The Third Sunday of Easter
Centering Practice
We invite you to slow down, breathe, and connect with God, each other, and yourself.
Close your eyes and take a few deep breaths. Think about a word that symbolizes hope or flourishing for you. With your eyes closed, we invite you to hold your hands out in front of you, trusting God and using that word as a prayer for yourself and the world around you.
Call to Worship
Adapted from the Brief Statement of Faith
In life and in death, we belong to God.
Through the transforming grace of our risen Lord,
the steadfast love of God,
and the faithful presence of the Holy Spirit,
We are brought from darkness into light,
called to live and share the resurrection.
Amen.
Worship Song
Sound of Adoration / How Can I Keep from Singing
How can I keep from singing Your praise
How can I ever say enough
How amazing is Your love
How can I keep from shouting Your name
I know I am loved by the King
And it makes my heart want to sing
When we were lost ones
You were the Shepherd that carried us home
When we were prodigals
You ran to meet us with open arms
And we can’t hold back our praise
When we were refugees
You were the One who took us in
When we were enemies
You paid the price for all our sin
And we can’t hold back our praise
This is the sound of adoration
Oh, how we love You
Jesus, we love You
You are the joy of all creation
Oh, how we love You
Jesus, we love You
You are the Risen One
You conquered death and made a way
You sang our freedom song
Now we are dancing on our chains
And we can’t hold back our praise
You Hold It All Together
You come at the right time
When I least expect it
Never behind
So why would I be surprised
When You deliver every time?
On mountaintops, You stay the same
On valley low, You never change
And I believe that I will see
The goodness of the Lord
I’m confident as seasons change
Your faithfulness remains
You go, You go before me
To prepare a blessing
You madе a way
It’s more than I could imagine
More than I can fathom
Or comprehend
God of my present
God of my future
You write my story
You hold it all together
Prayer of Confession
Risen Christ,
We are thankful and amazed
at Your goodness all around us.
We bring to you all we carry:
Heavy burdens and lingering anxiety;
Unspoken hopes and dreams of what could be;
Sorrow, joy, and everything in-between;
Hear us, O God, we pray:
— Moment of silent prayer —
God of new life,
Amend who we are
and set us free to begin anew —
with You and with one another.
Amen.
Assurance of God’s Love
Prayers of the People
We will pray silently in embodied prayer today. As we close our eyes, I will lift up a prayer topic and invite you to a specific way of embodying that prayer:
- For those living under our household, in all of the concerns we see and in all of those we cannot see (hands to heart)
- For our local communities where we live, study, work, and play (palms upward in our laps)
- For our nation and the many concerns arising in our world today (hands held upward)
- For the Church worldwide to be faithful witnesses & advocates of Christ’s love and justice (stand together)
- For those suffering from violence, hatred, war, and pain around our world (arms crossed to shoulders)
Communion
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!
- Art & Faith Camp: Let’s continue to pray for this great day of creativity, faith, and outreach coming up on Sunday, May 25th from 1:00 to 4:00 pm. Please take a flyer and share with your friends! Also, please talk to Ann Leong if you’d like to help out!
- Church Without Walls: We will have a CWOW gathering on Sunday, June 15th. More details to follow soon!
- 10:02 Prayer: Our staff team and core team will be praying daily at 10:02 for our church, our communities, and our world (based on Luke 10:1-2) from now to Advent. If you’d like, we invite you to set a reminder to join us in prayer — whether in the morning or evening!
Passing of the Peace
Let’s greet each other at this time!
Family Praise
Shine (From the Inside Out)
Scripture Reading
Acts 9:1-6
1 Meanwhile Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any who belonged to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. 3 Now as he was going along and approaching Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. 4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” 5 He asked, “Who are you, Lord?” The reply came, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. 6 But get up and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.”
Reader: This is the Word of the Lord.
Together: Thanks be to God.
Sermon
Transformation is Possible
Pastor Dan
Reflection questions:
- How have you been transformed by the love of Christ in small or large ways?
- Key Question: What kinds of transformation do you see?
From ________ to ________ - Acts 9:1-20 • Psalm 30 • John 21:1-19
Worship Song
Have My Heart / Here’s My Heart
Here’s my heart Lord
Here’s my heart Lord
Here’s my heart Lord
Speak what is true
You love with no reservations
You’re not looking for perfection
And there’s no need in me pretending
I’ll give You everything
I’ll give You everything
You deserve my full attention
Nothing less than my devotion
Oh, speak to me and I will listen
I’ll give You everything
I’ll give You everything
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
You can have my heart
You can have my heart
Be the Lord of my emotions
Set me free from selfish motives
And search me ’til there’s nothing hidden
And I’ll give You everything
Yes, I’ll give You everything
My heart is Yours forever
My heart is Yours forever
Anchor & Hope Church 