Centering Practice
- We invite you to slow down, breathe, and connect with God, each other, and yourself
- For the next month, our community will be exploring themes of healing. Take a few moments to show yourself some care in a way that you’re asking God for healing
Call to Worship
God is doing a new thing,
making a way in the wilderness
and creating streams of Living Water
in the wasteland.
God has created and formed us,
calling us precious, honored, and loved.
We receive the love of Christ
and share it with our neighbors near and far.
Amen.
Worship Song
Oh Our Lord
We behold the breaking dawn
The light that shines over everyone
We look to You, we long for You, oh Lord
We behold the rising sun
The earth awaits, Your hope has come
We look to You, we long for You, oh Lord
Oh, oh, oh, our Lord
Oh, oh, oh, our Lord
How majestic is Your name in all the earth
We behold the falling rain
Like waters rise, flood this place
We reach for You, we cling to You, oh Lord
Oh, Your name is a light in the darkness
Oh, Your name is the word of truth
Oh Your name, oh Your name
Kingdom Come
God, let Your kingdom come
May Your will be done
God, let Your kingdom come
Earth is groaning and we are longing
For Your kingdom to come
All creation and all of heaven
Join their voices as one
Hope is stirring, joy arising
As we look to the day
When all injustice will bow
And every voice will cry out
Holy is Your name
Lift up your heads, all the weak and the poor
The Lord is at hand and His kingdom is yours
Lift up your hearts, all who suffer and mourn
The Lord is at hand and His kingdom is yours
Lift up your eyes, all who hunger for more
The Lord is at hand and His kingdom is yours
Lift up a shout, let the earth hear your voice
The Lord is at hand and His kingdom is yours
I will build my life upon Your love
It is a firm foundation
I will put my trust in You alone
And I will not be shaken
Prayer of Confession
God of restoration,
You are the Maker of a better world.
You are the Creator of transforming peace.
Turn our hearts outward to the world around us;
May Your perfect love drive out fear,
empowering us to join Your mission of hope.
Hear us, O God, we pray:
— Moment of silent prayer —
O Lord, our hope and trust,
Breathe life into our weary world
and into our hearts,
for Your glory and for the world You love.
Amen.
Assurance of God’s Love
Prayers of the People
After each phrase, we invite you to pray aloud and from your hearts,
Lord, have mercy:
For those suffering from violence, war, and natural disasters…
For our country and its leaders, to govern with wisdom and integrity…
For the Church worldwide, to act justly, to love mercy,
and to walk humbly with You…
For ourselves and our loved ones,
to be strengthened, healed, and renewed…
For our friends who need to know Your love
and the friendship of our Anchor & Hope community…
Amen.
Offering Prayer
Announcements
- Thanks for worshiping with us today! We hope you experience meaningful connection with God and others in our community. If you’re visiting for the first time today, we’d love to get to know you better. Please take home a visitor’s card with QR code so that we can stay in touch & build a relationship!
- Director of Children’s Ministry: We are so glad to welcome our newest staff member, Ann Leong, as our Director of Children’s Ministry! Let’s take a moment to thank God and to pray for her as she begins this new chapter of life and ministry with us.
- Monthly Prayer Walk: We will meet in the parking lot of Sandburg Elementary this Saturday, February 1st at 9:00 am for our first prayer walk of 2025! We’ll also have a group participating in a Prayer Run for those interested!
- Church Without Walls: Next Sunday, February 2nd, we will not gather at Sandburg but will have a Church Without Walls gathering at the EcoVivarium in Escondido at 10:30 am! Suggested donation of $20/person to cover the costs of admission
- Special thanks to the Kim family: The UC Kim’s are celebrating Soren’s birthday by providing lunch today!
- Coffee with PJ & PD: We’d love to meet you for a cup of coffee soon! Please reach out to connect!
- Thank You Cho Family: And thanks to our Youth Group for the beautiful Valentine’s Cards you made yesterday!
Passing of the Peace
Let’s greet each other at this time!
Family Praise
Ask Seek Knock
Worship Song
Isaiah Song w You Are Good
Oh, oh, oh
You are good
And Your mercy endures forever
Sing, sing oh barren land
Water is coming to the thirsty
Though we are empty, You are the well
We draw from You and You will provide
This is the Word of the Lord, our Creator
God stands from age to age
The ancient of days
God, You’re the Holy One
The Fairest of ten thousand
And those who call upon Your name
They shall be saved
We won’t fear
For You will be our song
You’re the river in the desert
Pouring Your Spirit on the broken
Giving beauty for our ashes
Joy for our sadness, heaven’s open
Scripture Reading
Numbers 21:1-9
1 When the Canaanite, the king of Arad, who lived in the Negeb, heard that Israel was coming by the way of Atharim, he fought against Israel and took some of them captive. 2 Then Israel made a vow to the Lord and said, “If you will indeed give this people into our hands, then we will utterly destroy their towns.” 3 The Lord listened to the voice of Israel and handed over the Canaanites, and they utterly destroyed them and their towns; so the place was called Hormah.
4 From Mount Hor they set out by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom, but the people became discouraged on the way. 5 The people spoke against God and against Moses, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we detest this miserable food.” 6 Then the Lord sent poisonous snakes among the people, and they bit the people, so that many Israelites died. 7 The people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned by speaking against the Lord and against you; pray to the Lord to take away the snakes from us.” So Moses prayed for the people. 8 And the Lord said to Moses, “Make a poisonous snake, and set it on a pole, and everyone who is bitten shall look at it and live.” 9 So Moses made a snake of bronze and put it upon a pole, and whenever a snake bit someone, that person would look at the snake of bronze and live.
Reader: This is the Word of the Lord.
Together: Thanks be to God.
Sermon
Hope in Unexpected Places
Pastor Jeya
Discussion Time:
Share a picture on your phone that represents one (or more!) of these things:
- Mystery and the everyday coming together
- God’s presence
- Hope in an unexpected place
Worship Song
The Kingdom is Yours
Blessed are the ones who do not bury
All the broken pieces of their heart
Blessed are the tears of all the weary
Pouring like a sky of falling stars
Blessed are the wounded ones in mourning
Brave enough to show the Lord their scars
Blessed are the hurts that are not hidden
Open to the healing touch of God
The Kingdom is yours, the Kingdom is yours
Hold on a little more, this is not the end
Hope is in the Lord, keep your eyes on Him
And blessed are the ones who walk in kindness
Even in the face of great abuse
Blessed are the deeds that go unnoticed
Serving with unguarded gratitude
And blessed are the ones who fight for justice
Longing for the coming day of peace
Blessed is the soul that thirsts for righteousness
Welcoming the last, the lost, the least
Blessed are the ones who suffer violence
And still have strength to love their enemies
Blessed is the faith of those who persevere
Though they fall, they’ll never know defeat
Anchor & Hope Church 