Anderson had not played since suffering a side strain in the third Ashes Test in July, but he had Sri Lankan star Kumar Sangakkara caught at second slip.
Surrey, five points ahead in the race for the Division Two title, were lifted by left-handed opener Zafar Ansari.
The 23-year-old hit 11 boundaries but was caught by a diving Anderson on 99.
Ansari, who made his England debut in the one-day international against Ireland that was abandoned in Dublin in May, has been tipped for a place in the squad which is named on Tuesday for the Test and one-day matches against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates beginning next month.
Anderson, 33, became his country's leading Test wicket-taker in April and his first seven-over spell brought figures of 0-20.
However, in the second over of his return to the attack he dismissed prolific left-hander Sangakkara for nine.
Ansari shared 89 for the opening wicket with Rory Burns and looked set for his second century of the season only to be snared at short cover by the athletic Anderson, while Steven Davies (32 not out) guided the leaders to a second bonus point before bad light and rain ended proceedings for the day.
James Anderson told BBC Radio Lancashire:
"They were decent conditions for bowling in the morning and on another day we could have had two or three.
"It was great to be back out there and nice to put the Red Rose on again. When you've been injured that first day is pretty crucial and you want to get through it unscathed.
"It's been nice to do that, although I dread to think how my body will feel in the morning. There's not much time when we get out to the UAE so it's nice to get the opportunity here to get some overs in."
Surrey batsman Zafar Ansari told BBC London 94.9:
"It's not the easiest wicket to start on, so to be where we are is a good place to start and we can build from it.
"I wanted a century but if I hadn't scored a hundred last week, I'd have felt a bit bitter about it. It was a great catch and I'm pleased to get 99.
"We want to score as many as we can and then if we can bat well once we can put pressure on them."
England bowler James Anderson returned from injury with a wicket and a superb catch, but Surrey had the better of the opening day to close on 262-4.