Let’s take a little journey through the gloriousness that is living in Alaska. First, imagine with me that it is the middle of the summer (I see that smile as you currently sit in early March, patiently waiting). It’s a sunny, clear day, and you have just got to be outside and decide to take a walk. A gentle breeze stirs through the leaves on the trees, and you think to yourself – it sounds vaguely like applause. You come upon an open area just covered in wildflowers of every kind, and marvel at the sheer variety of them. That evening, you watch as the sky fades into darkness (or dark-ish-ness, since we’re in Alaska), and the most brilliant colors burst across the sky. You take it all in with gratitude. Maybe, as you sit here in March, you take advantage of one of these last nights, for the season, that the Aurora decides to show itself, and you enjoy the dancing colors across the sky. Many of us live in Alaska because these scenarios are common, and we can appreciate these scenes thoroughly. Something in us longs to join in creation on glorious days like these. There is something sacred about being in nature, where everything you see is God’s handiwork.  

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Our Scripture today walks through various parts of nature and how each piece does its part in praising its Maker mostly just by existing. It sets this lovely scene, which most of us have witnessed with our own eyes, and then it abruptly says, “He will judge the world in righteousness, and the peoples in His faithfulness.” At first glance, these seem like contrasting ideas. First, all is right, beautiful, and even perfect, but in our minds, the word judge seems to imply some wrongdoing. In our eyes, never having seen the world as God intended it, in complete perfection, we can read this and tend to think, “What did the world do?” We can read from the biblical account of creation in Genesis 1 that God is a God of order, not chaos. We also know that you don’t have to traverse far into the “man-made” portions of this world to see that things are not as God intended. Part of God’s creation – mankind – has rebelled, and the sin in our hearts stands in stark contrast to the beautiful scene described above. Jealousy in our hearts, anger toward our brother, murderous thoughts, greed for more…these don’t fit with gorgeous wildflowers and applauding trees. The judgement described in verse 13 is God graciously restoring the moral disorder, delivering justice in His faithfulness, operating exactly in His character to be a God of order.  

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As part of God’s creation, you and I were made to worship. You and I were meant to join in creation with the applause of the trees, and bursting with radiant light to those around us. Psalm 150 ends with the statement, “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord…” So, if you’re alive, and my guess is that you are since you’re reading this, you should worship. Why? God is worthy of praise simply for being who He is, but He also knows that our hearts need the peace that comes from knowing we are not in control and responsible for holding all creation together. Praise the Lord.  

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We’re beginning a new series in which we’ll explore the things God has declared sacred. This is the idea that God calls some things to be set apart or holy. He does this, not to point out our unworthiness in contrast to His perfection; rather, to give us hope for all that is good and as He intended for us. Worship is sacred. It’s putting God in His rightful place in our hearts and giving Him the credit that is due Him. Unlike the man-made world, which demands worship for existing – stealing the honor due to God for the gifts and talents we have – God is worthy of all the reverent honor we can give. When we read that God will judge the world in righteousness, we can see what is right in contrast with what is not right and rejoice – He is making things right! All creation is to worship God, for His worthiness and our good.  

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Will you join with creation today and put God in His rightful place in your heart? Will you worship Him as Holy for all the good He has for you today?  

God, you are so good and kind to us. We thank you for your good and glorious gifts. You are a gracious judge to desire that we see the world as you intended. We also thank you for your restoration of all that is not right in our world through your judgement. Thank you for the sacred act of worshiping you. Amen.