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"Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one and calls forth each of them by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing" (Isaiah 40:26)

Its good to be back. I\u2019m one of the co-pastors at Immanuel church here in Hamilton, ON. My colleague, Pastor Anthony has been away for some time on Sabbatical. You should begin hearing his melodic tones on these airwaves next week. For those of you reading these words, his will appear here. Thanks again to Mr. Rick Verkerk for filling in for me while I was on vacation and to Jennifer Heidinga who continues to fill in for Pastor Anthony admirably.

We often hope that vacation provides time for things like decompression, relaxation, reflection, or recharging, those kinds of things. It was for me. But it came in an odd way. We were not in hiding, we watched some of the Olympics and kept up with the happenings in the world a bit. Reflecting on that, I couldn\u2019t help thinking, \u201cthe world is an ugly place.\u201d I don\u2019t think I need to explain that or elaborate, it seems self-evident.

But sitting by the lake, doing a little fishing (don\u2019t get excited, you fishing folk, those fish I was after weren\u2019t biting), driving through parts of Quebec and Ontario, I couldn\u2019t help noticing that the world is also a beautiful place. So, our text for today came to mind, "Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one and calls forth each of them by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing."

Others as well, \u201cThe heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge\u201d (Psalm 19:1-2). And \u201cFor since the creation of the world God\u2019s invisible qualities\u2014his eternal power and divine nature\u2014have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made\u2026\u201d (Romans 1:20).

This has always been the key for Christians: God\u2019s invisible qualities are visible in creation. The things he created and has sustained throughout the millennium reflect his glory. As his glory shines through, we see beauty. It was good to see. I hope many of you will see beauty as God\u2019s glory shines through.

While perceiving this beauty and recognizing that it is still true that this world is an ugly place, I remembered one of my favourite literary quotes, \u201cThere's some good in this world, Mr. Frodo, and it's worth fighting for\u201d (J.R.R. Tolkien The Two Towers). For you movie buffs, it made it into the movies in arguably one of top scenes of The Lord of the Rings trilogy. (Or maybe it was only in the extended version).

And so, I return from vacation ready to continue with the \u2018good fight\u2019 as the Apostle Paul named it. But how does one fight in this complex and ugly world tinged with beauty? Jesus\u2019 words to his disciples put it simply, \u201cwhoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave\u2014 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many\u201d (Matthew 20:26-28).

It seems that our natural human desire is to do great deeds, things that will make it into the history books. Yet, our Lord, the one we serve, calls us to help the least of the world, and not to display our deeds before others. In the small acts of kindness and love, the glory of the Lord will also shine forth.

Maybe nobody will notice. But our Lord does, and that is all that matters.