Signs?
Children's sermon
Illustration
Preaching
Sermon
Worship
Object:
Dear fellow preachers,
The most popular movie in the nation this past week was Signs, starring Mel Gibson. Among the churchgoers we've talked too, some found it fascinating, while others were either bored or thought it was too far fetched. There seems to be no middle ground. In any case, the movie has sparked some interesting conversations among people of faith.
For this week's installment from The Immediate Word (TIW) -- a think tank of pastors assembled by CSS Publishing -- we've asked TIW team member George L. Murphy, a pastor on the staff of St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Akron, Ohio, to write a piece based on the movie and the Old Testament text from the Revised Common Lectionary. Holding a Ph.D. in physics from Johns Hopkins University plus a theological degree, George has been widely published in both scientific and religious journals. And in his book, Toward a Christian View of a Scientific World, George even has a chapter called "Religious Themes in Science Fiction."
We also included worship resources by Chuck Cammarata and a children's sermon by Wesley Runk. Feel free to use and adapt this material in your church this Sunday.
SIGNS?
By George L. Murphy
Exodus 14:19-31
Signs is one of this summer's hit movies, starring Mel Gibson. He is a priest who has left the ministry after an accident in which his wife was killed, an event that seems to have destroyed his faith. He's living with his two small children and his brother on a farm. Then circles and other strange markings begin to appear in his cornfield.1
The film doesn't have to explain about these circles because they've been in the news off and on in the real world since they started appearing in England in the 80s. Some people think that they're the result of UFO landings or something of the sort, but for the past 10 years they've been considered a hoax since a couple of Englishmen demonstrated how they made the circles.
Still, there continue to be believers who think that the circles were made by aliens. Because -- well, because for one reason a lot of people feel very lonely in this huge, ancient, expanding universe that science has disclosed to us. It's hard for them to believe in traditional religion in this context, but terrible to think that we're all alone in emptiness. It would be comforting to know that there were other intelligent species in the universe -- perhaps even if they were hostile.
So we think we know what's going on in the film when the crop circles appear, and television begins to show mysterious saucer-like lights hovering over the world's cities. The crop markings are indeed signs, landing markers for an alien invasion.
But this isn't just one more "War of the Worlds" or "Independence Day." There are other signs, more subtle signs -- or coincidences, if you insist. And we realize that the real crisis is not just another threat to people's lives. Cancer or gunshot can kill you as effectively as a hostile alien. The real crisis is what has happened, and what will happen, to the priest's faith. And in the end -- well, that's why you should see the movie.
In our reading from Exodus, a strong east wind drives the sea back and makes a path for the Hebrew slaves to escape from the Egyptian army. It was a sign of God's favor, the Lord's way of liberating his people. Or was it? Perhaps it was just a coincidental timing of the weather. Maybe Israel was just lucky.
People often look for signs to show them what to believe or what to do, or how to get what they need. "If only God would give me a sign!" And sometimes we get signs we didn't asked for, or even want.
For us, for whom those images of the Twin Towers crashing to the ground are still vivid -- was that a sign of divine wrath or of something else? Are there any signs of hope in today's world or are we on our own, left to work things out among ourselves?
The problem is that signs are usually ambiguous, and we can read what we want into them. There's an old story of a farmer who had been asking God for a sign to tell him what he should be doing with his life. One morning he looked up in the sky and saw clouds forming perfect letters "PC." "Preach Christ!" he exclaimed. "That's what God wants me to do." And he was all set to sell the farm and go into the ministry until one of his neighbors pointed out that the letters "PC" could just as well mean "Plant corn."
It's not surprising that signs seem ambiguous. A sign can bring someone to faith -- but only if that person is in some sense open to faith. If you think you already know the answer, you won't let a sign point you anywhere else.
The Bible is full of signs, and of people asking for them. In the Gospel of John, all the miraculous things that Jesus does -- turning water into wine, raising Lazarus from the dead and all the rest, are called "signs." "Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him." It sounds like a dream come true for the people who say, "If only God would give me a sign!" But it doesn't seem to work that way. At the end of Jesus' ministry we're told of the crowds that "Although he had performed so many signs in their presence, they did not believe in him."
And those who demand that Jesus give them a sign from heaven get a blunt answer. "An evil and adulterous generation asks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it." No sign, that is, "except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so for three days and three nights the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth." The only sign you will get is Christ in the tomb.
Speeches at graduations are usually pretty forgettable, but I remember vividly one line from the address at my seminary graduation. "At some points in your ministry you will ask God for a sign, and the only sign you will get is the sign of Jonah." It's something we all need to be reminded of. What we get is the sign of death and resurrection, out of slavery into freedom, through the sea to the Promised Land.
That is a sign of hope, and not just because of the possibility of resurrection. We grab hold of the idea of resurrection too quickly anyway. The sign of Jonah is first of all the sign of death, of the Son of Man in the heart of the earth. It points to the truth that God has come into our world to share in our human condition, in the evils that our sin brings upon us, in our suffering and our dying. There is a good reason why the fundamental sign that marks Christian churches, the sign that we use most in worship, is the cross. It is a sign that points us to the true cross upon which the Son of God died, and it reminds us of his words to us that we must be prepared to take up our crosses and follow him.
The cross points us to the reality of God. People often talk rather glibly about God -- God wills this or that, God rewards or punishes, and so forth. "I can't believe a God would allow that," they say when some disaster happens. "If only God would give me a sign." But what God are we talking about?
The Christian claim is that God is made known in the death and resurrection of Christ, so that the cross is the sign of God. If you want to know where God is at work, look first for that sign, for the cross-like events of the world. "The Son of God was crucified for all and for everything," St. Irenaeus said, "having traced the sign of the cross on all things."2 God is active in the world, in solidarity with those who fail and suffer and die, so that none of their pains need be without hope.
In the light of the cross we read our text from Exodus and see in the blast of the east wind the work of God bringing his people out of slavery to freedom. In the light of the cross we look back at the events of September 11th and see -- well, we're probably still too close to that to read it very well. But it was surely not just the wrath of a vindictive deity, or the triumph of evil, or a guarantee of a trouble free life. God is active for life in the presence of destruction.
And in your own life, don't look just for the easy or obvious answers. Learn from the story of Jesus, from the whole of scripture, who God is. Then you will be better able to discern God's will for you. And bear in mind that often a sign of God's will is that you are led where you did not plan to go.
In order to read the signs, you have to keep your eyes and mind and heart open. And you have to look at things in the light that God gives.
Notes
1 More about the movie may be found on the Internet at http://bventertainment.go.com/movies/signs/index.html.
2 I am unable to locate the primary source for this quote, but believe it to be accurate.
Team Comments
Barb Schmitz responds: I like it a lot -- strong opening and good theology. The only suggestion I would make is that it gets "thick and theological" toward the end. I would circle it back to something from the movie towards the end. The ending still feels to me like, oops! It's over and I didn't know it was coming.
George Murphy responds to Barb: The comment that I conclude sermons too abruptly is one that I've gotten a number of times before from people I respect. On the other hand, I don't see such abruptness as necessarily being bad -- though one obviously has to be careful with how it is done. I see this as a legitimate difference of opinion (or perhaps taste).
Wesley Runk responds: I found Signs to be the slowest moving movie I have seen in a long time. I didn't like it but I never like the ideas we have of aliens.
The one thing that did cross my mind was about water. In the movie the water appears to destroy the life of the alien. Baptism is a cleansing, chosen as the symbol by God of renewing life. Only in the destruction of the alien and the saving of his children does the priest's faith return.
I understand that many times our faith only emerges when we have been through life-threatening situations. Even the best prepared, the theologically trained, those who served in Christ's name, fail when adversity strikes them personally. Here the priest sees God at work by the sealing off of his child's lungs to the poison of the alien. As you can see I am not much of a science fiction buff....
I look for more positive signs of God's presence even in the face of adversity. I very much identify though with the symbolism pointed up in the message. The Cross is the true symbol of our faith and not the empty tomb. The empty tomb is a bonus, not expected but certainly appreciated. It is the forgiving love of Christ that draws me to the eternal God.
Chuck Cammarata responds: In both your affirmation of the centrality of the cross, and in stating that the terrorist action of 9/11 was neither the work of a wrathful God nor the triumph of evil, I found myself wanting more. When you say, "What God are we talking about?" you might address the awesomeness of God, the inscrutability of God. What God are we talking about when we say things like "How could God allow 9/11?" Maybe Job's affirmations at the end of the book of Job might be appropriate here. One of the things I think the signs point to is the awesomeness of God. A God to whom our greatest expressions of power, nuclear weapons, are insignificant.
Additionally, you might talk a little more -- or illustrate somehow -- what specifically it means that the cross is central as we live in troubled times.
Stan Purdum responds: Having seen the movie, I would suggest that for dramatic effect, you quote the Gibson character's answer to his brother about whether we are alone to work things out in the universe. You clearly allude to that conversation in this sentence: "Are there any signs of hope in today's world or are we on our own, left to work things out among ourselves?" so describing the conversation isn't absolutely necessary, but I suspect listeners will get into it better if they can picture the two men sitting on the couch. You might even quote the brother's comment that led to the priest's response.
Worship Resources
By Chuck Cammarata
CALL TO WORSHIP
Leader: The Hummingbird's wings beat 70 times per second.
People: AMAZING!
Leader: The human heart beats 100,000 times per day.
People: ASTOUNDING.
Leader: The DNA in our bodies contains more information than the average library.
People: INCREDIBLE.
Leader: Sunrise and sunset.
People: GLORIOUS.
Leader: Stars in the night sky.
People: ASTONISHINGLY BEAUTIFUL.
Leader: True love.
People: MIRACULOUS.
Leader: Come, let us worship the God to whom all these signs point.
People: YES, LET US WORSHIP GOD.
As an alternative, Psalm 8 is a helpful reading in affirming the majesty of God and could also be used as a call to worship. You might use Eugene Peterson's The Message translation. I have adapted it here.
Leader: God, brilliant Lord,
People: YOURS IS A HOUSEHOLD NAME.
Leader: Nursing infants gurgle choruses about you;
People: TODDLERS SHOUT THE SONGS
Leader: That drown out enemy talk
People: AND SILENCE ATHEIST BABBLE.
Leader: I look up at your skies
People: DARK AND ENORMOUS,
Leader: Your handmade sky-jewelry.
People: MOON AND STARS MOUNTED IN THEIR SETTINGS.
Leader: Then I look at myself and wonder,
People: WHY DO YOU BOTHER WITH US?
Leader: Why take a second look our way?
People: YET WE HAVE SO NARROWLY MISSED BEING GODS,
Leader: Bright with Eden's dawn light.
People: GOD, BRILLIANT LORD,
Leader: Your name echoes around the world.
PRAYER OF CONFESSION
Leader: Standing on the rim of the Grand Canyon;
People: GAZING UP AT THE GRAND TETONS;
Leader: Listening to the raging of Niagara Falls;
People: OR THE POUNDING OF THE OCEAN SURF.
Leader: The screech of the hawk;
People: THE CRY OF THE WOLF;
Leader: The brilliance of the lightning bolt;
People: THE LAUGHTER OF THE INFANT.
Leader: Creator God, forgive us for our apathy in the face of all these.
People: AND REOPEN OUR EYES TO THE WONDER OF IT ALL.
Leader: That we might know your presence in the every day of life.
People: AMEN.
ASSURANCE OF PARDON
Leader: Our eyes have not seen, and our ears have not heard, but still God pours out grace and beauty richly. Let us be still, open ourselves, and know that God is God indeed.
People: AMEN.
HYMNS
This Is My Father's World
Morning Has Broken
I Sing The Mighty Power of God
All Creatures of Our God and King
How Great Thou Art
CHORUSES
How Majestic Is Your Name
As the Deer
My Life Is in You, Lord
VISUAL EFFECTS
Here's an idea for those who are willing to do something a little unusual: a sanctuary full of signs to reinforce the message. Congregants could be greeted by traffic signs made of cardboard -- Stop signs, Yield signs, One way, Thru traffic, Arrows, etc. Or -- a sanctuary full of a variety of crosses to remind us that the cross is THE sign.
A Children's Sermon
By Wesley Runk
Although our main piece is based on a text from Exodus, we chose a different text for the children's sermon. This one includes a sign most kids have seen.
Genesis 9: 12-15: God said, "This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: I have set my bow in the clouds, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, I will remember my covenant that is between me and you, and every living creature of all flesh, and the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh.
Object: A rainbow (You may want to paint one during your talk with the children or simply have one prepared before the service.)
Good morning, boys and girls. Today we are going to talk about signs. How many of you know what a sign is? (let them answer) Very good! A sign is something that tells us about something else, doesn't it? What is a stop sign? (let them answer) That's right, it tells people who are driving cars to stop at this corner. Why should they stop? (let them answer) That's right, so they don't have an accident. Stop signs are good signs, aren't they? What other kind of signs do you know about? (let them answer) Signs that tell us where we are, like the sign in front of a church or a store. These signs tell us that we are in the right place. There is a sign in front of our church that tells everyone that this is NAME Church. Do you know about other kinds of signs? (let them answer) Very good, there are signs that protect us from getting hurt or injured. Some signs say, "Danger" or "Stay Out" or "Poison," and when we read those signs we know that someone made a sign to protect us so that we would not get hurt.
I want to talk about another sign that God made that is beautiful and makes us feel very good. A long time ago people were very evil and they were causing a lot of trouble in the world and God tried to speak to them and make them change. But people were too busy for God. They thought they were having too much fun. They knew they were bad but they didn't care. All they wanted was things for themselves. They were selfish, hateful and harmed each other. God warned them many times but they would not listen. So God sent a warning that there was going to be a great flood, but almost no one paid any attention. One person did. Do you know who that person was? (let them answer) That's right, Noah. Noah and his family built a great ark and when the rain came they selected two of every animal and took some plants and food and got on the ark. When the rain started, people were still laughing at Noah and his family as they boarded the ark. But when the rain did not stop and the ark began to float they began to laugh a little less.
It rained and stormed for a long time and the earth was covered with water. You could not see any land. Many people who had been warned by God died, but Noah and his family lived on the ark. Now God needed to start over with his world and he spoke to Noah and Noah's family and made them a promise. He said he would send a sign of his promise to never again cause the earth to be filled with water. Do you know what that sign was? (let them answer) That's right, it was a rainbow. The rainbow is a sign of God's love for all of the people of the earth.
How many of you have ever seen a rainbow? (let them answer) Isn't a rainbow beautiful? It is a sign of love that God makes between him and people. People like you and me. So God told Noah that day that he was making a promise to be a loving God to all people who share his love with one another. A rainbow is a sign of God's love.
The next time you see a rainbow I want you to remember that God makes signs too, and his rainbow is a sign of his love. Amen
The Immediate Word, September 15, 2002, issue.
Copyright 2002 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to The Immediate Word service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons and in worship and classroom settings only. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to permissions@csspub.com or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., P.O. Box 4503, Lima, Ohio 45802-4503.
The most popular movie in the nation this past week was Signs, starring Mel Gibson. Among the churchgoers we've talked too, some found it fascinating, while others were either bored or thought it was too far fetched. There seems to be no middle ground. In any case, the movie has sparked some interesting conversations among people of faith.
For this week's installment from The Immediate Word (TIW) -- a think tank of pastors assembled by CSS Publishing -- we've asked TIW team member George L. Murphy, a pastor on the staff of St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Akron, Ohio, to write a piece based on the movie and the Old Testament text from the Revised Common Lectionary. Holding a Ph.D. in physics from Johns Hopkins University plus a theological degree, George has been widely published in both scientific and religious journals. And in his book, Toward a Christian View of a Scientific World, George even has a chapter called "Religious Themes in Science Fiction."
We also included worship resources by Chuck Cammarata and a children's sermon by Wesley Runk. Feel free to use and adapt this material in your church this Sunday.
SIGNS?
By George L. Murphy
Exodus 14:19-31
Signs is one of this summer's hit movies, starring Mel Gibson. He is a priest who has left the ministry after an accident in which his wife was killed, an event that seems to have destroyed his faith. He's living with his two small children and his brother on a farm. Then circles and other strange markings begin to appear in his cornfield.1
The film doesn't have to explain about these circles because they've been in the news off and on in the real world since they started appearing in England in the 80s. Some people think that they're the result of UFO landings or something of the sort, but for the past 10 years they've been considered a hoax since a couple of Englishmen demonstrated how they made the circles.
Still, there continue to be believers who think that the circles were made by aliens. Because -- well, because for one reason a lot of people feel very lonely in this huge, ancient, expanding universe that science has disclosed to us. It's hard for them to believe in traditional religion in this context, but terrible to think that we're all alone in emptiness. It would be comforting to know that there were other intelligent species in the universe -- perhaps even if they were hostile.
So we think we know what's going on in the film when the crop circles appear, and television begins to show mysterious saucer-like lights hovering over the world's cities. The crop markings are indeed signs, landing markers for an alien invasion.
But this isn't just one more "War of the Worlds" or "Independence Day." There are other signs, more subtle signs -- or coincidences, if you insist. And we realize that the real crisis is not just another threat to people's lives. Cancer or gunshot can kill you as effectively as a hostile alien. The real crisis is what has happened, and what will happen, to the priest's faith. And in the end -- well, that's why you should see the movie.
In our reading from Exodus, a strong east wind drives the sea back and makes a path for the Hebrew slaves to escape from the Egyptian army. It was a sign of God's favor, the Lord's way of liberating his people. Or was it? Perhaps it was just a coincidental timing of the weather. Maybe Israel was just lucky.
People often look for signs to show them what to believe or what to do, or how to get what they need. "If only God would give me a sign!" And sometimes we get signs we didn't asked for, or even want.
For us, for whom those images of the Twin Towers crashing to the ground are still vivid -- was that a sign of divine wrath or of something else? Are there any signs of hope in today's world or are we on our own, left to work things out among ourselves?
The problem is that signs are usually ambiguous, and we can read what we want into them. There's an old story of a farmer who had been asking God for a sign to tell him what he should be doing with his life. One morning he looked up in the sky and saw clouds forming perfect letters "PC." "Preach Christ!" he exclaimed. "That's what God wants me to do." And he was all set to sell the farm and go into the ministry until one of his neighbors pointed out that the letters "PC" could just as well mean "Plant corn."
It's not surprising that signs seem ambiguous. A sign can bring someone to faith -- but only if that person is in some sense open to faith. If you think you already know the answer, you won't let a sign point you anywhere else.
The Bible is full of signs, and of people asking for them. In the Gospel of John, all the miraculous things that Jesus does -- turning water into wine, raising Lazarus from the dead and all the rest, are called "signs." "Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him." It sounds like a dream come true for the people who say, "If only God would give me a sign!" But it doesn't seem to work that way. At the end of Jesus' ministry we're told of the crowds that "Although he had performed so many signs in their presence, they did not believe in him."
And those who demand that Jesus give them a sign from heaven get a blunt answer. "An evil and adulterous generation asks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it." No sign, that is, "except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so for three days and three nights the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth." The only sign you will get is Christ in the tomb.
Speeches at graduations are usually pretty forgettable, but I remember vividly one line from the address at my seminary graduation. "At some points in your ministry you will ask God for a sign, and the only sign you will get is the sign of Jonah." It's something we all need to be reminded of. What we get is the sign of death and resurrection, out of slavery into freedom, through the sea to the Promised Land.
That is a sign of hope, and not just because of the possibility of resurrection. We grab hold of the idea of resurrection too quickly anyway. The sign of Jonah is first of all the sign of death, of the Son of Man in the heart of the earth. It points to the truth that God has come into our world to share in our human condition, in the evils that our sin brings upon us, in our suffering and our dying. There is a good reason why the fundamental sign that marks Christian churches, the sign that we use most in worship, is the cross. It is a sign that points us to the true cross upon which the Son of God died, and it reminds us of his words to us that we must be prepared to take up our crosses and follow him.
The cross points us to the reality of God. People often talk rather glibly about God -- God wills this or that, God rewards or punishes, and so forth. "I can't believe a God would allow that," they say when some disaster happens. "If only God would give me a sign." But what God are we talking about?
The Christian claim is that God is made known in the death and resurrection of Christ, so that the cross is the sign of God. If you want to know where God is at work, look first for that sign, for the cross-like events of the world. "The Son of God was crucified for all and for everything," St. Irenaeus said, "having traced the sign of the cross on all things."2 God is active in the world, in solidarity with those who fail and suffer and die, so that none of their pains need be without hope.
In the light of the cross we read our text from Exodus and see in the blast of the east wind the work of God bringing his people out of slavery to freedom. In the light of the cross we look back at the events of September 11th and see -- well, we're probably still too close to that to read it very well. But it was surely not just the wrath of a vindictive deity, or the triumph of evil, or a guarantee of a trouble free life. God is active for life in the presence of destruction.
And in your own life, don't look just for the easy or obvious answers. Learn from the story of Jesus, from the whole of scripture, who God is. Then you will be better able to discern God's will for you. And bear in mind that often a sign of God's will is that you are led where you did not plan to go.
In order to read the signs, you have to keep your eyes and mind and heart open. And you have to look at things in the light that God gives.
Notes
1 More about the movie may be found on the Internet at http://bventertainment.go.com/movies/signs/index.html.
2 I am unable to locate the primary source for this quote, but believe it to be accurate.
Team Comments
Barb Schmitz responds: I like it a lot -- strong opening and good theology. The only suggestion I would make is that it gets "thick and theological" toward the end. I would circle it back to something from the movie towards the end. The ending still feels to me like, oops! It's over and I didn't know it was coming.
George Murphy responds to Barb: The comment that I conclude sermons too abruptly is one that I've gotten a number of times before from people I respect. On the other hand, I don't see such abruptness as necessarily being bad -- though one obviously has to be careful with how it is done. I see this as a legitimate difference of opinion (or perhaps taste).
Wesley Runk responds: I found Signs to be the slowest moving movie I have seen in a long time. I didn't like it but I never like the ideas we have of aliens.
The one thing that did cross my mind was about water. In the movie the water appears to destroy the life of the alien. Baptism is a cleansing, chosen as the symbol by God of renewing life. Only in the destruction of the alien and the saving of his children does the priest's faith return.
I understand that many times our faith only emerges when we have been through life-threatening situations. Even the best prepared, the theologically trained, those who served in Christ's name, fail when adversity strikes them personally. Here the priest sees God at work by the sealing off of his child's lungs to the poison of the alien. As you can see I am not much of a science fiction buff....
I look for more positive signs of God's presence even in the face of adversity. I very much identify though with the symbolism pointed up in the message. The Cross is the true symbol of our faith and not the empty tomb. The empty tomb is a bonus, not expected but certainly appreciated. It is the forgiving love of Christ that draws me to the eternal God.
Chuck Cammarata responds: In both your affirmation of the centrality of the cross, and in stating that the terrorist action of 9/11 was neither the work of a wrathful God nor the triumph of evil, I found myself wanting more. When you say, "What God are we talking about?" you might address the awesomeness of God, the inscrutability of God. What God are we talking about when we say things like "How could God allow 9/11?" Maybe Job's affirmations at the end of the book of Job might be appropriate here. One of the things I think the signs point to is the awesomeness of God. A God to whom our greatest expressions of power, nuclear weapons, are insignificant.
Additionally, you might talk a little more -- or illustrate somehow -- what specifically it means that the cross is central as we live in troubled times.
Stan Purdum responds: Having seen the movie, I would suggest that for dramatic effect, you quote the Gibson character's answer to his brother about whether we are alone to work things out in the universe. You clearly allude to that conversation in this sentence: "Are there any signs of hope in today's world or are we on our own, left to work things out among ourselves?" so describing the conversation isn't absolutely necessary, but I suspect listeners will get into it better if they can picture the two men sitting on the couch. You might even quote the brother's comment that led to the priest's response.
Worship Resources
By Chuck Cammarata
CALL TO WORSHIP
Leader: The Hummingbird's wings beat 70 times per second.
People: AMAZING!
Leader: The human heart beats 100,000 times per day.
People: ASTOUNDING.
Leader: The DNA in our bodies contains more information than the average library.
People: INCREDIBLE.
Leader: Sunrise and sunset.
People: GLORIOUS.
Leader: Stars in the night sky.
People: ASTONISHINGLY BEAUTIFUL.
Leader: True love.
People: MIRACULOUS.
Leader: Come, let us worship the God to whom all these signs point.
People: YES, LET US WORSHIP GOD.
As an alternative, Psalm 8 is a helpful reading in affirming the majesty of God and could also be used as a call to worship. You might use Eugene Peterson's The Message translation. I have adapted it here.
Leader: God, brilliant Lord,
People: YOURS IS A HOUSEHOLD NAME.
Leader: Nursing infants gurgle choruses about you;
People: TODDLERS SHOUT THE SONGS
Leader: That drown out enemy talk
People: AND SILENCE ATHEIST BABBLE.
Leader: I look up at your skies
People: DARK AND ENORMOUS,
Leader: Your handmade sky-jewelry.
People: MOON AND STARS MOUNTED IN THEIR SETTINGS.
Leader: Then I look at myself and wonder,
People: WHY DO YOU BOTHER WITH US?
Leader: Why take a second look our way?
People: YET WE HAVE SO NARROWLY MISSED BEING GODS,
Leader: Bright with Eden's dawn light.
People: GOD, BRILLIANT LORD,
Leader: Your name echoes around the world.
PRAYER OF CONFESSION
Leader: Standing on the rim of the Grand Canyon;
People: GAZING UP AT THE GRAND TETONS;
Leader: Listening to the raging of Niagara Falls;
People: OR THE POUNDING OF THE OCEAN SURF.
Leader: The screech of the hawk;
People: THE CRY OF THE WOLF;
Leader: The brilliance of the lightning bolt;
People: THE LAUGHTER OF THE INFANT.
Leader: Creator God, forgive us for our apathy in the face of all these.
People: AND REOPEN OUR EYES TO THE WONDER OF IT ALL.
Leader: That we might know your presence in the every day of life.
People: AMEN.
ASSURANCE OF PARDON
Leader: Our eyes have not seen, and our ears have not heard, but still God pours out grace and beauty richly. Let us be still, open ourselves, and know that God is God indeed.
People: AMEN.
HYMNS
This Is My Father's World
Morning Has Broken
I Sing The Mighty Power of God
All Creatures of Our God and King
How Great Thou Art
CHORUSES
How Majestic Is Your Name
As the Deer
My Life Is in You, Lord
VISUAL EFFECTS
Here's an idea for those who are willing to do something a little unusual: a sanctuary full of signs to reinforce the message. Congregants could be greeted by traffic signs made of cardboard -- Stop signs, Yield signs, One way, Thru traffic, Arrows, etc. Or -- a sanctuary full of a variety of crosses to remind us that the cross is THE sign.
A Children's Sermon
By Wesley Runk
Although our main piece is based on a text from Exodus, we chose a different text for the children's sermon. This one includes a sign most kids have seen.
Genesis 9: 12-15: God said, "This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: I have set my bow in the clouds, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, I will remember my covenant that is between me and you, and every living creature of all flesh, and the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh.
Object: A rainbow (You may want to paint one during your talk with the children or simply have one prepared before the service.)
Good morning, boys and girls. Today we are going to talk about signs. How many of you know what a sign is? (let them answer) Very good! A sign is something that tells us about something else, doesn't it? What is a stop sign? (let them answer) That's right, it tells people who are driving cars to stop at this corner. Why should they stop? (let them answer) That's right, so they don't have an accident. Stop signs are good signs, aren't they? What other kind of signs do you know about? (let them answer) Signs that tell us where we are, like the sign in front of a church or a store. These signs tell us that we are in the right place. There is a sign in front of our church that tells everyone that this is NAME Church. Do you know about other kinds of signs? (let them answer) Very good, there are signs that protect us from getting hurt or injured. Some signs say, "Danger" or "Stay Out" or "Poison," and when we read those signs we know that someone made a sign to protect us so that we would not get hurt.
I want to talk about another sign that God made that is beautiful and makes us feel very good. A long time ago people were very evil and they were causing a lot of trouble in the world and God tried to speak to them and make them change. But people were too busy for God. They thought they were having too much fun. They knew they were bad but they didn't care. All they wanted was things for themselves. They were selfish, hateful and harmed each other. God warned them many times but they would not listen. So God sent a warning that there was going to be a great flood, but almost no one paid any attention. One person did. Do you know who that person was? (let them answer) That's right, Noah. Noah and his family built a great ark and when the rain came they selected two of every animal and took some plants and food and got on the ark. When the rain started, people were still laughing at Noah and his family as they boarded the ark. But when the rain did not stop and the ark began to float they began to laugh a little less.
It rained and stormed for a long time and the earth was covered with water. You could not see any land. Many people who had been warned by God died, but Noah and his family lived on the ark. Now God needed to start over with his world and he spoke to Noah and Noah's family and made them a promise. He said he would send a sign of his promise to never again cause the earth to be filled with water. Do you know what that sign was? (let them answer) That's right, it was a rainbow. The rainbow is a sign of God's love for all of the people of the earth.
How many of you have ever seen a rainbow? (let them answer) Isn't a rainbow beautiful? It is a sign of love that God makes between him and people. People like you and me. So God told Noah that day that he was making a promise to be a loving God to all people who share his love with one another. A rainbow is a sign of God's love.
The next time you see a rainbow I want you to remember that God makes signs too, and his rainbow is a sign of his love. Amen
The Immediate Word, September 15, 2002, issue.
Copyright 2002 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to The Immediate Word service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons and in worship and classroom settings only. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to permissions@csspub.com or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., P.O. Box 4503, Lima, Ohio 45802-4503.
