With all the noise in the world, do you hear the voice of God? Your calendar tells you what to do, but do you remember who you are? Being comes before doing. This is a call to put first things first. Return to the Lord with this daily pattern of prayer and devotion. Set aside this time as a sanctuary. Find a space free of distraction and follow this pattern.
Invocation
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Invitation
Lord Jesus, you once came to humanity in a rustic barn and a messy manger. Do not be distant from the rough places of our lives. We often find ourselves far from you. In mercy, come near to us, our Lord, Emmanuel; for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Confession
Forgive my sins, O Lord – forgive me the sins of my present and the sins of my past, the sins of my soul and the sins of my body; the sins which I have done to please myself, and the sins which I have done to please others. Forgive me my wasted and idle sins, forgive me my serious and deliberate sins, forgive me those sins which I know and those sins which I know not, the sins which I have labored so to hide from others that I have hid them from my own memory. Forgive them, O Lord, forgive them all.
Word: Genesis 1:3
“‘And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.”
Meditation: “And God Said”
Today’s meditation is written by Susan Senechal.
We know the philosophical question, “If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?” As a mom, I have a corollary: “If a mom asks her children to clean their rooms, but nobody does anything, did she really make a sound?” So many of my own words have so little power, and so often I’m at a loss for even what to say.
But God spoke the world into existence. From a formless and empty void he created, bit by bit, piece by piece. With one breath, “light,” and it was good. With another breath, “sky,” and another, “seas” and “land.” With one word he created grand canyons and Milky Ways, the hippopotamus, the centipede, the fruit fly; waters teeming with dolphins and jellyfish; winged creatures like butterflies and ostriches. Oh, the creativity of God! The wonder of his imagination, the power of his words. The midnight sky is filled with millions of stars beyond what we can even see. The ocean depths teem with creatures, some of which we haven’t even discovered yet. And with each breath, each word, each created thing, God said, “and it was good.”
I cannot create something from nothing. My words are often meaningless vibrations of air in search of an ear. But God has given me a voice to sing his praise, to tell everyone what he has done. When I look at creation, the majestic mountains, the vast oceans, the intricate flowers, the brightly plumed birds, I am in awe of the creativity of God. All of creation stands in testimony to God the Creator. Psalm 19 begins, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard” (Psalm 19:1-3).
My voice, too, as weak as it is, has power when I use it to bring praises to the God who created heaven and earth. When Jesus was riding into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, the crowd joyfully praised him. When the Pharisees rebuked them, Jesus said, “If they keep quiet, the stones will cry out” (Luke 19:40). The stones already are crying out. It’s time for me to join the chorus of praise.
Heavenly Father, may I join the chorus of all creation singing of your glory. Don’t let my voice be silent. Amen.
Benediction
And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Phil. 4:7)