August 2, 2020

We’re in Psalm 108 this week, continuing our annual Christ in the Psalms series. You can find sermons for the previous 107 Psalms here. Kind of crazy to write that. So why the Psalms? The Psalms provide a “hymnal” for God’s people, teaching us how to bring the whole range of human emotion before Him in prayer and in worship.

Our artwork for Psalm 108 is an oil painting by Kari Langford. See the piece and read about the art and artist here. To learn more about our weekly Christ in the Psalms artwork pieces and see them all (they go back as far as Psalm 41!), click here.

Here’s how you can prepare for this Sunday, August 2:

1. Read our text, Psalm 108.

See Passage

My heart is steadfast, O God! I will sing and make melody with all my being! Awake, O harp and lyre! I will awake the dawn! I will give thanks to You, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to You among the nations. For Your steadfast love is great above the heavens; Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let Your glory be over all the earth! That Your beloved ones may be delivered, give salvation by Your right hand and answer me! God has promised in His holiness: “With exultation I will divide up Shechem and portion out the Valley of Succoth. Gilead is mine; Manasseh is mine; Ephraim is my helmet, Judah my scepter. Moab is my washbasin; upon Edom I cast my shoe; over Philistia I shout in triumph.” Who will bring me to the fortified city? Who will lead me to Edom? Have You not rejected us, O God? You do not go out, O God, with our armies. Oh grant us help against the foe, for vain is the salvation of man! With God we shall do valiantly; it is He who will tread down our foes.

At times it feels like God doesn’t care. Though the past has proven how faithful and good He is, we long for Him to work on our behalf in this moment. And when it seems like God has rejected our pleas for help, it is easy to rely on self-made solutions that always disappoint, at least eventually. What we long for—what we need most—is God with us. And indeed He is. Jesus, called Immanuel, has taken on our rejection, has emerged victorious on our behalf, and now joins us in the struggle. We may now joyfully anticipate His constant work in our lives, hungering for His glory and pleading His pursuing grace.

2. Read, pray, and sing through the service:

Download Lyrics (PDF)

Don’t use Spotify? Click the song title below to see song on YouTube.

CALL TO WORSHIP: Psalm 108:1–5:

See passage

My heart is steadfast, O God! I will sing and make melody with all my being! Awake, O harp and lyre! I will awake the dawn! I will give thanks to You, O LORD, among the peoples; I will sing praises to You among the nations. For Your steadfast love is great above the heavens; Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens!https://www.parkchurchdenver.org/2020/07/30/august-2-2020/ Let Your glory be over all the earth!

10,000 Reasons (Jonas Myrin, Matt Redman)
Psalm 108 (My Heart Is Steadfast) (Joel Limpic)

CONFESSION OF SIN: Based on Psalm 108:

Father, we confess that our hearts are often not steadfast toward You. Truth be told, our allegiances are divided and we are half-hearted creatures.

Jesus, find us in our slumbering ways and awaken our sleepy affections. Open our eyes to see Your beauty and grace with a new freshness.

Spirit, shine a spotlight on any wayward way in our lives. Plant boldness and courage and strength to love and follow You.

ASSURANCE OF PARDON: Psalm 103:10–13

See passage

He does not deal with us according to our sins,
nor repay us according to our iniquities.
For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is His steadfast love toward those who fear Him;
as far as the east is from the west,
so far does He remove our transgressions from us.
As a father shows compassion to his children,
so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear Him.

PASSING THE PEACE

What is Passing the Peace?
(Click to Read)

When we’ve met as a large group on Sundays, we’ve always had a time of greeting one another after singing. Many churches call this time “passing the peace.” In some church traditions, one person will say to another, “The peace of Christ be with you” to which the other person responds, “And also with you.”

While potentially unfamiliar for some, we felt that “passing the peace” during greeting times at home could be a powerful act in this age marked by very little external peace. In Isaiah 9, Jesus is described as the Prince of Peace. He wants His kingdom to be marked by this very peace! We want to “pass” to one another this peace that only Jesus can give, especially at a time like this.

It might feel a bit cheesy, but we encourage you to actually pray the peace of God over each other during our times. We encourage you to look into each other’s eyes as you say, “The peace of Christ be with you!” and have others respond with, “And also with you.” Be open-hearted to Jesus, asking Him to fill you with His peace.

SERMON & COMMUNION

Praises (Be Lifted Up) (Josh Baldwin)
Victory Belongs To Jesus (Todd Dulaney)

BENEDICTION

Psalm 108—Artwork

Learn more about Christ in the Psalms weekly artwork and see previous pieces here.

Person: Kari Langford

Kari, originally from Houston, is currently pursuing her BFA at the University of Denver. Growing up in a small waterfront town, she has always connected to God through the ocean. Nature is an important means to relate to God and the people around her. She has recently been exploring color, light, and form in her paintings, as well as performance and ceramic work.

Piece: Oil Painting

The last couple of months have been hard. They are unprecedented and difficult times that have caused an aching and longing in my soul for God to restore. All the day long, I cry out for the Lord to redeem this land, to wipe away the tears.

In the midst of this season, I have been home in Texas; I have once again returned to the water and greenery of a Texas landscape. So many times, I have woken up in the morning to look out the window and see warm, beautiful hues of greens and yellows. This time has forced me to slow down and look around—as if the Lord was calling me to “Awake!”

While I have been spending time in Psalm 108, I have been reminded of the Lord’s goodness. Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised.

My heart is steadfast, O God!
I will sing and make melody with all my being!
Awake, O harp and lyre!
I will awake the dawn!
I will give thanks to You, O Lord, among the peoples;
I will sing praises to You among the nations.
For Your steadfast love is great above the heavens;
Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.
(Psalm 108:1–4)

I was struck by this image of worshiping with all of my being, with awaking the dawn with praise. In response to this, I woke up at 5am, went to the neighborhood dock, and greeted the dawn with praise for our holy God. The clouds and the sun and the water and the trees, all point us to the Creator. They show us glimpses of His steadfast love—of His faithfulness—that reaches beyond the things we can see.

My prayer is that in the midst of sorrow, we can rejoice in who God is, and that one may look upon this burst of color and light and be moved to praise our incomprehensible God.

Psalm 107—Artwork

Learn more about Christ in the Psalms weekly artwork and see previous pieces here.

Person: Lou Ann Summers

My name is Lou Ann Summers. I grew up in Littleton, Colorado and since then have lived in Missouri, Texas, New Mexico, and Utah. We have now been in Arvada for five years. I have been married to Brent going on 38 years and am a mother of four and a grandmother of six. I come from a very artistic family, a few of whom are professionals. It was not until adulthood that I discovered a knack for painting. I am an amateur artist and make art for the sheer joy of it. I was fortunate to have the chance to teach art to sixth graders for five years in public school.

Piece: Acrylic

Being in my 60s, I have had the opportunity to practice my artistry plenty, and like they say, practice makes perfect. Haha! Not that I’m perfect! but that I have had plenty of practice. I never went to school for it. My sister became a professional artist and because i grew up beside her, I absorbed much of her eye for color, light and shapes. As children she and I had a drawing game we would play together in church while we were listening quietly. In later years we would paint together as she instructed me. I have also enjoyed watching painters on TV, learning much from them. I feel God’s joy when I am creating!

This particular piece was inspired from Psalm 107. It speaks repeatedly of the people crying out and God providing for, and saving them. V.35 says, “He turned the desert into pools of water and the parched ground into flowing springs, there He brought the hungry to live and they founded a city where they could settle.”—an oasis in the middle of dry sand! Like our children cannot stay out of the water in the summertime, I cannot live without his living water! I can’t count the number of heart-scorching times during “Covid” where I have had to run to the fountain of life to drink, or die. And He offers me an oasis of water where my heart can settle 🙂

July 26, 2020

This will be Christ in the Psalms week six, and we’re in Psalm 107. Christ in the Psalms is an annual series at Park Church. We started in Psalm 1 many years ago and have hit one Psalm per week (until last week, I guess!). So why the Psalms? The Psalms provide a “hymnal” for God’s people, teaching us how to bring the whole range of human emotion before Him in prayer and in worship. We’re excited to continue this week.

Our artwork for Psalm 107 is an acrylic painting by Lou Ann Summers. See the piece and read about the art and artist here. To learn more about our weekly Christ in the Psalms artwork pieces and see them all (they go back as far as Psalm 41!), click here.

Here’s how you can prepare for this Sunday:

1. Read our text, Psalm 107.

See Psalm 107

Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever! Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom He has redeemed from trouble and gathered in from the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south.

Some wandered in desert wastes, finding no way to a city to dwell in; hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted within them. Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and He delivered them from their distress. He led them by a straight way till they reached a city to dwell in. Let them thank the Lord for His steadfast love, for His wondrous works to the children of man! For He satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul He fills with good things.

Some sat in darkness and in the shadow of death, prisoners in affliction and in irons, for they had rebelled against the words of God, and spurned the counsel of the Most High. So He bowed their hearts down with hard labor; they fell down, with none to help. Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and He delivered them from their distress. He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and burst their bonds apart. Let them thank the Lord for His steadfast love, for His wondrous works to the children of man! For He shatters the doors of bronze and cuts in two the bars of iron.

Some were fools through their sinful ways, and because of their iniquities suffered affliction; they loathed any kind of food, and they drew near to the gates of death. Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and He delivered them from their distress. He sent out His word and healed them, and delivered them from their destruction. Let them thank the Lord for His steadfast love, for His wondrous works to the children of man! And let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving, and tell of His deeds in songs of joy!

Some went down to the sea in ships, doing business on the great waters; they saw the deeds of the Lord, His wondrous works in the deep. For He commanded and raised the stormy wind, which lifted up the waves of the sea. They mounted up to heaven; they went down to the depths; their courage melted away in their evil plight; they reeled and staggered like drunken men and were at their wits’ end. Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and He delivered them from their distress. He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed. Then they were glad that the waters were quiet, and He brought them to their desired haven. Let them thank the Lord for His steadfast love, for His wondrous works to the children of man! Let them extol Him in the congregation of the people, and praise Him in the assembly of the elders.

He turns rivers into a desert, springs of water into thirsty ground, a fruitful land into a salty waste, because of the evil of its inhabitants. He turns a desert into pools of water, a parched land into springs of water. And there He lets the hungry dwell, and they establish a city to live in; they sow fields and plant vineyards and get a fruitful yield. By His blessing they multiply greatly, and He does not let their livestock diminish.

When they are diminished and brought low through oppression, evil, and sorrow, he pours contempt on princes and makes them wander in trackless wastes; but He raises up the needy out of affliction and makes their families like flocks. The upright see it and are glad, and all wickedness shuts its mouth.

Whoever is wise, let him attend to these things; let them consider the steadfast love of the Lord.

At times life can feel like an exhausting struggle. We wander around on a quest for satisfaction, all the while fighting our own sinful desires and the uncontrollable forces of life. At some point we reach the end of ourselves, and that’s the point where God tends to meet us with His redeeming love. Psalm 107 is a song of thanksgiving that celebrates the different ways in which God has delivered His people from all kinds of distress. The Psalm ultimately points us to Jesus, who has come to meet us in our brokenness and to bring us back to the joy of God’s loving presence.

2. Read, pray, and sing through the service:

Download Lyrics (PDF)

Don’t use Spotify? Click the song title below to see song on YouTube.

CALL TO WORSHIP: Psalm 107:1–3:

See passage

Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever! Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom He has redeemed from trouble and gathered in from the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south.

Psalm 107 (Oh Give Thanks) (Joel Limpic) / Is Is Well (Horatio G. Spafford, Philip P. Bliss)

CONFESSION OF SIN: Based on Psalm 107:

Almighty Father, we confess that each of us have wandered from You. Our sin leads us into desert wastelands with no water. Our rebellion keeps us bound in darkness. Our sinful ways reveal the true foolishness of our hearts. Our prideful hearts pursue endeavors without regard for You. This is not the sort of life we long for.

Hear our cry for freedom and deliverance! Oh God of redemption, meet us in these spaces. We thank You that You’ve shown time and time again that this is the sort of God You are. A God who meets our folly with forgiveness and freedom. A God who turns parched lands into cool springs of water, and who makes a home for the homeless. Help us not forget this reality but rather earnestly consider Your steadfast love today. In Jesus name. Amen.

ASSURANCE OF PARDON: Ephesians 1:7–8

See passage

In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace, which He lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight…

PASSING THE PEACE

What is Passing the Peace?
(Click to Read)

When we’ve met as a large group on Sundays, we’ve always had a time of greeting one another after singing. Many churches call this time “passing the peace.” In some church traditions, one person will say to another, “The peace of Christ be with you” to which the other person responds, “And also with you.”

While potentially unfamiliar for some, we felt that “passing the peace” during greeting times at home could be a powerful act in this age marked by very little external peace. In Isaiah 9, Jesus is described as the Prince of Peace. He wants His kingdom to be marked by this very peace! We want to “pass” to one another this peace that only Jesus can give, especially at a time like this.

It might feel a bit cheesy, but we encourage you to actually pray the peace of God over each other during our times. We encourage you to look into each other’s eyes as you say, “The peace of Christ be with you!” and have others respond with, “And also with you.” Be open-hearted to Jesus, asking Him to fill you with His peace.

SERMON & COMMUNION

Reckless Love (Cory Asbury, Caleb Culver, Ran Jackson)

BENEDICTION

July 19, 2020

This week is a double-header in our annual Christ in the Psalms series: Psalms 105 and 106. Since 2012, we’ve gone week-by-week, psalm-by-psalm through about 10 psalms per summer. This may be the first time we’ve hit two in one week. Why are we doing that? Two reasons:

First, we took a break last week from Christ in the Psalms to turn our attention to racial injustice as seen through Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan. You can listen to that important message here, or you can visit the July 12 Sunday Worship page to watch the whole thing.

Second, Psalm 105 and 106 tell the same story, but from different vantage points: one from the perspective of the faithfulness of God (Psalm 105) and the other from the perspective of the faithlessness of God’s people (Psalm 106).

With the two psalms this week, we also have double the Christ in the Psalms artwork for you (read more about the project here!). This week’s first artwork is a watercolor piece by Daniela Lozano for Psalm 105. The second artwork is a digital design piece by Nikki Rasmussen for Psalm 106.

An now, here’s how you can prepare for this Sunday, July 19:

1. Read our texts, Psalm 105, and Psalm 106.

See Psalm 105

Oh give thanks to the Lord; call upon His name; make known His deeds among the peoples! Sing to Him, sing praises to Him; tell of all His wondrous works! Glory in His holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice! Seek the Lord and His strength; seek His presence continually! Remember the wondrous works that He has done, His miracles, and the judgments He uttered, O offspring of Abraham, His servant, children of Jacob, His chosen ones!

He is the Lord our God; His judgments are in all the earth. He remembers His covenant forever, the word that He commanded, for a thousand generations, the covenant that He made with Abraham, His sworn promise to Isaac, which He confirmed to Jacob as a statute, to Israel as an everlasting covenant, saying, “To you I will give the land of Canaan as your portion for an inheritance.”

When they were few in number, of little account, and sojourners in it, wandering from nation to nation, from one kingdom to another people, he allowed no one to oppress them; He rebuked kings on their account, saying, “Touch not my anointed ones, do my prophets no harm!”

When He summoned a famine on the land and broke all supply of bread, he had sent a man ahead of them, Joseph, who was sold as a slave. His feet were hurt with fetters; his neck was put in a collar of iron; until what he had said came to pass, the word of the Lord tested Him. The king sent and released him; the ruler of the peoples set him free; he made him lord of his house and ruler of all his possessions, to bind his princes at his pleasure and to teach his elders wisdom.

Then Israel came to Egypt; Jacob sojourned in the land of Ham. And the Lord made His people very fruitful and made them stronger than their foes. He turned their hearts to hate His people, to deal craftily with His servants.

He sent Moses, His servant, and Aaron, whom He had chosen. They performed His signs among them and miracles in the land of Ham. He sent darkness, and made the land dark; they did not rebel against His words. He turned their waters into blood and caused their fish to die. Their land swarmed with frogs, even in the chambers of their kings. He spoke, and there came swarms of flies, and gnats throughout their country. He gave them hail for rain, and fiery lightning bolts through their land. He struck down their vines and fig trees, and shattered the trees of their country. He spoke, and the locusts came, young locusts without number, which devoured all the vegetation in their land and ate up the fruit of their ground. He struck down all the firstborn in their land, the firstfruits of all their strength.

Then He brought out Israel with silver and gold, and there was none among His tribes who stumbled. Egypt was glad when they departed, for dread of them had fallen upon it.

He spread a cloud for a covering, and fire to give light by night. They asked, and He brought quail, and gave them bread from heaven in abundance. He opened the rock, and water gushed out; it flowed through the desert like a river. For He remembered His holy promise, and Abraham, His servant.

So He brought His people out with joy, His chosen ones with singing. And He gave them the lands of the nations, and they took possession of the fruit of the peoples’ toil, that they might keep His statutes and observe His laws. Praise the Lord!

See Psalm 106

Praise the Lord! Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever! Who can utter the mighty deeds of the Lord, or declare all His praise? Blessed are they who observe justice, who do righteousness at all times!

Remember me, O Lord, when you show favor to your people; help me when you save them, that I may look upon the prosperity of your chosen ones, that I may rejoice in the gladness of your nation, that I may glory with your inheritance.

Both we and our fathers have sinned; we have committed iniquity; we have done wickedness. Our fathers, when they were in Egypt, did not consider your wondrous works; they did not remember the abundance of your steadfast love, but rebelled by the sea, at the Red Sea. Yet He saved them for His name’s sake, that He might make known His mighty power. He rebuked the Red Sea, and it became dry, and He led them through the deep as through a desert. So He saved them from the hand of the foe and redeemed them from the power of the enemy. And the waters covered their adversaries; not one of them was left. Then they believed His words; they sang His praise.

But they soon forgot His works; they did not wait for His counsel. But they had a wanton craving in the wilderness, and put God to the test in the desert; he gave them what they asked, but sent a wasting disease among them.

When men in the camp were jealous of Moses and Aaron, the holy one of the Lord, the earth opened and swallowed up Dathan, and covered the company of Abiram. Fire also broke out in their company; the flame burned up the wicked.

They made a calf in Horeb and worshiped a metal image. They exchanged the glory of God for the image of an ox that eats grass. They forgot God, their Savior, who had done great things in Egypt, wondrous works in the land of Ham, and awesome deeds by the Red Sea. Therefore He said He would destroy them— had not Moses, His chosen one, stood in the breach before him, to turn away His wrath from destroying them.

Then they despised the pleasant land, having no faith in His promise. They murmured in their tents, and did not obey the voice of the Lord. Therefore He raised His hand and swore to them that He would make them fall in the wilderness, and would make their offspring fall among the nations, scattering them among the lands.

Then they yoked themselves to the Baal of Peor, and ate sacrifices offered to the dead; they provoked the Lord to anger with their deeds, and a plague broke out among them. Then Phinehas stood up and intervened, and the plague was stayed. And that was counted to him as righteousness from generation to generation forever.

They angered Him at the waters of Meribah, and it went ill with Moses on their account, for they made his spirit bitter, and he spoke rashly with his lips.

They did not destroy the peoples, as the Lord commanded them, but they mixed with the nations and learned to do as they did. They served their idols, which became a snare to them. They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to the demons; they poured out innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan, and the land was polluted with blood. Thus they became unclean by their acts, and played the whore in their deeds.

Then the anger of the Lord was kindled against His people, and He abhorred His heritage; he gave them into the hand of the nations, so that those who hated them ruled over them. Their enemies oppressed them, and they were brought into subjection under their power. Many times He delivered them, but they were rebellious in their purposes and were brought low through their iniquity.

Nevertheless, He looked upon their distress, when He heard their cry. For their sake He remembered His covenant, and relented according to the abundance of His steadfast love. He caused them to be pitied by all those who held them captive.

Save us, O Lord our God, and gather us from among the nations, that we may give thanks to your holy name and glory in your praise.

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting! And let all the people say, “Amen!” Praise the Lord!

One of the most important things we can do as followers of Jesus is to remember. It seems simple and is so often overlooked, but when we make recalling the ways God has blessed us a regular practice in our lives, it does more than make us grateful people—it has the power to make us more holy, leading us into the life that is really life.

2. Read, pray, and sing through the service:

Download Lyrics (PDF)

Don’t use Spotify? Click the song title below to see song on YouTube.

CALL TO WORSHIP: Psalm 105:1–4:

See passage

Oh give thanks to the Lord; call upon His name; make known His deeds among the peoples! Sing to Him, sing praises to Him; tell of all His wondrous works! Glory in His holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice! Seek the Lord and His strength; seek His presence continually!

Holy Spirit (Bryan Torwalt, Katie Torwalt) / Not In A Hurry (Michael Ketterer, Will Reagan)

CONFESSION OF SIN: Based on Psalm 106:

O Lord, Both we and our ancestors have sinned, We have all committed iniquity, We have all done wickedness.

Together, we have not considered Your wondrous works, Nor remembered the abundance of Your steadfast love. Instead, we have rebelled against You.

We confess our forgetfulness and nearsightedness, and ask that You would forgive us, that we may give thanks to Your holy name and glory in Your praise. Amen.

ASSURANCE OF PARDON: Romans 8:31–34

See passage

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.

Your Name Is Good (Psalm 54) (Joel Limpic, Scott Mills) / You Keep On Getting Better (Dante Bowe, Jonathan Jay, Majesty Rose)

PASSING THE PEACE

What is Passing the Peace?
(Click to Read)

When we’ve met as a large group on Sundays, we’ve always had a time of greeting one another after singing. Many churches call this time “passing the peace.” In some church traditions, one person will say to another, “The peace of Christ be with you” to which the other person responds, “And also with you.”

While potentially unfamiliar for some, we felt that “passing the peace” during greeting times at home could be a powerful act in this age marked by very little external peace. In Isaiah 9, Jesus is described as the Prince of Peace. He wants His kingdom to be marked by this very peace! We want to “pass” to one another this peace that only Jesus can give, especially at a time like this.

It might feel a bit cheesy, but we encourage you to actually pray the peace of God over each other during our times. We encourage you to look into each other’s eyes as you say, “The peace of Christ be with you!” and have others respond with, “And also with you.” Be open-hearted to Jesus, asking Him to fill you with His peace.

SERMON & COMMUNION

Goodness of God (Cash, Fielding, Ingram, Johnson, Johnson)

BENEDICTION

Psalm 106—Artwork

Learn more about Christ in the Psalms weekly artwork and see previous pieces here.

Person: Nikki Rasmussen

Nikki Rasmussen is a Colorado-raised artist and designer who graduated with a BFA from the Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design in 2014. She has been drawing since she could hold a crayon and has always found visual art to be key to her self expression and identity. She currently lives in the Boulder area with a big dopey dog and two goofy little cats where she continues to create regularly and thrives off that beautiful mountain view.

Piece: Digital Design

Many times He delivered them,
but they were rebellious in their purposes
and were brought low through their iniquity.
Nevertheless, He looked upon their distress,
when He heard their cry.
For their sake He remembered His covenant,
and relented according to the abundance of His steadfast love.
(Psalm 106:43–45)

It’s always striking to me how patient and forgiving a father our God is. To look back through human history is to review a long succession of sin; we push God away, disobey Him, allow the enemy to seep into our very culture and establish “norms” that are toxic and painful and that go against all that God had intended for us. We get a clear perspective of this is Psalm 106 as the psalmist lists out all that God’s people have done and yet, in spite of it all, God remembers His covenant. Every time we trip and fall, God the Father is there to pick us up and bandage our wounds so that we can continue on, learning from our mistakes and using them to grow more into the people He intended us to be.

I chose to focus this image not on the falling or the lifting up, but rather on the wounds now covered by God. Sin is shameful and scary, but we can wear these bandages with immense gratitude knowing that they came from God and that from them we will experience growth we might not have even known we needed.