The Gift of Life Is So Much More Than Just Being Alive, Luanne Hearn

 

The Gift of Life Is So Much More Than Just Being Alive

By Luanne Hearn

“When I gaze into the night skies and see the work of your fingers, The moon, and stars suspended in space.
Oh, what is Man that you are mindful of him?
You have given man a crown of glory and honor and made him a little lower than the angels.
You have put him in charge of all creation.
The beasts of the field, The birds of the air, The fish of the sea.
O Lord, our God, the majesty and glory of your name transcend the earth and fill the heavens.
O Lord, our God, little children praise you perfectly, And so would we. Alleluia!”

- words adapted from Psalm 8 

The words of this anthem, written by Linda Lee Johnson and arranged by Tom Fettke, are one of my favorites. When things go wrong, and my world feels upside down, it reminds me that God is in charge. It always has been and always will be.

Thanks be to God!

Prayer: Father God, help me have eyes to see and a heart to love the gift of the world created for me.  Amen.

 

 

I Belong to God

By Margaret Carbaugh

Fear not; for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine. Remember not the former things, neither consider the things of old. Behold, I will do something new; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.

Isaiah 43: 1,18-19 

When I was a little girl, I lost my buckskin coat. Where is it? Where is my buckskin coat? It was missing. Someone must have found my coat and taken it to the church office, waiting for me to redeem it about a year later. I asked my mother to stitch my name into the lining. I told myself this coat is MINE: I won’t lose it again.

I will not lie and say I understood my baptism at age 7. Like the coat, I  had been lost but was redeemed. I belonged to God. I understood, sort of. Now I am 70. Like that coat, I have misplaced myself a few times, but I know who I belong to because HE stitched HIS name into my heart when He redeemed me. 

Gracious God, I thank you for all the times I felt abandoned or lost in the wilderness experiences of my life, and you found me, redeemed me, and reminded me that I am yours. Amen 

Margaret

The Glory of God, By Camille Bradley

The Glory of God

By Camille Bradley

O LORD, how manifold are thy works! In wisdom hast thou made them all; the earth is full of thy creatures (RSV). Psalm 104:24  Read Psalms 104

I was fourteen years old behind my junior high school on the track and field after school about to walk home. I looked up at the sky, so incredibly blue. I hopped onto an empty tire pole which was used to support one side of a volleyball net. I held the pole with one hand and circled around the pole looking up. I paused for a moment in awe of God’s creation and my tiny place in it. I was not in a hurry to go home. I was a teenager and we had issues at home. I dallied there for a few more minutes praying and enjoying the peace of God’s beautiful sky. Lost in God’s glory, I felt or heard God say, “It’s okay. You can go home because I’ll be with you.” I was moved by the assurance that I was indeed a part of God’s amazing creation and of God’s love and care for me.

Thought for the Day: Take time to be embraced by God in God’s Creation!

Prayer: God of all, thank you for the many ways you manifest Thyself, thy Presence, thy Glory! Help me take a few minutes each day to bask and meditate on Your beautiful Creation. In doing so may I realize anew that I am a part of the Glory of your Creation--forgiven, loved, and forever embraced by You. Amen.

Camille Bradley