Psalm 8
God, brilliant Lord, 
yours is a household name. 

Nursing infants gurgle choruses about you; 
toddlers shout the songs 
That drown out enemy talk, 
and silence atheist babble. 

I look up at your macro-skies, dark and enormous, 
your handmade sky-jewelry, 
Moon and stars mounted in their settings. 
Then I look at my micro-self and wonder, 
Why do you bother with us? 
Why take a second look our way? 

Yet we’ve so narrowly missed being gods, 
bright with Eden’s dawn light. 
You put us in charge of your handcrafted world, 
repeated to us your Genesis-charge, 
Made us stewards of sheep and cattle, 
even animals out in the wild, 
Birds flying and fish swimming, 
whales singing in the ocean deeps. 

God, brilliant Lord, 
your name echoes around the world. (The Message)

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Sometimes the words combine in such a manner that they become a masterpiece. Psalm 8 is one of King David’s finest. We thrill when we hear it read aloud. We weep when we hear it sung. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NfaQ8qoCUaA](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NfaQ8qoCUaA))

On this second go-round through the Psalms this year, this time using The Message paraphrase as the primary text, I’m hearing God speak through fresh words and phrases, truths known by heart sink ever deeper, release comfort, and await expression. 

God places us, his handcrafted people, in his handcrafted world to enjoy his handcrafted journey into knowing and becoming. 

Sometimes Sunday worship takes us to such heights that we have no words. We cannot sing. We cannot pray. We cannot do anything but stand amazed in his presence. 

May this Sunday be one of those Sundays.

May our Monday morning traffic and tangled cords of email, messages, meetings, and events be shaped more by the majesty and glory of our God than the demands of beeps and dings, urgent voices, and accelerated heartbeats. 

May we hear in the hurry and the hush God’s goodness echoing around the world. 

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I will worship our brilliant God and join my voice with others in declaring his praise. 

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Our Father, thank you for your endless variety of masterpieces flowing from your creative mind. Thank you for the handcrafted beauty and wonder all around us. Thank you for baby coos, toddler laughter, birdsong, and brilliant objects illuminating the darkest nights. Thank you for morning shadows and the dawning of new days. Everything you created gives you praise. Lean in to listen as to you my voice I raise. Amen.