I was tapping into some clever writing the other day when I started to write a Call to Worship for a Sunday Service, but it felt clunky and not right. I set it down. I rewrote it – and eventually I cut out all the clever parts. God needed me to simply listen and speak in awe – and just let Him put in the bright spots. Not bright wit but bright SHINE. It was a “Call to Worship” not to impress. The AWE of God is what I needed to take in myself and return from my mouth. Multiply or amplify, none of it will  happen until we worship Him first. 

Originally writing, I knew I wanted to tap into LOVE and PEACE, JOY and HOPE. And those are all things He does for us. But when I set myself back to figure out what I was missing, it was the AWE and the WORSHIP, the aspects of faith we are called to do for HIM. Worship, and Love. And so I went more simple: God added the sparkling Word of SHINE on my heart and head and tongue. SHINE. And it WAS sunny that day, and like as a day dawns, cold and crisp. The type of sunny which asks to burst out of us, like the SHINE of Jesus. This sunshine was the motivation and reward – I had woken up, ventured out, I had faith that God would help me wing it on His Wing. Faith is a far bigger reward for keeping us moving. 

I intro-ed the Call to Worship about the sunSHINE and spoke about how I was able to visit the Miracle of Christmas production at the beautiful Sight and Sound theater, my first time, it was just so cool to be there, and the WOW of the SPARKLING scenes of the angels flying over. We were, in faith, taking the moment to be transformed as an audience into AWE with action all around us. The sparkling SHINE had twinkling like the sparkling SUNSHINE lighting up the morning frost as I was driving… simple SHINE. 

Here is the rest of my text, what I realized later in all other aspects of the service was that SHINE was the main theme. I didn’t know that necessarily, didn’t figure it out ahead of time. God knew that cohesive theme. God in us is to SHINE the SPARKLE – LOVE the LOVE- Know to Listen – WORSHIP. 

“May we Seek the Lord while He may be found; call on Him while He is near. Above all, may we worship HIM as He IS worthy of our praise. And we seek Him because He sought us first. We are to multiply His Love in HOPE LOVE PEACE and JOY.

We worship Him for bringing His ultimate Love here to us on earth. So now like a shining bright morning, let us be called to SHINE JESUS.

Especially let us place an emphasis in how:

we 

HONOR

we

SERVE

we

TRUST

we

SHARE HIS TRUTH

With the

WORKS of His HANDS

FAITH of His POWER

JESUS is the JOY that the WORLD needs to SEE and to HEAR and to HOPE and to KNOW through us. 

As we are called to worship Him this morning and always, let us demonstrate how we are to TRUST HIM, to LOVE Him. And to SHARE HIM WITH A SMILE. 

LET US ASK THE HOLY SPIRIT FOR AN ASSIST TO WORSHIP GOD IN SPIRIT AND TRUTH. Amen”

Amen and Awe in God, All in All.

Amen