Lord, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory
in the heavens.
Through the praise of children and infants
you have established a stronghold against your enemies,
to silence the foe and the avenger.
When I consider your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which you have set in place,
what is mankind that you are mindful of them,
human beings that you care for them? – Psalm 8:1-4
This week, NASA revealed the first images of deep space from the James Webb Space Telescope. This is the most advanced infrared telescope in existence. It was designed through a collaboration between NASA, The Canadian Space Agency, and the European Space Agency. It took over two decades to design, launch into orbit, and begin relaying images to earth.
This past Monday, the first images of galaxies far away were revealed. These are the clearest images of deep space ever seen. As I look at them, it’s amazing to think that the stars, planets, and galaxies shown in these images are so far away that humanity will most likely never travel there. The beauty revealed in these images are better than the greatest of paintings. All the colors of spectrum seem to be present in a picture of creation that truly reminds us of how small we are in relation to space and time.
Long ago, the Psalmist looked into the heavens and considered our place in the universe. Although the Psalmist did not have a space telescope, he looked into the sky at all the stars, the sun, and the moon. The first thought was a reflection on how a holy God created the whole of the universe. It is God who “set glory in the heavens.” The creator of our world set the stars in the sky and the planets in their orbits. These new pictures remind us of the glory of God revealed in the majesty of the universe.
The writer of this Psalm also considered our place in God’s creation. It is a comforting reflection. The Psalmist reminds us that even in the vast depth of space, God is mindful of each of his children. The universe is infinite in size, but God is close to us.
In the greatness of creation, we can feel minuscule and lonely. However, the Psalms remind us that we are not alone. The God of creation looks through the vastness of space and draws close to us. We may seem small in comparison to creation, but we are the focus of our heavenly Father’s eyes, and that is the source of our comfort.
– Rev. Keith King, Pastor of Worship
