pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

Tag Archives: Creation


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Everything That Has Breath

Reading: Psalm 150

Verse 6: “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord.”

Photo credit: Uta Scholl

This week’s Psalm is all about praising the Lord. It is about where to praise the Lord: in the sanctuary and in the heavens. It is about why we praise the Lord: for God’s acts of power and surpassing greatness. It is about how to praise the Lord: with trumpets, lyres, harps… and with dancing. We are called to a jubilant and exciting worship of the Lord!

The psalmist calls for “everything that has breath” to praise the Lord. This is a call to all things living – to humanity, to the many creatures of the world, and to the natural world of trees and plants. Nature offers praise to the Lord in many ways. Even the howling wind and blowing snow outside my window right now are a testimony to God’s power and might.

As we consider this invitation to praise this morning, what will be our response? Whether we venture out to church or if we go to church on our couch, will we use our breath to praise the Lord this day? We began the week with Jesus walking out of the grave. As he drew his first breath of new life, I can’t help but think he breathed out words of praise. Maybe a heartfelt “thanks be to God” or a rousing “Hallelujah!”

Today as we celebrate this day that the Lord has made, our first little Easter, may we join all of creation in praising the Lord. May our praise be joyful and may it resound up to the heavens!

Prayer: Lord God, may I lift my voice and hands to you in joyful worship today. May all know of your glory and power and might as I worship you today. Amen.


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So That All Will Know

Reading: Luke 19:39-40

Verse 40: “I tell you, if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”

As the palm parade comes close to Jerusalem the crowd is singing and celebrating. Jesus rides on a colt as the people wave palm branches and rejoice in the one “who comes in the name of the Lord.” But not all celebrate. Some Pharisees say to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!” They do not see Jesus as a king or savior or Messiah. For a number of reasons, they just want Jesus to quiet the crowd.

Jesus’ response is this: “I tell you, if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.” If the crowd were to suddenly grow silent, stones – creation itself – would take up the message. Later in the week, as his followers go silent and into hiding as Jesus goes to the cross, creation does speak. In the darkness that falls at mid-day creation mourns for Jesus. In the earth shaking creation shudders at the last breath of their incarnate creator. As the temple curtain is torn in two creation celebrates the new and open relationship between God and humanity.

On the first palm Sunday long ago, the people celebrate Jesus as the one who would save them. They raise their voices so that others will know that Jesus Christ is Lord. We will remember and celebrate the day in our churches. We will sing songs and wave palm branches. We will hear a message and be sent forth to live out our faith. And then what? Will we dance and sing this week, witnessing to our Lord and Savior so that all who walk along with us will know and be blessed by the prince of peace? Or will the “stones” have to cry out?

Prayer: Lord God, as we walk through Holy Week may I witness each day to your love, bringing you all the glory. May all I meet meet your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.


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Your Love, O Lord

Reading: Psalm 36:5-10

Verse 5: “Your love, O Lord, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies.”

Photo credit: Freestocks

As we turn once more to Psalm 36 this week we are reminded today of the scope of God’s love. In verse 5 we join the psalmist in praising God for the love and faithfulness that extends as far as we can imagine. Then we rejoice in God’s righteousness – a righteousness that is stronger than the mightiest thing we know: mountains. And then we celebrate God’s justice – a justice that has more volume than the most vast thing we know: the oceans. God’s love, faithfulness… is not just for us. It extends to “both man and beast”. All of creation “feasts on the abundance” and takes “drink from your river of delight”. The scope is all-encompassing.

In our day we need to not only be reminded of these truths – we also need to practice them. This has always been the case. It is how Christians witness to their faith. In the really early church, when a plague swept through the Roman Empire, it was the Christians who cared for those that families set out in the streets to die. In times of hardship and trial, it continues to be people of faith who show up at their neighbor’s house with food or other needed items. At work or at school, it is faith that leads believers to reach out to someone that is hurting or is alone, bringing comfort, letting them know that they too are loved.

In the closing verse of our passage the psalmist asks God to “continue your love to those who know you.” As we not only remember and rejoice in God’s love, faithfulness… but as we practice it too may we ever be filled with these things so that we can pour them out into the world.

Prayer: Lord God, I know the depth and width of your love for me. I too know that love is for all people. Help me this day to share that love with one who does not know it. Amen.


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Part of God

Reading: John 1: 1-3

Verse 1: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

As the new year begins we read from John 1. This poetic and beautiful description of Jesus coming into the world is a great place to begin a new year. In one way today is just a Saturday, another day in our lives. In another way today is special – the first day of a new year. Usually January 1 signals a fresh start, one often filled with optimism. 2021 was different though. It was more of 2020 – a hard year for humanity and for many nations, ours included. We had hoped for an end to the pandemic and the grief, but it was and is not yet to be so. So maybe now more than ever we need the reminder from John 1.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Since before creation began, since before this world was spoken into being, there was Jesus, this part of God that was partly like what was about to be created. God is not simplistic or easily explainable. God is so far beyond our understanding and yet this part of God was able to become like us, to take on flesh. When we read in Genesis 1 that God created humanity in God’s image, it was in the image that became Jesus as he took on flesh. It is this same part of God that was present in the creation process.

In verse three we read that through the Word, through Jesus, all things were made. This earth and all that it is was created for humanity to foster and steward and care for. It makes sense that Jesus, this part of God who would come as one of us, would have a key role in creating and forming this world. It would be like the farmer having a role in developing a new seed type. This part of God that we can understand better and personally connect to is Jesus Christ, our hope and our salvation. As we enter 2022, may we do so following Jesus Christ, God with us, our Emmanuel.

Prayer: Lord God, since before time existed, you were. Since time began, you have been. When this sense of time ends, you will continue to be. You came into this time, into this world, incarnate in the part of you we know as Jesus. Thank you for this gift that helps us better understand you and your love. Amen.


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All of Creation

Reading: Psalm 148

Verse 13: “Let them praise the name of the Lord, for his name alone is exalted.”

In the first twelve verses of Psalm 148 the psalmist calls about everything imaginable to praise the Lord. From all of humanity to the stars to sea creatures to storms to elements of the physical world – all of creation is represented. There is nothing in this beautiful world that wasn’t created by God so all of creation praises God in its own way. This is summed up in verse thirteen: “Let them praise the name of the Lord, for his name alone is exalted.”

It might be hard for some to envision snakes or spiders or other phobia creatures praising God. For others it might take some serious effort to think of how a tornado or typhoon could bring praise to God. Others see beauty in the intricacy of the spider’s web or in the pattern of the snake’s skin. There they see God’s fingerprints. Others see God’s power and majesty in the storm. All of creation, each in its unique way, praises God the creator.

As we are all created by God, we also all belong to the same family. We are connected through the creator to all of creation. Sometimes, when I look at the world, I can see how we have lost this connection in our hearts. I can see instances where we have decided to ignore this connection in favor of meeting our own wants or desires. This must sadden the creator. Yet the creator continues to love us even when we fail to steward well the creation that God gave us. As part of our praise to God may we begin to better love all of creation. In doing so, the creator will be praised.

Prayer: Lord God, thank you for this wonderful and amazing creation. I am but a small, small part. Guide me to better love all parts of the work of your hand, growing in my love for you in the process. Amen.


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Our Response

Reading: Psalm 19

Verse 14: “May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.”

Photo credit: Emma Gossett

Psalm 19 begins with a celebration of how God is revealed in the created world. When one simply observes the world – sunrises and sunsets, wildflowers and spider webs, mountains and tiny streams, stars and amoebas… – one cannot but help to feel God’s presence and to sense God’s fingerprints on all of creation. Through the created world, God speaks without words.

God also speaks to us through the written word. The stories, the prophets, Jesus, the apostles – they all tell the story of God. In the middle section of our Psalm, verses seven through eleven, David writes of God’s laws. The law is perfect, trustworthy, right, radiant, pure, sure, precious, sweet. It also warns us. This idea echoes Solomon’s words from Proverbs 1. Because of all that the law is, it evokes a response from those who seek to live according to God’s will and ways. Walking with God our souls are revived, the simple are made wise, joy comes to the heart, light comes to the eyes. We will experience salvation as we strive to live a righteous life. In walking daily with the Lord there is indeed “great reward.”

In the last section David begins by admitting the struggle. It is the struggle all of us face. We want to be blameless, to always please God. Yet we are not perfect. We falter and we sin. David asks for God to forgive these sins and to shield him from “willful sins.” Then the Psalm closes with these words: “May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.” This is David’s summary, his desired response to God. David prays that the words he speaks will bring life and faith to those who hear his words. He also prays that the things within, his thoughts and intentions, that they would be pleasing to God. These words reflect both love of neighbor and love of God. May this too be our prayer. May all we say and think be pleasing to the Lord, our rock and our redeemer.

Prayer: Lord God, may I walk closely with you this day and every day. In and through me may others see your glory and may they know your love. Amen.


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In Christ

Reading: 2nd Corinthians 5: 16-17

Verse 17: “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come”.

Our verses for today begin with Paul inviting us to look beyond the world and its points of view. Too often we see as the world sees. People of faith can be just like the world in terms of how we define ourselves and others. We too easily see and understand ourselves and others through terms like race, class, gender, occupation, ethnicity, age, and so on. Too often terms like these lead to judging another’s worth and value – all us relative to how we see or define ourselves. Jesus did not see or understand the world and the people he encountered this way. Why should we think it OK to do so?

Who we are and how we see and understand ourselves is part of our sacredness. God created all of us, knit us together in love. Our worth and our value is rooted in this holy creation. Each created by God, each made in the image of our God – this is how we should see and understand ourselves and others. No worldly terms or constructs should in any way lessen how we see and understand and love ourselves and one another.

Early in the history of the church a deadly disease spread through many communities. Out of fear of dying themselves, many people placed loved ones out in the street to die. It was those early Christians who took the sick into their homes to care for them, to love on them. The early church did not care that they were pagans or Jews or that they were rich or poor or anything else. Jesus had instructed them to care for the least of these. How far some of us have gotten from such simple instructions.

As followers of Jesus Christ may we reclaim the vision and love of the one we say we follow. Loving and caring for all we meet and encounter, may we see and understand each as created by God, each as beloved by God. Doing so we live into these words: “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come”. In Christ may we transform ourselves, the church, and the world into a more loving, caring, and just place.

Prayer: Lord God, guide me this day to love as Jesus Christ loved. Grant me eyes to see all as you see them – created in love by you. Seeing as you see, may I live out your love in the world each day. Amen.


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Power and Majesty

Reading: Psalm 29

Verse 11: “The Lord gives strength to his people; the Lord blesses his people with peace”.

Photo credit: Lili Popper

Yesterday nature flexed her muscles a little bit. The rains fell and fell, the wind roared and roared. Our rain gauge shows 1.6″ this morning. At times I was mesmerized by the power of nature on display yesterday. Our Psalm today speaks of the power and majesty of the Lord. In verse three the psalmist writes, “The voice of the Lord is over the waters”. It was on full display yesterday.

As one reads all of Psalm 29 one is reminded over and over of the power and majesty of God’s “voice” in the natural world. The thunder and the lightning, the magnificent storms, the earthquakes – all physical reminders of God’s place “enthroned as king forever”. Psalms like this are good reminders of God’s place in our world and in our lives. It is too easy to get caught up in the rat race, getting busier and busier. David’s words in our Psalm today call us to slow down, to marvel at God’s power and majesty. It is also very easy at times to get lost in our own little world. We too easily get obsessed with some small thing, some unimportant event that has become a mountain. The Psalm again reminds us of God’s power and majesty, reminding us that the one who is so much greater than anything life can bring also loves us. Verse eleven speaks of this: “The Lord gives strength to his people; the Lord blesses his people with peace”. Strength and peace – wonderful gifts of the Lord of power and majesty. May these fill your life today!

Prayer: Lord God, you are in the mighty wind and in the abundant rains. Your might and power are evident, fully on display in the created world. Yet you also bring me strength in my weakness, peace in my storms. You are an awesome God. Amen.


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Pause, Praise, Worship

Reading: Psalm 104: 24-30

Verse 30: “When you send your spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the earth”.

Photo credit: Frank McKenna

Psalm 104 is about the marvelous created works of God. The psalmist rejoices in the wonder of the created world, as we perhaps often do. Our section for today focuses on the vast number of creatures, specifically those in the seas. The Psalm describes the waters as “teeming” with life. To connect with this image and idea, imagine standing on the shore of the ocean and having each unique creation introduce its kind one at a time. You or I would stand there on the seashore for many days. Scientists estimate that there are about 225,000 known species in the oceans (plus an estimated two million unidentified species too). For just the known species, thirty second introductions done 24/7 would take about eighty days (80). Does that not hint at God’s incredible creative power?

Life for each and every one of these creations comes from God, as does their daily provision. Not only that, but the life within each rests with God. When it is taken away, they too return to dust. The cycle of life and creation is continually in motion. In verse thirty we read, “When you send your spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the earth”. Over and over the cycle of life continues, ever guided by God. We can, of course, see ourselves in this cycle as well. Our very life, our daily bread – all dependent upon God, all blessings from God. Today may we pause and take in the simplicity of all this. May our response to the incredible God who also knows the number of hairs on our head be joyful praise and grateful worship. May it all be so.

Prayer: Lord, I know I am wonderfully made. Yes, far from perfect, yet wonderfully made and deeply loved. I rejoice in my place in your family and as a part of your creation. May all I do and say today bring you the praise and glory. Amen.


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The Greatest Joys

Reading: 1st John 5: 1-5

Verse 2: “This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands”.

We continue today with the same author and the same themes from our past days in John 15: loving well and obeying God’s commands. There continues to be a direct connection here. When we love someone we try to do things that please them. When we love someone we want them to be happy and well cared for. These concerns often extend to those who are loved by the focus of our love. This is the case with God’s creation and family. Since we cannot really care for God himself, we instead focus on loving and caring well for all of God’s creation.

John sums up this idea in verse two. Here we read, “This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands”. When our love of God leads us to follow his commands, then we love his children. We express God’s love in many ways: caring for those in need, helping others grow in faith, being present in times of pain or sorrow, supporting the work of God through the giving of our time, talents, prayers, and resources. These expressions of love are reflections or extensions of the love of God that we ourselves have experienced. This is why they are not burdensome. These actions are a joyful and grateful way to thank God for loving us so well. In this way the love of God is cast wide, out into the world. Being loved and loving well are two of the greatest joys in life. May we enjoy both today!

Prayer: God of all creation, you love me just like you love all of your other children and all that you have made. It is a wonderful, beautiful, complete love. As it fills me may I pour it out into the world. Amen.