Break the ice. Would you rather go to the beach or to the mountains for vacation, and why?

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Psalm 8:
1 O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory above the heavens.
2 Out of the mouth of babies and infants, you have established strength
because of your foes, to still the enemy and the avenger.
3 When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
4 what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?
5 Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings
and crowned him with glory and honor.
6 You have given him dominion over the works of your hands;
you have put all things under his feet,
7 all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field,
8 the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea,
whatever passes along the paths of the seas.
9 O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!

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Discuss the third core, essential belief of Citizens Church: the doctrine of creation and providence.

When David realized how majestic God is (to make the universe), he instantly came face to face with his own insignificance in comparison—What is man that you are mindful of him? The doctrine of creation tells us what happened in the beginning, feels us with awe now and gives hope for the future.

1. Describe a time when you were amazed by God’s creation. How did you feel about God at that time? How did you feel about yourself?
2. Read Matthew 6:25-34. What could following Jesus’ call to “look” and “consider” look like in our lives today?
3. How might reflecting on the doctrine of creation bring peace in times of distress or suffering? What do the heavens, moon and stars show us about God?
4. Psalm 8 is a prayer full of praise. Is praise of God common in your own prayer life? What is one attribute of God’s character that can help you focus your prayer on God’s glory?

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Rest in God’s promises. God created the whole world from nothing (Gen. 1:1-2; Ps. 24:1). God’s creative work is the overflow of the love present within the Trinitarian fellowship. Creation, according to the design of God, was good (Gen. 1:3-31). God doesn’t let the world exist, He makes the world exist. He upholds the universe by the word of His power, and He holds the world together in Himself (Col. 1:17).