I invite you now to close your eyes.
Take in a nice deep breath and let it out slowly.
Let's do that again and this time when you exhale,
Imagine releasing all distractions and concerns.
One more time,
Breathe in and then let it all go.
Listen as I read Psalm 8.
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.
You have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor.
You made them rulers over the works of your hands and put everything under their feet.
All flocks and herds and the animals of the wild,
The birds of the sky and the fish in the sea,
All that swim the paths of the seas.
Lord our Lord,
How majestic is your name in all the earth.
Take in another deep breath and exhale when you are ready.
Listen as I reread a portion of Psalm 8.
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.
Take a moment now to think of a time when you saw the stars.
I mean really saw them.
A time when you were out in nature,
Away from city lights and could really see the night sky.
Imagine you are standing below the night sky right now.
In your mind's eye,
See the midnight black backdrop.
And the haze of the Milky Way twisting across the sky.
Observe the big bright stars and the many faint ones too.
Notice how some of them flicker.
Use your imagination to look around and notice the vastness of the heavens.
What do you see?
What is it that you see?
What is the brightness of the heavens?
What do you see?
What is the temperature of the air?
What sounds do you hear?
What do you smell?
Now imagine that the moon begins to rise,
Slipping up past the horizon full and bright and luminous,
Surrounded by a halo of clouds.
As it says in the psalm,
God created all of this grandeur and he also created you.
Notice if your heart responds to this in any way.
Do you feel small?
Do you feel a sense of awe?
Take a few moments to share with God what's on your mind.
Coming back now,
Take in one more breath and let it out slowly.
I invite you to pray with me now.
God,
Thank you for your creation.
Thank you for creating me.
Amen.
