God of Earth and Outer Space
When the folks at Broadman Publishing decided to put out a new Baptist Hymnal in the early 1970’s, they knew they needed to make an effort to keep up with the changing times. So they determined to add a few more modern songs to their book of traditional hymns. One of the songs they added was called "God of Earth and Outer Space."
The song was written soon after the historic Apollo 11 landing on the moon in July, 1969. The astronauts themselves had lauded the glory of God from their new perspective looking back at earth, and a hymn writer named Thad Roberts, Jr. decided to write a song about it. He came up with the lyrics, and then paired them with the tune of an old Welsh song called Aberystwyth, and a hymn was born.
The truth be told, it was a pretty bad hymn, and it proved to be evidence that the editors of the new hymnal were trying too hard to be hip and "contemporary." I remember the song, especially, because we used that particular hymnal in our church in the late '70's, and every time we did a "hymn-sing" (usually on a fifth Sunday evening service), they allowed the congregation to request hymns during the service. We trouble-making teenagers in the back made sure to raise our hand and pick that bad hymn every chance we could, and I'm pretty sure that's why they canceled the hymn request time at my home church. Also, the next time the Baptists published a new hymnal, they conveniently left that hymn out.
Anyway, I thought of that hymn this week in our Vacation Bible School as we focused on our search for God. Our theme was space-based, and we even had some cool songs about God who created the universe. Plus, every day we made a trip into space, which was not easy fighting through the lack of gravity and all. But more than anything, we were able to use a backdrop that the kids enjoyed to remind us that we have a God who created the stars, and yet knows our name. And better yet, not only does He know us, but He loves us infinitely and unconditionally.
In that light, every day we repeated our memory verse for the week. about how much God loves us: "The Father has loved us so much! He loved us so much that we are called children of God. And we really are His children..." (1 John 3:1a, ICB) We also sang a song every day that reminded us not to forget to remember that we are dearly loved by God. And most importantly, we were able to communicate with the children how God demonstrated that love for us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. That's what Vacation Bible School is all about.
But back to the space theme, you don't have to be a fan of Star Wars or Star Trek, or even Lost in Space or Buck Rodgers, to appreciate that our Lord is the God of it all. He created it from the beginning, He flung every star into existence, and He keeps up with every galaxy, every day. "The heavens declare the glory of God," Psalm 19:1 tells us, "and the sky above proclaims his handiwork." He is truly the God of earth and outer space, and yet He knows each of us, and He values us more than we can even comprehend. As the psalmist said, "Glory be to God!"
It's been a great week of VBS, and we're all pretty tired, but I am glad we can count on a God who never grows wearing and can always be trusted to take care of our every need. And best of all, He already met our need for salvation from our sins, through sending His Son Jesus. I hope you know Him personally.
What a joy it is to be your pastor. I'm praying for you, as I hope you are for me, and I look forward to seeing you Sunday.
--Pastor Ken
