Happy summer!
I’m back from our ZOE Empowers trip to Rwanda with our team, and am filled with stories and emotions I’m still processing. We will have much to share in the coming weeks and months, but suffice it to say your support of our working groups is invaluable in changing their lives and their communities. One of our recent graduates met us in his Vet Pharmacy store to share his success and greet us. As he spoke he broke into tears of gratitude, thanking us for our support of him during his three years, and so blessed to be able to share his story with us in person. Needless to say, there wasn’t a dry eye in the room, but trust me we will share more stories later.
This week, we continue our series on the Songs (Psalms) of Summer with Psalm 8. I was on a Zoom call with one of our staff members who is working out of town, when her son came on the screen and told me, “Hey, it’s vacation, it’s time for your vacation, too!” I laughed so hard at his 5-year-old truth-telling, and then gave a little thanks to God for his prophetic words when I read the first verses of our Psalm for this week:
“O Lord, our Sovereign,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory above the heavens.
Out of the mouths of babes and infants
you have founded a bulwark because of your foes,
to silence the enemy and the avenge.”
Out of the mouth of little Xavier, God reminded me about the power of Psalm 23 from worship last week, and the call to rest and find comfort, to make room in our hearts and minds to revel in God’s creation with awe and wonder. This week Psalm 8 reminds us of the majesty and power of God’s creation, and the gift of God’s love that in creating all of the mysteries and beauty of the world, we humans still have his heart. The impact of the Psalm allows me to sit in the awe and wonder of not just the beauty of creation, but the power of God’s love for even me.
“When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars that you have established;
what are humans that you are mindful of them,
mortals that you care for them?
Yet you have made them a little lower than God
and crowned them with glory and honor.”
As we move into this holiday weekend, may these two Psalms we have studied help you begin a new rhythm of spiritual growth during July, where “vacation time” of comfort and rest allows for you to feel the impact of the Creator’s immense love for you. Whether you are in town or traveling, join us for worship as Pastors Jad and Melissa unpack Psalm 8, and we worship our God in awe and wonder. We will get a chance on this ALL-IN Sunday to hear our children and youth share stories of what awe and wonder they have found this summer. Don’t forget to also check out our Songs of Summer playlist on Spotify to prepare your heart for worship. We can’t wait to see you!
Grace and peace –
Jenn.