Last week our church hosted our annual Vacation Bible School (VBS). It was a fantastic three days, with about 100 kids joining us to learn about Jesus, the light of the world. There are so many good things I could say about the week, but over the past few years my favourite part of VBS has become the time where we do something called God sightings. This is where the kids would each take some time to think about one way they had seen God working that day. They would then write this on a piece of paper and attach it to a light which they placed on the stage as a demonstration that this was a way God was shining his light in the world. Over the three days our auditorium became brighter and brighter as nearly 300 lights eventually illuminated our set. It was a wonderful sight to see (check out a video of the last day below). To give you an idea of what the God sightings were, the kids wrote down things like: family (mom, dad, siblings); food; special VBS activities (games, music, crafts, science experiments); acts of service (from the volunteers, kids helping other kids, parents driving kids to VBS); and God’s creation (flowers, rainbows, bugs, the sun). One of my favourites was a child who simply wrote, “Thank you God for not making this world boring!”
I love our VBS God sightings because, in a very simple way, we are making time every day to intentionally notice what God has been doing. This is the sort of spiritual discipline that should be part of every Christian’s routine. The encouragement to take time to notice God is present throughout scripture. The Israelites had a regular schedule of festivals to remind them of some of the great things God had done, such as the Passover which was to remember their deliverance from Egypt. They made monuments (Joshua 4:1-10) and kept artifacts (Exodus 16:32; Hebrews 9:3,4) to remember other such events. Many Psalms and songs were written to remember instances where they had seen God at work (Exodus 15:1-21). In the midst of his trial one Psalmist declares:
I will remember the deeds of the LORD; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago. I will consider all your works and meditate on all your mighty deeds.
– Psalm 77:11,12
This pattern continues in the New Testament, with Jesus commanding his disciples to partake of the Lord’s Supper in remembrance of him (1 Corinthians 11:23-24).
It is clear that God sightings aren’t something reserved for the children on three days of our year. We should all be taking regular time to notice where God is moving. So, let me close by asking you the question – how have you seen God working lately? I’d love to have you leave a comment below and hear some stories of the wonderful things he is doing. But I also hope that this won’t be just be a one time thing. Take regular time to look back and find the good things God has done in your life. Perhaps you could keep a journal, or even attach your God sighting to a candle like the kids did (I have extras if you’d like one!). However you choose to do it, make time to notice God!
