Mindful of Us

The Nourishing Vocation Project Near and Now: Vocation: Who are you called to be? What are you called to do? Warm-up Question If someone asked you, “What is your vocation?” how would you answer them? "hands after working" by wolfgangfoto is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0. Discussion Questions 1. What do you see in this image? 2. What do you feel looking at this image? 3. What stories from your own life does this image bring to mind? 4. What stories of the world does this image bring to mind? 2 What are human beings that you are mindful of them? Read Psalm 8 Bible Story Reflection The psalmist is awestruck by the Lord’s works evident throughout all the earth. The inclusio that marks the beginning and end of this psalm tell the readers its emphasis, God’s majestic power seen in all creation. So great and mighty is the Lord that from the lips of little ones, God established a strong place to defend against enemies. Now that sounds odd; how or why would God build a bulwark from babbling babies? God chooses to work through those seen as weak and vulnerable in society. The psalmist is proclaiming that protection from enemies and oppressors comes from God, whose strength is on display most in human weakness. The wonder continues in v.3 as the psalmist reflects on the work of God’s hands. Amid the humbling experience of feeling so small in the cosmos the psalmist asks how this Creator could ever care for us humans. Yet, God exalts us with glory and honor, giving us dominion over the hard work of God’s creation. Does this mean our vocation is to dominate creation, using it for our benefit? This passage has certainly been interpreted as such. But, if God, whose glory is above the heavens, cares for us lowly mortals. Does that not tell us the kind of dominion and work we are called to toward creation and its creatures? Psalm 8 invites us to praise God, the Creator of such a magnificent creation. God’s strength and glory, however, are also revealed in the ways God works through the weak and lowly. And what better way to praise than to do the work God has graciously given us? When we exercise our dominion with mindfulness of the meek and care for the lowly, we manifest the Imago Dei, the image of God, embedded in all humanity. Consequently, no matter how you answer the question “What is your vocation”, Psalm 8 tells how to do it, praising God, the Creator of heaven and earth. Discussion Questions 1. How would you describe the tone of the Psalm? 2. The psalmist switches from “I” to “them” in vv 3-4. Why not “mindful of us”? 3. What do you think the psalmist means when they say “you have set your glory above the heavens”? 4. Do you agree that humans are made, “a little lower than God”? Why or why not? 5. What is your definition of “dominion”? Has it changed over time? 6. When have you experienced God’s strength or protection in your weakness? 7. Talk about a time when you felt humbled in the midst of creation. How, if it all, has that instance influenced the way you think of God’s relationship with you? 8. How can you exercise your dominion in the various vocations you fulfill as God does, caring for the vulnerable and being mindful of the lowly? Written by Cogan Blackmon 3 Activity Suggestions On a clear night, go to a place with little light pollution and spend time gazing at the moon and stars, meditating on the questions of the psalmist, “what are human beings that you are mind of them, mortals that you care for them?”. Go to NASA’s website and explore the images from the James Webb Space Telescope. Print out your favorite as a reminder that even in this giant universe, God cares for you. Plan a walk with friends out in creation, intentionally sharing the joy, difficulties, and humbling experiences of your vocations. Then pray for those friends over the course of the week. Prayer Concerns Those who feel insignificant, vulnerable, and for all the creatures of God’s creation. Closing Prayer In whatever I face today and to whatever I am called today, remind me O God, that you, Creator of the universe, love and care for me. In the name of +Jesus, Amen. Written by Cogan Blackmon