Seeing God at Work
“See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?” — Isaiah 43:19
Hope is not a distant dream—it is a living presence, rising among us in the everyday moments when God’s Spirit stirs hearts, gathers people, and breathes life into community. In my sermon last Sunday, I invited us to name where we see signs of God working—in our lives, in our church, and in our world. Today, I want to reflect on the places I see God’s Spirit moving among us here at Central Union Church in this season of hope. These glimpses of grace are not small—they are overflowing, unmistakable, and alive.
Glimpses of Hope in Faith Lived Out
A few weeks ago, our Church Has Left the Building worship service reminded us that faith is not confined to pews or sanctuaries. It is alive when we step into the world together. That day, so many attended and participated—working side by side, building community, engaging in conversation, and sharing story. The Spirit was palpable in laughter, in service, in the joy of belonging. Afterwards, countless voices asked us to make this an annual tradition, perhaps even several times a year. That longing tells me hope is not a one-time spark—it is a fire that wants to keep burning, a testimony that when we embody our faith beyond the walls, God shows up in powerful ways.
Glimpses of Hope in Music and Worship
This past Sunday, our campus overflowed with life. After a full morning of worship services, the Oahu Choral Society concert filled the Sanctuary to overflowing—every pew occupied both in the main Sanctuary and in the balcony, voices rising in harmony, and the wider community of Honolulu welcomed into our sacred space. Immediately following, our Christmas Jazz Vespers in Atherton Memorial Chapel drew over 100 people, with the hospitality of food and fellowship beforehand. The majority of those gathered were from the wider community, joining our members in joy, in worship and in music. Again and again I heard the refrain: “It feels like Central Union is alive again.” That is hope made real – God’s Spirit moving through music, through welcome, and through the heartbeat of worship.
These moments remind us of our sacred pillars as a Christian church: worship and music, faith formation, hospitality, and living our faith. When we focus here—on the heartbeat of our calling—God’s Spirit has room to move freely. Hope rises when we let go of distractions and the things that are not the core purpose of our calling as the body of Christ and center ourselves on God’s mission. Hope grows when we open our doors wide and invite the community in. Hope deepens when we embody aloha and radical hospitality. These are not abstract ideals—they are lived realities, seen in overflowing sanctuaries, in shared meals, in voices lifted in song, and in the joy of people saying, “This church feels alive again.”
Reflection
Where do you see God at work right now? Where do you long for God to show up? These are not idle questions—they are invitations to notice, to name, and to nurture hope. For me, I see God in the overflowing Sanctuary, in the laughter of shared meals, in the stories told during service, in the music that lifts hearts. And I long for God to keep showing up in our courage to trust, in our willingness to risk, and in our commitment to live out our faith boldly.
Prayer
God of hope,
You are alive in our worship, in our music, in our service, and in our hospitality.
Thank You for the signs of Your Spirit moving among us.
Open our eyes to see where You are at work,
and open our hearts to long for Your presence where we need it most.
Make us a people of hope, alive with Your Spirit,
so that Central Union Church may shine as a beacon of grace.
Amen.
View the sermon (December 7, 2025) that goes with this devotional:
