Today, I'm broadcasting from Idaho Falls,
Idaho.
Pardon the umbrella as the sun is shining
on my notebook screen.Idaho Falls gets its
name from the beautiful falls in the downtown
area created by a dam in the Snake River as
part of a hydroelectric power project built
in 1982.
Good morning, Big Springs Community Church
family, and to all those who are watching
online from your homes.
Today is Saturday, September 5, 2020.
Let us begin our morning prayer with these
words from Psalm 6:9, “The LORD has heard
my plea; the LORD accepts my prayer.”
Invocation
Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made
heaven and earth.
Prayer of Confession
Eternal God, in whom we live and move and
have our being, whose face is hidden from
us by our sins, and whose mercy we forget
in the blindness of our hearts: cleanse us
from all our offenses, and deliver us from
proud thoughts and vain desires, that with
reverent and humble hearts we may draw near
to you, confessing our faults, confiding in
your grace, and finding in you our refuge
and strength; through Jesus Christ your Son.
Amen.
Declaration of Pardon: John 3:17
The Scriptures tell us in John 3:17: For God
did not send his Son into the world to condemn
the world, but in order that the world might
be saved through him.
Today, we will pray a prayer of thanksgiving
for God’s mercies.
A Prayer of Thanksgiving for God’s Creation
O God our Almighty Creator and Merciful Father,
the hosts of heaven give him glory; before
him tremble cherubim and seraphim; let everything
that has breath and all creation praise him,
bless him, and exalt him above all forever.
You cover your high places with the waters,
you set the sand as a boundary to the sea
and uphold all things: the sun sings your
praises, the moon gives you glory, all creatures
offer a hymn to you, their author and creator,
forever.
You made the earth bring forth every herb
and fruit tree for our use.
Let all the trees of the forest dance and
sing.
Let the mountains and all the hills and deserts
and meadows break forth into great rejoicing
at the mercy of God and let the trees of the
forest clap their hands.
Glory to you, O Lord, for you brought forth
out of the waters the moving creature which
has life, the birds of the air and the fish
of the sea, and whatever moves through the
paths of the seas.
And on the sixth day you made the first man
in your own image.
Mercifully grant that in following your Son,
the Son of Man who came down from heaven,
we may recover that which was lost through
sin and may put on the new man who is created
to be like you in righteousness and true holiness.
Through Christ our Lord through Whom and for
Whom all things were created.
Amen.
A Reading from Romans 8:21–23
Creation itself will be set free from its
bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom
of the glory of the children of God.
For we know that the whole creation has been
groaning together in the pains of childbirth
until now.
And not only the creation, but we ourselves,
who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan
inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as
sons, the redemption of our bodies.
A Reading from Psalm 8:1-6
O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name
in all the earth!
You have set your glory above the heavens.
Out of the mouth of babies and infants, you
have established strength because of your
foes, to still the enemy and the avenger.
When I look at your heavens, the work of your
fingers, the moon and the stars, which you
have set in place, what is man that you are
mindful of him, and the son of man that you
care for him?
Yet you have made him a little lower than
the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory
and honor.
You have given him dominion over the works
of your hands; you have put all things under
his feet.
Meditation: God’s Immense and Majestic Creation
King David opens Psalm 8 by praising God,
“O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your
name in all the earth!”
With this psalm, the people of God celebrate
the majestic name of God the Creator and Lord
of the universe.
They not only wonder in God's wonderful creation,
but also marvel at how God focuses on an insignificant
part of creation: man, whom God created in
his image and gave him dominion over all the
earth.
David is in awe of the night sky: the moon
and the stars.
The vast expanse of just our own Galaxy, the
Milky Way, stretches for billions of light-years.
Its splendor is indescribable.
This takes us back to the days of creation.
On the first day, God spoke and there was
light.
God spoke and there were the sun, moon, stars
and other heavenly lights to light the night
sky.
Therefore, David sings in Psalm 19:1, “The
heavens declare the glory of God, and the
sky above proclaims his handiwork.”
Just looking at the heavens demands praise
and awe of God from man.
The Apostle John says that Jesus is “the
true light, which gives light to everyone.”
Jesus afterwards taught that he is the Light
of the World.
And in eternity, even these great lights of
the sun, moon and stars will give way to the
light of the glory of God and of Christ.
Therefore, new heaven and the new earth will
not have light-bearers in the sky, and there
will be no night there (Rev 21:23).
Therefore, David cannot but burst out in praise
of God, at the beginning and end of Psalm
8, “O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your
name in all the earth!”
In spite of man being a speck in a vast universe,
God considers man the crowning glory of his
creation.
So David marvels with awe and wonder, “When
I consider... what is man?” (v 4) Who are
we, puny, insignificant organic entities,
to command God's care, love and attention?
Of man, God “crowned him with glory and
honor.”
God made man his representative or steward
on earth.
God ordained his immense creation to be subdued
and under the dominion of this insignificant
piece of creation.
The LORD has “put all things under his feet.”
Of all creation, the beasts in the fields,
the birds in the air, the fish in the seas,
only man was created as God's image (Gen 1:26-27).
He shares in God's attributes of true holiness
and true righteousness and has personal knowledge
and communion with God.
But sin marred both this image of God in man,
losing his true holiness, righteousness and
knowledge of God.
Even God’s perfect creation was corrupted,
so we have natural disasters in the form of
earthquakes, hurricanes, volcanic eruptions,
pestilences, drought and famines.
However, contrary to what many believe, when
Jesus returns from heaven, he will not completely
destroy the earth.
Therefore, faithful Christian, wait for the
return of our Lord when he will completely
do away with the chaos, sufferings, evil and
natural disasters of this old world, and then
restore it to the perfect majesty and glory
of the new heaven and new earth.
Closing Prayer
We praise you for our creation, preservation,
and for all the comforts and blessings of
this present life, but more especially for
the grace of our Christian calling in Christ
Jesus, for your long-suffering mercy and forgiveness,
for the knowledge of your truth and will,
and for the blessed hope of everlasting life
given us through Christ.
Blessed are you, O Lord our God.
On the seventh day you rested from all your
work.
Grant us, that having diligently done your
works all the days of our appointed time on
earth, we may at last enter into your everlasting
rest; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Benediction: Philippians 4:7
May the peace of God, which surpasses all
understanding, guard your hearts and your
minds in Christ Jesus.
Amen.
