In the beginning, O Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth,
and the heavens are the work of your hands;

They shall perish, but you will endure;
they shall all wear out like a garment; *
as clothing you will change them,
and they shall be changed. (Ps. 102:25-26)

From the vastness of interstellar space to “this fragile earth, our island home” (BCP 370) we look into the heavens and at the earth around us and see both change and stability at work.

Everything changes. Stars are being born and dying all the time, the universe is expanding, the sea and the land push against each other, fold and erode. Plants, animals, microbes, and people are all being born and dying all the time. The entire creation is in a state of change.

And yet everything stays the same. The universe is full of stars, and has been since the beginning. The sea and the land teem with life. Plants and animals participate in a cycle of life that is steady and lasting.

We name the reason for that endurance “God.” We name the creator of what is, “God.” We name what will be after what is now, “God.”

At your command all things came to be: galaxies, suns, the planets in their courses, and this fragile earth, our island home.
By your will they were created and have their being. (BCP 370)