Sunday Worship Bulletin

Call to Worship

Inspired by Exodus 17:1-7

Come, all who thirst;
come to the water!
You who long for the water of life;
come and drink!
Dip your soul in the river of God’s goodness;
quench your thirst at God’s well of grace.
For God is here among us,
offering living water to all who are thirsty.
Let us worship God together.
Amen.

Worship Song

All Who Are Thirsty

All who are thirsty
All who are weak
Come to the fountain
Dip your heart in the stream of life

Let the pain and the sorrow
be washed away
In the waves of His mercy
As deep cries out to deep

Come, Lord Jesus, come
Come, Lord Jesus, come
Come, Lord Jesus, come

Living Water, flow
Living Water, flow
Living Water, flow

Prayer of Confession

Adapted from re:worship

God of living water,
we confess the dryness of our lives.
When Your people cried out in the desert,
hungry and thirsty,
You gave them bread from heaven,
and brought forth water from the rock.

Free us from our greed, O God.
Pound righteousness from our stony hearts,
like water from a rock,
that our neighbors may find life
and our lives might once more be full.
Hear our confession, O Christ,
and rain down Your mercy upon us.

— Moment of silent prayer & confession —

God of all creation,
You give us all we need to live and flourish.
Through Your Holy Spirit,
speak the words we need to hear.
We honor You, Source, Saviour, and Spirit of Life,
one God, now and forever.
Amen.

Assurance of Forgiveness

Led by Pastor Dan So

Friends, hear the good news of Jesus Christ:
God continually shows us another way.
God’s mercy is as wide as the ocean.
God’s desire to forgive is as strong as the mighty wind.
So let your hearts receive the outpouring of God’s love
through the Holy Spirit.
Thanks be to God. Amen!

Prayers of the People

Adapted from Come to the Waters

Faithful God,
in Isaiah You proclaim:
The poor and needy search for water,
but there is none;
their tongues are parched with thirst.
But I the Lord will answer them;
I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them.
Hear our prayers for all who suffer:

For those who are refugees,
exiles from home;
For those who are hungry,
unsure of their next meal;
For those who are thirsty,
longing for life-giving water;

For those who are sad and troubled,
whose hearts break for want of hope;
For those whose faith is weak,
who feel abandoned or lost.
Faithful God, hear our prayers.

— Moment of silent prayer & intercession —

God who will not forsake us,
be near to all who need You today.
May all the world know
Your faithfulness and love.
Amen.

Passing of the Peace

Together

Greet one another and/or send a text message to someone either from our Anchor City Community or someone who needs God’s peace this day!

Scripture Reading

Psalm 46

¹ God is our refuge and strength,
    a very present help in trouble.
² Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change,
    though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea,
³ though its waters roar and foam,
    though the mountains tremble with its tumult. Selah

⁴ There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
    the holy habitation of the Most High.
⁵ God is in the midst of the city; it shall not be moved;
    God will help it when the morning dawns.
⁶ The nations are in an uproar; the kingdoms totter;
    he utters his voice; the earth melts.
⁷ The Lord of hosts is with us;
    the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah

⁸ Come, behold the works of the Lord;
    see what desolations he has brought on the earth.
⁹ He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
    he breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
    he burns the shields with fire.
¹⁰ “Be still, and know that I am God!
    I am exalted among the nations;
    I am exalted in the earth.”
¹¹ The Lord of hosts is with us;
    the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah

Presider: This is the Word of the Lord.
All: Thanks be to God!

Sermon

Pastor Jeya So

This Is Water

Reflection Questions:

• Why do you think this person wrote this Psalm? What do you think their lives were like at the time they wrote it?
• How do you think this person came to the conclusion that they came to?
• What kind of pictures or imagery come to mind as you read it?
• What verses stand out to you?
• What questions come to mind as you read it? What questions do you have for God as you read it? (Try to come up with at least 1 question)

Active Response: The River of Life

There is a river of life whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells.

Imagine your life as a river. You will draw a river of your life as a prayer: as a way of listening and speaking to God. Draw a river from one edge to the other. This river won’t start at birth, but rather from about 3 years ago. In the middle somewhere, will be the present, and then final part of it will be the future. Draw your life over the last 3 years in the river.

• What were significant events (and yes, covid will be one of them)?
• What were tributaries – that is things that had influence that flowed into your life over the last 3 years: people, events, etc. that had impact in your life? (Some may be bigger, some may be smaller).
• You can make landmarks – islands in the river, objects along the river banks, obstructions to the flow, twists, etc. to represent the different people, places, events, in these past three years
• Ask God to reveal to you how God was with you during these times, how and what God spoke to you, where God blessed you, and even those moments where you might have felt far from God.
• When you come to the future part of your river, draw what your river might need for you to live into the fullness of life that God has created us for. Is it presence? rest? space? adventure? resources? relationships? Is there anything growing on the banks of the river? Does the river flow into bigger of body of water which is the future?
• Pray to God for these things as you look to the future.

Announcements

Women’s Bible Study

This summer Bible study with Pastor Jeya starts this Wednesday, June 29th.

Church Without Walls (on a boat!)

Next Sunday, July 3rd, we will not meet at the church building. Instead, for those of us who are in town, we will worship together on a boat! Taro has made his boat available to our church for several hours that day. We will let you know about costs and schedule soon.

And for those who are traveling, we will provide a worship liturgy for you!

Baptisms

If you or your children haven’t been baptized before, but would like to be, please talk to Pastor Jeya today! We can also work with you for a special reaffirmation of your baptismal covenant if you’ve been baptized before but would like to rededicate your life as a follower of Jesus in community with our church.

Worship Song

There is Joy in the Lord

There is joy in the Lord
There is love in His Spirit
There is hope in the knowledge of Him

There’s a fountain that flows
like a river from heaven
Abounding in love to my soul

All blessing and honor are His
All glory and power are His
Let all wisdom and strength
be the Lord’s in this place
Let all glory be given to Him

There is joy in the Lord
There is love in His Spirit
There is hope in the knowledge of Him

There’s a fountain that flows
Every time I am near it
My heart overflows to the Lord
My heart overflows to the Lord

Benediction

Led by Pastor Jeya So

Being sent with God’s blessing into the world
to join Jesus’ mission of redemption

Fellowship and Conversation

Together

We will hang out if you’re available!