“I will praise you, Lord, among the nations;
I will sing of you among the peoples.
For great is your love, reaching to the heavens;
your faithfulness reaches to the skies.Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
let your glory be over all the earth.”
Psalm 57:9-11
Dear HBIC Family,
One of my favorite things about summer is that it always forces me outside more. As a child, this meant summer camp in the woods. In my teenage years and early twenties, it meant hikes, camping out, caving and even long canoeing trips. Once I started as Youth Pastor here, summer meant missions trips, outdoor activities, and chances to again be out in nature. What I have learned from being outside, though, is that it is easier for me to see, appreciate, and feel our God through the beautiful creation we’re blessed to share with one another.
Through the prophet Isaiah, we are reminded that heaven is God’s throne and the earth is God’s footstool. The Psalmists sing time and time again of how majestic our God is, how the heavens proclaim God’s glory, and even how all of creation sings praise to God. I love how Paul reminds us that through Jesus all things were made, through Jesus all things are held together, and through Jesus all things will be reconciled back unto God. So, the second thing I love about nature itself is how God’s creation points us back to Jesus.
This week, Pastor Lynda will be bringing us a message on the goodness of God. One of the ways that I’m consistently reminded of God’s goodness is by looking at creation all around us. The Spirit reminds me that, in our sisters and brothers, we together make up the Body of Christ. And the stars and skies, hills and trees, flowers and creatures all remind us of a God who created a world for us, for us to tend to, and for us to experience his goodness in. Creation is a consistent witness that our God is good, and very good to us.
Our God is good. To live in God’s love is to know that our very good God is the one who loves us. Experiencing God’s goodness is a gift to all of creation, but especially to us. To prepare for this week’s services, I would like to invite you to read and meditate on Psalm 57. As you reflect, I would like to ask you to focus on the following questions:
What does this passage say about God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit)?
What does this passage say about followers of God?
Where in your life have you always consistently seen God’s goodness?
Where in your life have you seen God’s goodness recently?
In a world that sometimes seems so overwhelmingly dark, we are blessed to have the light of our good God. In a world that looks broken just about everywhere, we are blessed to have the reconciling power of the Spirit of our good God. And in a world that is just not as it should be, we are blessed that Jesus makes “on earth as it is in heaven” possible and already happening.
Sisters and brothers, I hope this summer has given you many opportunities to get out into creation. I pray that God’s goodness is evident to you as much today as it was when you first learned of God’s great love for you. Every day is a gift, and every breath is a taste of God’s goodness to us.
God bless you all.
Love in Christ,
Pastor Hank (Psalm 57:9-11)