Of Creation (Pasche)
"Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; for Thou hast created all things, and for Thy pleasure they are and were created." Rev. 4:11.
We shall now contemplate the wonderful works of creation. What glories crown the earth all around us! We are enraptured by the beauty and awed by the vastness of the ever-shifting scenes in nature about us. We gaze up into the heavens and behold the splendor of the starry heights and admire the infinite wisdom and grandeur of the mechanism of this beautiful, wonderful world. We ask, Who made it? Whence is this world upon which we mortals dwell? Did it come into existence of itself? We Christians know better. We know that this world was created by an all-powerful and all-wise Creator. Scripture says: “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” Hence the world did not spring into existence by chance, but at the bidding and by the power of God.
When as yet there was no material existence, God brought this world into being. God spake, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast. The psalmist says: “Of old hast Thou laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Thy hands.” Four thousand years after the creation of heaven and earth, St. Paul wrote to the Colossians: “ By Him were all things created that are in heaven and that are in earth, visible and in visible.” And we confess with Luther: “I believe that God has made me and all creatures; that He has given me my body and soul, eyes, ears, and all my members, my reason, and all my senses.”
We ask ourselves, What may have induced God to do this? Why did He create us? It is but the love of God, who first loved us, whose tender mercies are over all His works. If we but open our eyes, we can perceive the love of God everywhere. All nature around us proclaims the great truth: “God is Love.” He says: “I have loved thee with an everlasting love.” Jer. 31,3.
Prayer.
O almighty God, heavenly Father, we praise Thee that of Thy goodness Thou didst make the earth and all creatures subservient to mankind. Great and marvelous are Thy works; who can utter Thy mighty acts ? Who can show forth all Thy praise ? Yet will we not be silent, but praise Thy holy name without ceasing. We will praise Thee in Thy sanctuary. Daily we will praise Thee in the firmament of Thy power, praise Thee for Thy mighty acts, praise Thee according to Thy excellent greatness. Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord. Amen.
