Morning Star Lutheran Church, Matthews, shared a fabulous God’s work. Our hands. weekend, beginning Friday night with The Gallery opening of our new art exhibit “How Can I Keep From Singing.” Energy emanated through the gathered crowd as conversations blended with music. God’s ongoing creativity is visible in our midst; we are filled and inspired by the works of these artists’ hands.

The bleak weather on Saturday morning didn’t prevent the Habitat for Humanity groundbreaking on Lissa’s home—her radiant smile brightened up the dreary day. At Servant’s Heart, Morning Star folks were busy greeting donors and receiving gifts of clothing and furniture, along with random items like a golf-ball picker upper—you never know what treasures will find their way to the Community Boutique.

At Morning Star, gloved hands were busy restoring brass bells to brilliance—their ringing praises God and leads our rejoicing in worship. An energetic crew of gardeners needed a different type of glove to weed the Chapel Labyrinth and Butterfly Gardens, despite scheduling our work at the precise time the sprinklers watered the plants.

We gathered to glorify God in worship on Sunday. Together, we laid donations of food for Matthews HELP Center at the altar, gifted used eyeglasses, and made plans for ministry in the coming year.

Following worship, many made their way to the gym where personal care kits were put together and paired with handwritten notes and cards for the men’s shelter. Stephen Ministers greeted folks and plant pots were painted to be shared with our grieving family members. Potential volunteers with Heart Math learned how to teach math to elementary students through games.

The smell of freshly-baked cookies wafted through the air in the gym; these treats were sent with hearty lunches to our first responders. Down the hall, a different scent—Lysol—as classrooms were cleaned and tidied in preparation to welcome children for faith formation.

God’s work. Our hands. is more than an annual event at Morning Star, rather it is a celebration of the ministries that we participate in all year long. “We are called to manifest in this world the love of the Lord.” (Tom Eure, “Love Compels Us To: God’s Work, Our Hands”)