Pastor Herb Vanderbilt
East Nelson United Methodist Church
9024 18 Mile Road, Cedar Springs

“Praise the LORD, O my soul. O LORD my God, you are very great; you are clothed with splendor and majesty. He wraps himself in light as with a garment; he stretches out the heavens like a tent and lays the beams of his upper chambers on their waters. He makes the clouds his chariot and rides on the wings of the wind. He makes winds his messengers; flames of fire his servants. He set the earth on its foundations, it can never be moved.
You covered it with the deep as with a garment; the waters stood above the mountains. But at your rebuke the waters fled, at the sound of your thunder they took to flight; they flowed over the mountains, they went down into the valleys, to the place you assigned for them” Psalm 104:1-8.
When we talk about creation in the Bible, many people think that we are automatically talking about the story in Genesis 1 but this is not the only place in the Bible we learn about creation. Psalm 104 is one of the many “creation” writings attributed to David. In fact, not only do these Psalms echo the Genesis story but they are in an art form that in some ways is even more graphic than the depiction we see in the first chapter of the Holy Book.  My wife and I strolled through the streets of Grand Rapids looking at some of the over 1500 creations that have been entered into Art Prize 2011. Each piece is unique and reveals something that the artist sees or feels. Some of the entries have the artist present and many are willing to talk about their work and explain the meaning.  This is a special treat, getting to know the artist and their creation. They are often very passionate about their work and it shows.  The passion of the artist in Psalm 104 also comes through the verses that are rich in color and feeling. This is truly a piece of art of the highest quality. Many of the pieces of art in Grand Rapids will be scattered a long way far from here, but the collection of the Psalms we have with us as long as Bibles are printed. Sometimes God seems to be far away and distant but when we read a Psalm like 104 once again the creator touches our heart and mind, once again he, like creation itself is real again.