The Fifth Sunday in Lent
Centering Practice
We invite you to slow down, breathe, and connect with God, each other, and yourself. Begin by taking a couple of slow, deep breaths. For today’s practice, we’re going to center ourselves in joy
- With your eyes closed, remember a moment of joy (it could be recent or in the past, big or small)
- Think about who you were with, what did you see, smell, and hear?
- Give that joyful memory a short nickname so you can access it through the ups & downs of this week
Call to Worship
Adapted from Cole Arthur Riley
As we journey together through Lent,
we remember this sacred truth:
We are born of dust and ash and dirt;
brought to life by the breath of God.
We are not what we once were.
The steadfast love of God guides us,
even through the wilderness. Amen.
Worship Songs
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
Beautiful One
Wonderful, so wonderful
Is Your unfailing love
Your cross has spoken mercy over me
No eye has seen, no ear has heard
No heart could fully know
How glorious, how beautiful you are
Beautiful One, I love You
Beautiful One, I adore
Beautiful One, my soul must sing
Powerful, so powerful
Your glory fills the skies
Your mighty works displayed for all to see
The beauty of Your majesty
Awakes my heart to sing
How marvelous, how wonderful You are
You opened my eyes to Your wonders anew
You captured my heart with this love
Because nothing on earth is as beautiful as You
My soul, my soul must sing
My soul, my soul must sing
My soul, my soul must sing
Beautiful One
Prayer of Confession
Faithful God who travels with us
and sustains us through every wilderness:
Our weary world cries out to You;
our worrying hearts reach out for You;
Renew our lives and the world You love;
Hear us, O God, we pray:
— Moment of silent prayer —
More than those who watch for the morning,
we wait upon You, O God.
Amen.
Assurance of God’s Love
Prayers of the People
A collect from our community, written by Ann Leong
Omnipresent God,
Alpha and Omega,
Beginning and End,
Jesus, who promised
to be with us to the end of the ages,
Spirit, who hovered over the waters
at creation and breathed life into our lungs,
When the news feels overwhelming;
When the heat drains our energy;
When our hearts feel empty and alone;
and
When we read of and see good things happening;
When laughter brings us life;
When we sense joy in the small connections —
like a greeting from a neighbor
or in the shared wonder of a child
Remind us of Your presence in all these times,
that we may be filled with gratitude
And so that we may be empowered
to join You in Your work of redemption
even when it seems hard
Through the grace of the One
who reminds us that all is gift.
Amen.
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!
- Lenten Community Prayer: Throughout Lent, we will gather every Wednesday at 8:00 pm for a 15 minute Zoom prayer meeting.
- College Ministry Gathering: Today after service! Please talk to our Director of Worship Engagement, Kathy Lee, for more details!
- Palm Sunday: Next Sunday (March 29th), we invite you to wear something green as we celebrate together!
- Good Friday: We will have a special night of interactive prayer & worship on Good Friday, April 3rd at 7:00 pm here at Sandburg Elementary.
- Easter Egg Donations: Please bring donations of filled easter eggs for our Easter egg hunt on Sunday, April 5th. Talk to our Director of Children’s Ministry, Ann Leong, if you have any questions.
- Meal Packing Event: In partnership with Feeding San Diego, we will host a meal packing event after service on Sunday, May 3rd.
- We will send out information about the 6 different recipes and invite you to bring ingredients for those recipes to donate.
- That Sunday, we will assemble the ingredients in clear bags with recipe cards — and we’ll share a meal that day from those recipes as well!
- Interview Requests: Linda is conducting a study that aims to investigate how Korean American women pastors uniquely shape the theological and political subjectivity formation of their congregants. Linda would love to hear your experiences regarding our church life, adversities you’ve faced pertaining to race and/or gender, church leadership, and civic participation. Interviews will be anonymous, and will last about an hour. Please talk to Linda today if you’d like to volunteer!
- Youth Group Bible Study: Today right after the Blessing of the Children with Uncle Will!
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
Mercies (New Every Morning)
In brokenness and wandering
Through all my fear and unbelief
Your faithfulness appears to me again
Through mountain top and valley low
In every season, this I know
Your goodness, like the dawn, will break again
All Your mercies rising
In this heart again
And my soul begins to sing
They are new every morning
New every morning
Great is Your faithfulness
Your mercies are new every morning
New every morning
Great is Your faithfulness
Every good and perfect gift
In Your endless grace You give
Flowing from the Father’s heart to mine
Beams of heaven as I go
Through this wilderness below
The fullness of Your love for all of time
Scripture Reading
Philippians 4:4-7
4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. 5 Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
This is the Word of the Lord.
Together: Thanks be to God.
Sermon
Practices You Should Know:
Celebration & Remembrance
Pastor Jeya
Discussion questions
- Share: what’s something you want to celebrate about yourself?
- Declare: “Thank you, God, for your work in _________!”
Worship Song
Promises
God from age to age
Though the earth may pass away
Your word remains the same
Your history can prove
There’s nothing You can’t do
You’re faithful and true
Though the storms may come
And the winds may blow
I’ll remain steadfast
And let my heart learn
When You speak a word
It will come to pass
Great is Your faithfulness to me
Great is Your faithfulness to me
From the rising sun to the setting same
I will praise Your name
Great is Your faithfulness to me
I put my faith in Jesus
My anchor to the ground
My hope and firm foundation
He’ll never let me down
Anchor & Hope Church 