2026 Pentecost Devotions I
Thursday, May 28
Psalm 8
1 O Lord, our Sovereign,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory above the heavens.
2 Out of the mouths of babes and infants
you have founded a bulwark because of your foes,
to silence the enemy and the avenger.
3 When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars that you have established;
4 what are humans that you are mindful of them,
mortals that you care for them?
5 Yet you have made them a little lower than God
and crowned them with glory and honor.
6 You have given them dominion over the works of your hands;
you have put all things under their feet,
7 all sheep and oxen,
and also the beasts of the field,
8 the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea,
whatever passes along the paths of the seas.
9 O Lord, our Sovereign,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
9 O Lord, our Sovereign, how majestic is your name in all the earth!
Here in the United States, we struggle with images of God as our King. This is understandable, given our history with monarchs and our intentional choice never to have one. And yet, God is frequently hailed as our King throughout scripture.
While we were in London earlier this month, I expended quite a bit of energy chasing royalty – especially my favorites, the Tudors. Worshipping in Westminster Abbey during a Choral Evensong, surrounded by royal tombs and effigies, leaves one with a powerful sense of the sovereignty of God. The building, itself, soars regally into the heavens while the music carries you to the throne of God. Every movement of the clergy and lay leaders is based on British court etiquette through the ages. There is no escaping the sense that one is in the presence of Christ the King at all times.
e coming back home to our more relaxed style of worship, I find that I’ve retained a great deal of that sense of awe and wonder in the presence of God. I hope that it stays with me always.
Prayer: O Lord, our Sovereign: You are worthy of all honor and glory and worship and praise. Whether I offer that in the halls of British pageantry, or in the stillness of my private prayers, I stand in awe of You. AMEN