Dear Christian friends:

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands. (Psalm 19:1)

We have gathered here today for our Church Picnic because it is a beautiful place in nature. We can look up and see the sun, and we are feeling the warmth from the sun. We are glad we can sit in the shade of the trees and the patio cover so that we do not become uncomfortable from the sun.

Our text today tells about the sun. It says that the sun and the moon and the stars and the planets in the sky show God's glory. Perhaps we have not thought about that. Or if we do think about that once in a while we do not think about it enough. We need to see God's glory in nature and wherever He shows it to us, so that we may believe in Him and worship him. We are meeting outside today so it is a good opportunity to be reminded:

I. Our text says, "The heavens declare the glory of God." What is God's glory?

The sun shows God's glory. Why? It shows His wisdom, His power, His goodness and His perfection. Through the sun God gives warmth, light and life to all nature. Without the sun all nature must die. Without the sun these beautiful trees could not grow and live. God made the trees to depend on the sun as do all living things. (Photosynthesis)

Some nations in the past have worshiped the sun, such as the Aztec Indians of Mexico. We should not worship the sun. The sun is not God. We worship Him who planned and made the sun and all living things. Yes, truly, the sun, moon and stars, the trees, the birds, the fish the animals and we ourselves show God's glory.

These all show God's glory in nature. However nature does not show God's chief glory! What is God's chief glory? For what do we chiefly praise God? For Jesus! Jesus shows God's chief glory! Jesus shows God's love.

True, the sun and nature also show God's love, but they do not show His grace very clearly. The Good News preaching Baptism and the Lord's Supper these show God's grace, that He loves His enemies and forgives their sins through the crucifixion, death, and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord. God's chief glory is that "He gave His only Son, that whosoever believes on Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved." God's grace in Jesus is His chief glory!

II. God has shown His glory to us in nature and in His Word. We should see His glory, believe in Him and worship Him.

Man does not want to see God's glory in nature and in His Word in Jesus. As I said before, the Aztec Indians of Mexico worshiped the sun instead of God the Maker of the sun. Today most people worship nature instead of God. Many love and worship their bodies and sex. Many worship food. Most love and worship money and all the nice and beautiful things they can buy with money: fun, pleasures etc.

We must not worship nature. John warns: "Love not the world, neither the things in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. Because all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not the Father, but is of the world. And the lust thereof: but he that does God's will abides forever." (1 John 2:15-17)

Worship God. Give glory to Him for nature. Use the things of nature to serve Him in love and with thanksgiving. Be stewards of all His gifts and blessings.

In order to have faith and His life to do this we need to attend daily and each Sunday to His Word about Jesus Christ our dear Savior. Hear again what David writes about God's Word in our text. (Read verses 7-11)

Then we will confess our sins, as David does here, and ask God's forgiveness and pray that He protect us from unbelief and mockery. We will also pray that our worship please God, our Rock and our Savior. (Read vv. 12-14)

May God help us daily to see God's glory in nature and in His Word that we may with humble heart worship Him and serve Him.

Amen