Centering Practice
We invite you to slow down, breathe, and connect with God, each other, and yourself. Begin by closing our eyes and taking several slow, deep breaths.
- As we transition into this time & space of worship, remember that Jesus is our constant and our anchor
- Put your feet flat on the floor, place your hands on top of your knees, and gently put weight down so you can feel your feet grounded to the earth
Call to Worship
Jesus invites us to this place,
to be authentic and open-hearted.
God is our Creator,
and the Author of Life.
May the Spirit mold and shape us
into a brand new creation. Amen.
Worship Songs
Here For You
Let our praise be Your welcome
Let our songs be a sign
We are here for You, we are here for You
Let Your breath come from heaven
Fill our hearts with Your life
We are here for You, we are here for You
To You our hearts are open
Nothing here is hidden
You are our one desire
You alone are holy
Only You are worthy
God, let Your fire fall down
Let our shout be Your anthem
Your renown fill the skies
We are here for You, we are here for You
Let Your Word move in power
Let what’s dead come to life
We are here for You, we are here for You
We welcome You with praise
We welcome You with praise
Almighty God of love
Be welcomed in this place
Let every heart adore
Let every soul awake
Almighty God of love
Be welcomed in this place
Sound of Adoration
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
By the cross, I am free
Your grace changes everything
I was blind, now I see
Your grace changes everything
Prayer of Confession
Holy God,
like the sun that rises each day,
Your love & justice break through darkness.
For the anxiety that disorders our hearts;
For the sorrow and pain we all carry;
Hear us, O God, we pray:
— Moment of silent prayer —
God of our calling,
strengthen us to follow Your ways
of justice, wisdom, and love.
Amen.
Assurance of God’s Love
Prayers of the People
Based on the Collects from the Book of Common Prayer. Please pray out loud with one voice the words that are italicized
O God, who has taught us
that love is the greatest command,
For all of Your people,
together we pray:
Gift us with Your love
through Your Spirit;
Guide us with clarity
through clouds of anxiety & fear:
Grant us the true bond of peace
and of all virtue;
Through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with You,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. 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!
- College Ministry Gathering: After service today with Kathy (this includes our seniors who will enter college this upcoming fall!).
- Church Without Walls: Next Sunday, February 15th, we will have a special CWOW gathering here at Sandburg at 10:30 am to celebrate the Lunar New Year and to help mark the beginning of the season of Lent. The good folks at Amazing Mini Miracles will bring mini-horses in a corral in the courtyard and teach us a little bit about their animals! Please feel free to invite friends who you think might be interested!
- Lenten Community Prayer: Starting on Ash Wednesday, February 18th and going throughout the season of Lent, we will have a 15 minute Zoom prayer gathering each Wednesday at 8:00 pm.
- Reset Sunday: Our next Reset Sunday will be March 8th. Usually, our Reset Sundays are the last Sunday of the month with five Sundays, but that falls on Palm Sunday (when we will gather as a community!).
- Run/Walk Club: We will host a run/walk at Lake Miramar on Saturday, March 14th. If you’re interested, please talk to Jin today! There’s also a 5k on Sunday, March 15th.
Passing of the Peace
Let’s greet each other at this time!
Blessing of the Children
Go in peace and go in joy;
Filled with wonder for this day.
Go in faith and go in love;
God will guide you on your way!
Worship Song
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
In valleys 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
And I believe that I will see
The goodness of the Lord
I’m confident as seasons change
Your faithfulness remains
Scripture Reading
Isaiah 58:1-12
1 Shout it aloud, do not hold back.
Raise your voice like a trumpet.
Declare to my people their rebellion
and to the descendants of Jacob their sins.
2 For day after day they seek me out;
they seem eager to know my ways,
as if they were a nation that does what is right
and has not forsaken the commands of its God.
They ask me for just decisions
and seem eager for God to come near them.
3 ‘Why have we fasted,’ they say,
‘and you have not seen it?
Why have we humbled ourselves,
and you have not noticed?’
“Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please
and exploit all your workers.
4 Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife,
and in striking each other with wicked fists.
You cannot fast as you do today
and expect your voice to be heard on high.
5 Is this the kind of fast I have chosen,
only a day for people to humble themselves?
Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed
and for lying in sackcloth and ashes?
Is that what you call a fast,
a day acceptable to the Lord?
6 “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
and break every yoke?
7 Is it not to share your food with the hungry
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter —
when you see the naked, to clothe them,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
8 Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness will go before you,
and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.
9 Then you will call, and the Lord will answer;
you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.
“If you do away with the yoke of oppression,
with the pointing finger and malicious talk,
10 and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
then your light will rise in the darkness,
and your night will become like the noonday.
11 The Lord will guide you always;
he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
and will strengthen your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
like a spring whose waters never fail.
12 Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins
and will raise up the age-old foundations;
you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls,
Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.
This is the Word of the Lord.
Together: Thanks be to God.
Sermon
Practices You Should Know:
Fasting
Pastor Jeya
Worship Song
Send the Rain
Lord, we come to You
Now with open hands
Broken lives and dreams
Washed up on the sand
We’ve been beaten down
But still we choose to stand
We choose to stand
Lord, we long for You
For Your hand to move
Heal this barren land
Come and make it new
Jesus, You’re the life
That is breaking through
You’re breaking through
The saints of old in ancient days
They worked the ground
that we reap from today
So use our hands to cultivate
The harvest that
our children’s children taste
We’re ready God, so send the rain
Lord, we’ll follow You
To unbroken earth
On the path not used
Where new hope is birthed
We will work as one
Holding to Your truth
To Your truth
Heal the ruined cities
We destroyed with our own hands
Bring us back together
Let us see the promised land
Pour out Your Spirit
On this dry and thirsty ground
O God of the harvest
Could it be right here and now
Could it be right here and now
Open up the heavens,
let Your rain fall down
We are thirsty, we are thirsty
Anchor & Hope Church 