Miracles and signs… bring it on.

A call to worship.

Themes

Divine acts • Power • Glory • Extraordinary events • Signs • Spiritual truth • Fear • Reverence • Miracles • The incarnation • God in Christ • Re-creation • Renewal • Restoration • Defeat of evil • The redemptive work of Christ • Christ’s victory

There are no one-off, isolated miraculous events. Every miracle is a sign pointing to that ultimate reality: God in Christ. Every miracle is a sign of God’s redemptive action—a sign to draw our attention to His Christ-inaugurated Kingdom. Every miracle is an event that is part of His reconciling activity in the world. 

We want to participate in the ongoing redemptive work of Christ. We want to bear witness to the reconciliation that has already been accomplished in Christ. We want to participate in the incarnational ministry of Christ. 

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Scripture reading

John 2:11
Matthew 12:28
Mark 4:39–41
John 9:1–3
Acts 4:29–30

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This call to worship¹ comes from a few places in the Gospels and the Book of Acts. Each passage offers a clue as to why there are miracles and signs. 

This, the first of His signs, 
Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, 
and manifested His glory. 
And His disciples believed in Him.


But if it is by the Spirit of God 
that I cast out demons, 
then the kingdom of God 
has come upon you.


And He awoke 
and rebuked the wind 
and said to the sea, 
‘Peace! Be still!’ 
And the wind ceased, 
and there was a great calm. 
He said to them, 
‘Why are you so afraid? 
Have you still no faith?’ 
And they were filled with great fear 
and said to one another, 
‘Who then is this, 
that even the wind 
and the sea 
obey Him?’


As He passed by, 
He saw a man blind from birth. 
And His disciples asked Him, 
‘Rabbi, who sinned, 
this man 
or his parents, 
that he was born blind?’ 
Jesus answered, 
‘It was not that this man sinned, 
or his parents, 
but that the works of God 
might be displayed 
in him.’


And in the Book of Acts, we read what the believers prayed over Peter and John after they had been released by the Sanhedrin. They prayed:

And now, Lord, 
look upon their threats 
and grant to Your servants 
to continue to speak Your word 
with all boldness, 
while You stretch out Your hand to heal, 
and signs and wonders are performed 
through the name 
of Your holy servant Jesus.”

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Prayer

Father in heaven, 
as we’ve studied the book of Acts together, 
we’ve read of many divine acts 
that seem to transcend natural law, 
that clearly demonstrate Your power and Your glory—
extraordinary events 
that manifest Your active involvement in our world 
and that provide evidence 
of Your omnipotence 
and Your power 
and Your authority. 
Acts that have drawn crowds, 
strengthened the faith of Your people, 
led many to the Lord, 
and provided platforms 
on which to teach and preach 
about who You are 
and what You’re up to.

And we have read of many signs—
of occurrences that point to another reality 
beyond the one we’re in, 
that point to spiritual truth 
that we can’t seem to otherwise clearly see, 
that reveal something about Jesus Christ 
and about Your Kingdom, 
that make a bold theological statement 
about what You’re up to.
Signs that have signified 
the fulfillment of past promises You made, 
that have marked the beginning 
of something cosmically new, 
that have led to great fear and reverence 
among Your people, 
that have opened doors 
otherwise closed to the gospel, 
that have led to many conversions 
from darkness to light. 

None of this 
was for mere human amazement, 
but it has all been 
for Your self-revelation—
moments in which Your will 
and Your presence 
break into our history 
and reveal to us 
who You are 
and what Your purpose is 
for humanity. 

The greatest of all miracles 
is the incarnation, 
life, 
death, 
and resurrection 
of Jesus Christ, 
where You, God, 
became human, 
died, 
and rose again. 
And so there are no one-off, isolated miraculous events. 
Every miracle is a sign 
pointing to that ultimate reality: 
God in Christ—
Jesus Christ as Your self-revelation. 
Every miracle is a sign 
of Your redemptive action—
a sign to draw our attention 
to Your Christ-inaugurated Kingdom. 
Every miracle is an event 
that is part 
of Your reconciling activity 
in the world. 

So, we don’t look to be thrilled 
or to be amazed, 
we don’t look for supernatural phenomena, 
we don’t look for proofs 
or displays of power, 
we don’t look to be relieved 
of our suffering 
or taken 
from our grief 
or healed 
of the things 
that confront us 
in this world. 

But we do 
long for acts of re-creation 
that point 
to the renewal 
of all things, 
that point to death and sin overturned, 
that give us all a glimpse 
into the restoration 
that is to come. 

We long for acts of re-creation 
that are signs of Your in-breaking Kingdom, 
that are signs of the defeat of evil, 
that reveal to us something specific 
about Your nature 
and Your redemptive purposes, 
and that You are still active in this world, 
restoring creation 
and redeeming humanity. 

Father, 
here’s what we want at our little church. 
We want to see more and more 
of Christ’s person and work. 
We want to be drawn deeper 
into Your self-revelation in Christ. 
We want a profoundly deeper understanding 
of the inner relationship You have 
with Your Son 
and with the Spirit 
so that we, too, 
can participate more and more 
in Your Trinitarian life. 
We want to experience 
a deepening and personal communal union with Christ. 
We want to participate 
in the ongoing redemptive work of Christ. 
We want to bear witness 
to the reconciliation 
that has already been accomplished in Christ. 
We want to participate 
in the incarnational ministry of Christ. 
We want to see 
Christ’s victory proclaimed. 
We want Your hiddenness 
to be made visible.

And if miracles and signs make that happen, 
then bring it on. 

In the name of Jesus, 
Amen

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1. This call to worship was given to the small assembly of Christians that gathered in Pathway Church, Beaverdam, Michigan, on October 20, 2024.