This reading was written for the service plans in the Doxecology: Study Guide we created with Resound Worship. It has gone down really well when we've used it live with groups, so we thought we'd share it with you here. If you like it, consider getting the whole Study Guide which has more resources like this for three services (with downloadable media).

To make this interactive, use the PowerPoint and invite everyone to join in the words in bold. In an all-age setting I would encourage people to shout the parts in italics at the top of their voices (except the last one which you can whisper!), and to make up an action to reflect those words. We've also used this outdoors, when we printed out the bits in italic and had people hold them up for everyone to see and join in with at the right times.

Rewind, back to the beginning,
no birds tweeting, no earth spinning.
Formless, nothing, ’til the day
God’s Word and Spirit combined to say:

“Light!”
And there was light.
It was a good light,
it was from God.

Somehow there was water, but it had no limits,
so God had to set some boundaries within it.
Once evening and morning had sailed on by
he divided heaven and earth with the cry: 

“Sky!”
And there was sky.
It was a good sky,
it was from God.

Then God reached out his creative hand
to pull back the sea, revealing land.
He wanted to see diverse vegetation
food and colour for every generation:

“Plants!”
And there were plants.
They were good plants,
they were from God.

Now God wanted rhythms, days and nights,
seasons and patterns, shadows and lights.
So he set the stars and the moon in place
and he called with joy and delight on his face:

“Sun!”
And there was a Sun.
It was a good Sun,
it was from God.

God looked at the waters and looked at the sky,
he imagined sea creatures and things that fly,
all shades of colour, both huge and small,
and each appeared as he smiled and called:

“Fish and birds!”
And there were fish and birds.
They were good fish and good birds
they were from God. 

As he turned to land, God saw in his mind
creatures and critters of every kind,
tame and friendly, wild and wondrous, 
at his voice there appeared in abundance:

“Animals!”
And there were animals.
They were good animals,
they were from God.

God the Trinity said “we need people like us,
male and female, united in love,
reflecting our nature, caring for earth,”
so with one word God brought to birth:

“Humans!”
And there were humans.
They were good humans,
they were from God.

All God made, it was very, very good.
There were trees for shelter and plants for food.
The gift of creation with enough to share,
God blessed that day, and with a whisper declared:

“Rest.”
And there was rest.

It was a very good rest,
it was from God.