From Wonder to Worship: Learning to Notice God

Jul 12, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: When Directions Help Us See What’s Hidden

The International Space Station glided overhead, unseen until a friend’s guidance shifted perspective. Like learning constellations, faith often requires others to point us toward what we miss. God’s presence isn’t absent—we simply need help knowing where to look. Tools like apps or community wisdom train our eyes to recognize sacred movement. Wonder begins when we humble ourselves to receive direction. What once felt hidden becomes visible through shared attention. [27:36]

“I lift up my eyes to the mountains—where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.” (Psalm 121:1-2, NIV)

Reflection: Who has been your “Deb” this week—someone guiding you to notice God’s movement? How might you express gratitude for their help in shifting your gaze?

Day 2: Colors We Couldn’t See Until Our Vision Expanded

The James Webb Telescope revealed hues in distant galaxies that Hubble couldn’t detect. Those colors existed all along—human sight just needed better tools. Spiritual vision works the same: prayer, scripture, and community refine our capacity to perceive God’s constant work. Awe erupts when we realize divine beauty was present long before we noticed it. Our growth isn’t about God showing up more, but our eyes being opened wider. [33:14]

“So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:18, NIV)

Reflection: Where has your spiritual “vision” recently expanded to recognize God’s presence in a situation you once overlooked?

Day 3: Wonder Asks Who Painted the Sunset

A sunset stirs admiration, but wonder digs deeper—it asks about the Artist. Daily miracles like laughter, shared meals, or courage in starting over become portals to worship when we interrogate their source. Gratitude flourishes when curiosity leads us to trace ordinary beauty back to its divine origin. Every moment of awe is an invitation to love the Creator more deeply. [38:57]

“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge.” (Psalm 19:1-4, NIV)

Reflection: What ordinary moment this week made you pause and ask, “Where is God already at work here?” How did that shift your response?

Day 4: Noticing Who’s Missing From the Table

The pastor scans meetings for absent voices—those most impacted by decisions yet excluded from conversations. Faith communities grow when we ask, “Who isn’t here?” just as Jesus noticed marginalized people in crowds. True vision looks for the unnamed in scripture and the overlooked in daily life. Sacred attention disrupts complacency by expanding our circle of care. [36:03]

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8, NIV)

Reflection: Who feels “invisible” in your circles this week? How might you intentionally notice and honor their God-given dignity?

Day 5: Equipping Each Other With Holy Apps

Deb didn’t just point—she gave tools: app recommendations, descriptions of steady light versus plane flashes. The church equips saints similarly, offering practices like prayer and scripture to help others spot God’s movement. Shared faith tools turn fleeting glimpses into sustainable sight. When we teach others how to look, we multiply witnesses to divine presence. [42:07]

“Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?” (Matthew 6:26, NIV)

Reflection: What spiritual “tool” (practice, verse, or habit) has helped you notice God recently? Who could you share it with this week?

Sermon Summary

The psalmist begins, not by explaining God, but by looking up at the skies, at the moon and the stars, at what God’s fingers have made. Wonder starts right there, with attention, with noticing what has been present all along. The story of trying to see the International Space Station gives that same picture in plain sight. Faith can be like looking in the wrong part of the sky until someone says, “Look over there,” and suddenly the bright, steady light comes into view.

The heavens do not need to be created again in order to be seen. The colors in the Pillars of Creation were already there before Hubble and James Webb helped human eyes behold them. God was not absent before the telescope got better. Vision was expanding. Creation teaches that sometimes wonder is not finding something new, but finally seeing what has been there all along.

Wonder also belongs to ordinary life. A sunrise over a lake, children laughing, music that stirs something deep, a butterfly on a flower, a stranger’s smile, a shared meal, a baby’s birth, and the courage of someone beginning again all become places where God’s presence can be noticed. The question is not whether miracles are present. The question is whether life has been moving too fast to look.

Attention also turns toward people. The practice of faith learns to notice children asking thoughtful questions, grief hiding behind a smile, newcomers wondering if they are welcome, and people missing from tables where decisions affect them most. Scripture itself trains that kind of seeing by asking who is unnamed, who is present but overlooked, who had to be there even if the story does not mention them. Someone taught that kind of looking, and people of faith keep giving that gift to one another.

The church has always been a pointing people. John the Baptist pointed toward Jesus. The shepherds pointed toward Bethlehem. Mary Magdalene pointed toward the empty tomb. The disciples pointed toward resurrection. The church does not manufacture God’s presence or make God appear. God is already here.

Wonder becomes gratitude. Gratitude becomes worship. Worship becomes love. Wonder asks who painted the sunset, where God is already at work in kindness, and what image of God is being seen in another human being. God is still creating, still loving, still at work, and still inviting ordinary people to stop, look, and say, “Come here. Look. Do you see it?”

Key Takeaways

1. Wonder begins with practiced attention Wonder does not begin with having everything figured out. Wonder begins when attention slows down enough to notice what has been rushed past. A life can be surrounded by miracles and still miss them, not because God is absent, but because sight has gone untrained. [34:38]
2. God is already here God’s presence is not manufactured by religious effort. God does not need to be made visible by human striving, only noticed with awakened eyes. The holy often stands nearby like a steady light in the sky, waiting for someone to look in the right direction. [38:14]
3. Faith teaches people to look The Christian life includes learning from others what to notice and where to turn the eyes. John pointed, Mary Magdalene pointed, the disciples pointed, and the church keeps saying, “Look, do you see it?” Such witness is humble because it does not create the light, it simply helps another person see it. [37:38]
4. Wonder becomes worshipful love Wonder does not stop at admiration. Wonder moves from beauty to gratitude, from gratitude to worship, and from worship to love. A sunset, an act of kindness, or a human face becomes an invitation to ask where God is already at work. [38:34]
5. Creation still carries invitation God has not stopped creating, and God has not stopped showing up in ordinary places. Clouds, birds, rivers, stories, meals, and community can become signs of divine nearness. The practice of wonder turns daily life into a place where worship can happen anywhere, at any time, with anyone.

## [40:04]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[18:48] - Wonder Becomes Worship
[26:06] - Looking for What Others See
[27:20] - Spotting the Space Station
[30:25] - Opening Prayer
[31:22] - The Psalmist Begins by Looking
[32:15] - Hubble, Webb, and Awe
[33:14] - Expanding Vision
[34:38] - Wonder Begins With Attention
[36:34] - Learning Who Is Missing
[37:38] - The Church Says Look
[38:34] - Wonder Becomes Gratitude
[39:30] - Practicing Wonder This Week
[40:45] - God Is Still at Work
[41:29] - Wonder Anywhere, Anytime

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
Psalm 8:3 (NIV)
When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place…

Observation Questions

The psalmist begins by looking at the skies, moon, and stars. What does this act of "looking" or "noticing" reveal about how wonder starts? (Refer to the sermon’s emphasis on attention.)
In the story about spotting the International Space Station, what practical steps helped the person finally see it? How does this mirror the role of community in faith? [27:20]
The sermon mentions that the church has always been a "pointing people" (e.g., John the Baptist, Mary Magdalene). What specific examples of "pointing" are listed, and what do they direct others toward? [37:38]

Interpretation Questions

Why might the psalmist choose to focus on creation (moon, stars) as a starting point for reflecting on God, rather than beginning with theological explanations?
The Hubble and James Webb telescopes revealed colors in the Pillars of Creation that were "already there." How does this illustrate the idea that God’s presence doesn’t depend on human effort to be visible? [33:14]
The sermon says, "Wonder becomes gratitude. Gratitude becomes worship. Worship becomes love." How might this progression transform how we engage with everyday moments like sunsets or kindness? [38:34]

Application Questions

This week, try the practice of pausing for 2 minutes daily to "look up" or notice something ordinary (e.g., clouds, a bird). What might this habit teach you about God’s nearness?
Who in your life has "pointed" you toward God’s presence, like Deb did with the Space Station? How could you intentionally do this for someone else this week? [28:29]
The sermon asks, "What have I stopped noticing?" Name one overlooked moment or person in your daily routine where God’s work might be visible. How will you slow down to pay attention? [34:38]
When you admire something beautiful (a sunset, kindness, etc.), how could you shift from admiration to asking, "Where is God already at work here?" [38:57]
The church is called to notice "who is missing" in decisions or gatherings. In your relationships or community, who might need to be seen or invited? What step will you take to include them? [36:34]

Sermon Clips

76s

#WonderBecomesGratitude

“We don't manufacture God's presence. We don't make God appear. is already here. Amen? Wonder simply teaches us to notice. And when we notice something beautiful begins to happen, wonder becomes gratitude. Gratitude becomes worship. Worship becomes love. You know, because anyone can admire a sunset. Have you admired a sunset? Right? Wonder asked who painted it. Anyone can admire kindness. Wonder asks, where is God already at work? Anyone can admire another human being. Wonder asks, what image of God am I seeing? Every moment of awe becomes invitation, an invitation to remember that we live in a world overflowing with God's presence.”

69s

#ShareTheWonder

“Step outside, look up, watch the clouds, listen to the birds, sit by the river, pay attention to someone's story, notice something you have been rushing past because God has not stopped creating. God has not stopped showing up. if you happen to notice something really beautiful, don't keep it to yourself. Invite someone else. Come here. Look. Do you see it? Because every time we stop, every time we notice, every time we point toward beauty, every time we invite another person to see what we have seen, we bear witness to a God who is still creating, still loving, and still at work in the world.”

86s

#WonderInTheOrdinary

“Not just in extraordinary places, not in only in distant galaxies, but here, now, in ordinary moments, in ordinary people, in this community, in our own lives. Beloved, this week, I want you to practice wonder. Step outside, look up, watch the clouds, listen to the birds, sit by the river, pay attention to someone's story, notice something you have been rushing past because God has not stopped creating. God has not stopped showing up. if you happen to notice something really beautiful, don't keep it to yourself. Invite someone else. Come here. Look. Do you see it? Because every time we stop, every time we notice, every time we point toward beauty, every time we invite another person to see what we have seen, we bear witness to a God who is still creating, still loving, and still at work in the world.”

61s

#AweInvitesUs

“Wonder simply teaches us to notice. And when we notice something beautiful begins to happen, wonder becomes gratitude. Gratitude becomes worship. Worship becomes love. You know, because anyone can admire a sunset. Have you admired a sunset? Right? Wonder asked who painted it. Anyone can admire kindness. Wonder asks, where is God already at work? Anyone can admire another human being. Wonder asks, what image of God am I seeing? Every moment of awe becomes invitation, an invitation to remember that we live in a world overflowing with God's presence.”

69s

#PointToPresence

“And that's what Christians have been doing for over two thousand years. John the Baptist pointed towards Jesus. The shepherds pointed towards Bethlehem. Mary Magdalene pointed toward an empty tomb, and the disciples pointed toward resurrection. And generation after generation, the church has continued saying, look, do you see it? God is here. We don't manufacture God's presence. We don't make God appear. is already here. Amen? Wonder simply teaches us to notice. And when we notice something beautiful begins to happen, wonder becomes gratitude. Gratitude becomes worship. Worship becomes love.”

63s

#AweInScience

“I do not pretend to understand all the science that makes this possible, but I know awe when I experience it. When I look at those colors, I see God's extraordinary beauty in its diversity. here's another thing that amazes me. Those colors were always there. We just didn't yet have eyes capable of seeing them. Sometimes God isn't absent. Sometimes our vision is simply expanding. Sometimes wonder isn't about discovering something new. Sometimes wonder is about finally seeing what has been there all along.”

72s

#AweEverywhere

“Every moment of awe becomes invitation, an invitation to remember that we live in a world overflowing with God's presence. Not just in extraordinary places, not in only in distant galaxies, but here, now, in ordinary moments, in ordinary people, in this community, in our own lives. Beloved, this week, I want you to practice wonder. Step outside, look up, watch the clouds, listen to the birds, sit by the river, pay attention to someone's story, notice something you have been rushing past because God has not stopped creating. God has not stopped showing up. if you happen to notice something really beautiful, don't keep it to yourself. Invite someone else. Come here. Look. Do you see it?”

65s

#LearnToLook

“One of the fascinating things I've benefited from in my discipleship journey is when I'm reading passages, I'll look for who's not in the story, who is not named, who is not identified, but you know from the story, they had to be there. There are a number of stories that don't mention women or children, but they're feeding thousands of people. Do you honestly think there were no children or women there? Right? I can do this not because I'm special somehow, but that over the years, people have taught me how to look and what to look for. Someone taught me to pay attention, and that's one of the gifts we give each other as people of faith. We help each other notice just like Deb did this week.”

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Algoma Blvd. UMC Oshkosh WI This sermon · AI assistant

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