peace of Christ bless us
now and in the days ahead.
Amen.
Worship Song
Year of Victory, by Rend Collective
We have a story of grace
We have an anthem of hope
We have a reason to praise
We are redeemed and restored
You are the great liberator
You ransomed us from our shame
Now by the blood of the Savior
Everything broken will change
Oh, this will be my
Year of victory
My chains are gone, now I am free indeed
Every debt is paid by amazing grace
All that’s left is to celebrate
Your love has won
I’m free indeed, my jubilee has come
No longer slaves of the past
This is the year of the Lord
Here at the foot of the cross
We are outsiders no more
You made a way through the darkness
Into Your marvelous light
You broke the bondage that held us
Now we are fully alive
You shook the walls of my prison
You brought me back from the grave
You turned my mourning to dancing
Into the night I proclaim
Passing of the Peace
Take a moment to wish peace to the people around you and/or send a text message to someone either from our Anchor & Hope Community or someone else who needs God’s peace this day
Kids Song & Reflection
Every Move I Make
Click here to watch the video and have your whole family follow along to the motions!
Every move I make, I make in You
You make me move, Jesus
Every breath I take I breath in You
Every step I take, I take in You
You are my way, Jesus
Every breath I take I breath in You
Na na na…
Waves of mercy, waves of grace
Everywhere I look I see Your face
Your love has captured me
Oh my God, this love, how can it be?
This story comes from Matthew 2:1-12. You can read the story here or watch the video here:
Reflect with your children:
- The magi (or the wise men) brought gifts for Jesus. They brought 3 special gifts: gold, frankincense (a special type of scented oil) and myrrh (a special type of perfume). These were gifts that you would give a king. I wonder what type of gifts you would want to give to Jesus?
- I wonder why king Herod was angry when he heard about Jesus?
- I wonder how the magi felt when they found Jesus?
- I wonder how the magi felt when God told them to go home a safer way?
Prayer of Illumination
God who makes all things new,
Prepare our hearts to hear Your Word
so that we might grow closer to You.
And be with all our sisters & brothers
from our church this day,
that they may hear from You too.
In Jesus name, Amen.
Scripture Engagement & Reflection
Read Isaiah 43:15-19 out loud, even if you’re alone!
15 I am the Lord, your Holy One, the Creator of Israel, your King.
16 Thus says the Lord, who makes a way in the sea, a path in the mighty waters,
17 who brings out chariot and horse, army and warrior; they lie down; they cannot rise; they are extinguished, quenched like a wick:
18 Do not remember the former things or consider the things of old.
19 I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth; do you not perceive it?
For some time now, I’ve stopped making New Year’s resolutions because the only thing that they’ve been effective at is reminding me how good I am at breaking them.
But I recently saw a social media post that changed my perspective:
I get the feeling that many people end up breaking their new year’s resolutions because they’re filled with should’s (“I should exercise more…”) or reminders of how they fall short of some “ideal” version of themselves. It’s heartbreaking when the “should’s” drain all of the joy & life out of our life with Jesus — when our faith becomes a burdensome list of ideals that we can never live up to.
But what would happen if we remember that God is Creator? Not only the One who spoke all things into being with just a word, but also the One who continues to create anew within us? What if we resolved this year to live with a sense of creativity, joy, connectedness, and adventure?
We invite you to reflect on the following questions:
As individuals:
- What are 2 or 3 things that bring you joy that you can pursue this year? (And, for those of you who might find it hard to do this, we gently remind you that, when you are a more whole & healthy person, you have a deeper well to draw from to serve God & others around you!)
- Is there a Fruit Adventure of Pasta Quest calling your name this year?
- What new thing does God want to bring to life in and through you in 2024?
As a church community, how can we commit to:
- … investing in a consistent environment of joy
- … creating spaces of authentic invitation
- … and opening ourselves to the God of new things?
Worship Song
A Thousand Generations • by Brenton Brown
You have been faithful
to a thousand generations
Slow to anger, swift to bless
Your hand has guided us
through every situation
Your loving kindness hasn’t failed us yet
God, You are my God
You are my God
I will live to sing Your praises
God, joy of my heart, You are my rock
You are faithful through the ages
The day will come
when every eye on earth will see You
When every heart and every voice will say
That You are perfect
in Your wisdom and Your justice
Oh how we long to see that glorious day
Though You may lead us
through the valley of the shadow
We will rise to see You face to face
And we will gather
with the saints in that great city
Where every sorrow will be washed away
You’re God of heaven’s armies
You’re God of galaxies
Valleys rise up to meet You
The mountains bow their knees
Creation stands in wonder
At all that You’ve achieved
And You have set Your love on me
Closing Prayer
A New Year’s Prayer
Lord, You make all things new.
You bring hope to life in our hearts
and shine even in the darkest night.
Thank You for this new year
and for all the promise it holds.
Build a long-lasting fire in our hearts,
so that in our time, through our lives,
many will see the wonders of God
and be renewed in every way.
Amen.
Announcements
- Christmas offering: We are proud to partner with Justice Ventures International and Big Table San Diego for our annual Christmas offering. Give via Tithely (choose “Christmas 2023” from the drop-down menu) or write a check to Solana Beach Presbyterian Church and include “Anchor & Hope Christmas Offering 2023” in the memo and bring it with you on January 7th (our final day for the Christmas offering).
- Next Sunday, January 7th: Anchor & Hope will celebrate our anniversary on the first Sunday of the new year. We’ll invite our whole church to renew our commitment to prayer, witness, and community as we continue to hope & dream together. We’ll meet at 10:30 am at Sandburg Elementary.
- Resolution Run 2024: Please talk to Jin if you’d like to join our Anchor & Hope team for a 5k/10k on Saturday, January 13th.
- Monday, January 15th: Pastor Dan has been invited to share the closing intentions at the All Peoples Celebration on MLK Day in Balboa Park. Please visit allicancesd.org for more information.
- Women’s Retreat: February 2-3, 2024!
Anchor & Hope Church 