Please turn to the insert in your bulletin, which is our scripture reading for today. I thought it would be appropriate to read this scripture responsibly, and it is laid out for us in the printed version to indicate that part of the psalm, in part of the psalm we speak to ourselves and to one another, encouraging us in the praise of the Lord. And in part of the psalm, we speak to the Lord. And so there is a back and forth in this psalm. In the bold print, which we will read all together as a congregation, we have the words that are intended for us to speak to one another to remind us of the character of the Lord. And then in the smaller print, which I will read, we offer as a prayer directly to the Lord our response and reaction to how we have meditated together on the Lord. So, let us read together the part in bold print, and then I will read the part in the smaller print. And so, let us all together begin by saying, Bless the Lord, O my soul. O Lord, my God, you are very great. You are clothed with splendor and majesty, covering yourself with light as with a garment, stretching out the heavens like a tent. He lays the beams of the chambers of all hearts. He makes the clouds his chariot. He divides on the wings of the wind. He makes his messengers' winds. His ministers are flaming fire. He sets the earth on his foundations so that it should never be moved. You covered it with the deep as with a garment. The waters stood above the mountains. At your rebuke they fled. At the sound of your thunder they took to flight. The mountains rose, the valleys sank down to the place that you appointed for them. You set a boundary that they may not pass, so that they might not again cover the earth. You make springs gush forth in the valleys, they flow between the hills, they give drink to every beast of the field, the wild donkeys quench their thirst. Beside them the birds of the heavens dwell, they sing among the branches. From your lofty abode you water the mountains. The earth is satisfied with the fruit of your work. You cause the grass to grow for the livestock and plants for man to cultivate, that he may bring forth food from the earth and wine to gladden the heart of man, oil to make his face shine, and bread to strengthen man's heart. The trees of the Lord are watered violently, and the cedars of Lebanon have he planted. You make darkness, and it is night, when all the beasts of the forest creep about. The young lions roar for their prey, seeking their food from God. When the sun rises, they steal away and lie down in their dens. Man goes out to his work and to his labor until the evening. O Lord, how manifold are your works! In wisdom have you made them all. The earth is full of your creatures. Here is the sea, great and wide, which teems with creatures innumerable, living things both small and great. There go the ships and Leviathan, which you formed to play in it. These all look to you to give them their food in due season. When you give it to them, they gather it up. When you open your hand, they are filled with good things. When you hide your face, they are dismayed. When you take away their breath, they die and return to the dust. When you send forth your spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the ground. I give the glory of the Lord and the Lord forever. May the Lord rejoice in his works, who will us on the earth and in his temples, who touches the mountains and his shore. I will sing to the Lord as long as I live. I will sing praise to my God, of all I have been. May my meditation be pleased with him, for I rejoice in the Lord. Let certainty be consumed from the earth, and let the wicked be no more. Bless the Lord, O my soul. Praise the Lord. So far the reading of God's holy word. Psalm 104 is the most appropriate psalm for Thanksgiving Day because it focuses on God, our Creator. And that is the focus of Thanksgiving Day. And that makes Thanksgiving Day in many ways unique amongst the various times, special times, in which the church gathers. Most of our special gatherings focus on God, our Redeemer. Whether we gather on Good Friday to remember the death of our Savior or gather on Ascension Day to remember his glorious uplifting into heaven. Whether we gather on Christmas Day to think about the incarnation of the eternal son. All of those special days focus on the redemptive work of God. But this day, this call to thanksgiving, is a call particularly to focus on how God, year by year, season by season, provides for all of the physical things that we need for life and health and happiness. Particularly, of course, thanksgiving focuses on God's kind provision for us of food to sustain our bodies. The origin of Thanksgiving is in a harvest home festival. It's easy for us to forget that. Most of us have not been harvesting in the last few months. The closest we come to harvesting is a few hours at the grocery store, for most of us. But it is still critical that we pause and that we remember that as those first pilgrims experienced, That successful harvest is not automatic, is not inevitable. That the provision of God for us, for our daily bread, cannot be presumed on, cannot just be assumed. That it is his constant care for us that makes these things happen. And that's why we gather today and have this focus, this particular focus on thanksgiving directed towards God, our creator. And Psalm 104 is so appropriate for that because Psalm 104 really is a sort of poetic meditation on God's great act of creating in the beginning. In fact, if you have time this afternoon, you might want to take your Bibles and look at Genesis 1 and compare it with Psalm 104. And you'll see how the great themes of Genesis 1, recording God's acts of creation, are repeated here. God creates the light, and he creates the heavens, and he creates the earth, and then he subdues the waters. And then he brings forth fish and birds and beasts and man. And all of those things are to be found in Psalm 104 because in its own way, it is celebrating creation, but particularly celebrating God as the creator. God is the one who is in charge of this whole creation, not only at the beginning, but also day by day and year by year, sustaining this world in which we live and in which we can rejoice. And so Psalm 104 draws our minds to God by reminding us that whenever we look at and whenever we enjoy the things of this created world, our minds ought to be drawn to God. He wants us to enjoy this world. Food is right on this day and he wants us to enjoy it. Since this isn't a Sabbath, even football is right on this day, and it can be enjoyed. But in this enjoyment, we must let the good things that have been given also draw our minds to the giver. And that's why we have gathered today. That's why we are here to praise God and to listen to his word. And so this psalm helps us, helps us give thanks. And it helps us by drawing our mind through the creation to God to remember three very simple things about God. That God is great, that God is kind, and that God is wise. That's what this psalm celebrates and what we are drawn to this morning. First of all, God is great. You see how this psalm declares that very explicitly in verse 1. Bless the Lord, O my soul, O Lord my God, you are very great. How does creation testify to the greatness of God? Well, this psalm points some of the ways, and he says that the greatness, the glory, the splendor of God is testified to us by the light of the creation that surrounds us. I don't know about you, but I was a little bit surprised as I walked out today and saw what a bright day it was. How brightly the sun was shining, especially since it's a chilly day. Poor Southern Californians, we're in the dead of winter and really suffering right now. But there is a bright sun shining and it's glorious, isn't it? It is splendid. And sometimes we can take the sun for granted, especially if we live in Southern California. Oh, another sunny day. But we need to be renewed in that sense of how beautiful it is, how majestic it is, and then remember, the psalm says God has wrapped himself in light as in a cloak, so that the light itself might lift our minds to remember how great our God is, as beautiful and glorious as that sunlight is. It's just a creation of his hand. It's just a work of his power. Because he is so great. Because he is so glorious. And in other days when we look up and we see the clouds, we are to be reminded that God has set his courts above the clouds in the heavens. That's his dwelling place. Now this is metaphorical language. We know God doesn't need a cloak, does he? To stay warm. And God doesn't need a house. In which to dwell. The psalm here is speaking in poetic language so that when we look up we can remember how high and exalted and glorious our God is. So that if he needed a palace it would be displayed there in the heavens above the clouds for us. That's how great he is. And the heavens testify to that every time we look up. Perhaps we in the modern world are more impressed by that even than the ancients were when we have a clear night sky and we see the stars and we are aware how distant those stars are, light years away, whatever exactly that means. Far, far, far away. And yet God is greater than any of that, more glorious than any of that. exalted above all of that brought all of that into being by an act of his will that's how great our God is how glorious he is and that great God who brought light into being and that great God who established the heavens is the great God who also created the earth the earth on which we live the earth in which we dwell, all his act, all testifying to him. One of the things I love about living in Escondido is that there are hills around. One of my sons used to go to school in Chicago, and I could never warm up to Chicago because I always got lost there. I always thought the lake moved. Sometimes it was north, and sometimes it was east, and sometimes it seemed to be west, and there were no mountains. I didn't know where I was. It was just flat. I love the mountains. I love in Escondido the mountains are rocky so that nobody can build on them. There are some that are protected. And all of that testifies, you see, when we see that to the greatness of our God. Here in Escondido, we only have little mountains. We can drive north and see bigger mountains, the Sierras. We can go to other parts of the world and see still bigger mountains. But they all testify, they all point up to the greatness of our God. Because he made them. He brought them into being. Where there are valleys, he lowered them. Where there are mountains, he raised them. That is the greatness of our God. And we are called to give thanks for such a great and glorious God. And then the psalm says, the God who is so great is also a God who is kind to all his creatures. He is kind to all his creatures. And we see that reflected on particularly in verses 6 through 19 of our text. The kindness of God, and it's interesting that in this text, the kindness of God is related particularly to water. And water was much on the minds of ancient Israelites because they didn't have very much of it. And in that sense, we too, as Southern Californians, can identify with them. We don't have much water either. And people who don't have much water think more about water. Even though we have pipes that usually have water in them, still we hear on the news regular records of how much rain we've had and whether below average or above average. Seems we're always below average. I don't know how you can always be below average, but that's a mathematical problem that's not in my range of reference. But anyway, water is an important subject for people, all people, but particularly on the minds of people who live in places where there's not so much water. But ancients also knew that water was kind of scary. If you got a big storm, you could have a flash flood, and that was a scary business. I think most ancients didn't want beachfront property. The sea was a scary proposition. It pointed to the vastness of water and the power of water, something most of us, I suspect, don't think a whole lot about, although I remember we hadn't been here too many years when we used to like to go out to the beach in the summer at Carlsbad, and there were long sort of two stories of concrete steps down to the beach. And after one particularly stormy winter, we went back to the beach the next summer, and those heavy, large concrete steps were just gone, as if they'd never been there. And halfway down, there'd been a really very large concrete slab in which there had been concrete block changing rooms built. And not only were that little building of changing rooms entirely gone, but the concrete slab was entirely gone. No evidence that it had ever been there. And in just a few months, the sea had done that. Now, this is in no way intended to be critical of concrete, but it is to illustrate the incredible power of the water. And the first point that is made here in terms of the kindness of God is that God has placed the waters under control that we might be safe. God has given boundaries to the sea so that there might be dry land on which we can live. And that's the blessing that points us to the kindness of God. What if every night we went to bed wondering if high tide would flood our homes in Escondido? That wouldn't be a very nice thing, would it? But we don't have to worry about that. You might even think the preacher is crazy to suggest it. But why don't we have to worry about it? Well, we can offer scientific explanations of why and they would be perfectly true and helpful. But ultimately, we don't have to worry because God has given the sea as a boundary. God keeps them in place. They are subject to him. And his kindness is displayed in the protection that he offers to us so that we might not be overwhelmed by the sea. So that the sea, which once covered the earth, as Genesis 1 says, will not cover the earth again. The flood that destroyed the wicked world in Noah's time will not come again. God has set boundaries of protection, and we are safe. Is he not kind to us? And not only has he controlled the waters to make us safe, but he uses the waters to bless us, to give us life, to give us food. And that's reflected on in these verses as well. The gentle rains and the gentle brooks irrigate the land so that they bring forth vegetation and so that they bring forth food. Look at verse 13. We read, From your lofty abode you water the mountains. The earth is satisfied with the fruit of your work. God sends the waters and the earth is satisfied. And that word satisfied there is a description of exactly the way that most of us will feel after our turkey dinner this afternoon or this evening. Full, sated, stuffed like the turkey. We will feel filled up, and that's the word here. We are satisfied as those who are filled up. The earth is satisfied with water so that it is filled up to accomplish the purpose of God. And the purpose of God is that his creatures might have food. That they might receive blessing from his hand. Verse 14, you cause the grass to grow for the livestock and plants for man to cultivate that man may bring forth food from the earth. Here's why the waters come, and those who are farmers here, we know, they wait for the waters, they long for the waters, not too much, not too soon, not too late. It's a tricky business, isn't it? But God sends forth those waters that we might be satisfied with the food that we need for life. Satisfied not only with the bare minimum, but as those early pilgrims had turkeys in abundance to feast on for three days and deer as well. So there's an abundance that God ordinarily provides for his people that we as a people surely have been most blessed to enjoy. Food from the earth and not the minimum, but an abundance so that we also have wine to gladden the heart of man, oil to make his face shine and bread to strengthen men's hearts. Here's provision for gladness and for health and strength and fullness. How kind our God is to us. That's the testimony of this psalm. This is what this psalm draws us to, that our strength comes from God. Our physical strength comes from God. And the gladness that we can enjoy around the table. Wine is not forbidden us. John Calvin, who was paid in barrels of wine, amongst other things, once said we are nowhere forbidden to smile or enjoy good wine. We are forbidden to drink wine to excess, of course, but wine to gladden the heart is part of the abundance that God has given to us with the food and the bread, the oil that speaks of beauty and health, all of that God has lavished upon us with such generosity, with such kindness, with such goodness. And this section of the psalm on the kindness of God then goes on to reflect on other ways in which the kindness of God is manifested. Not only in the food that he gives us, but in the homes that he provides for us. The psalm initially speaks about homes for the creatures, the birds and the beasts. Verse 17, in the trees, the birds build their nests. The stork has her home in the fir trees. The high mountains are homes for the wild goats. Rocks are a refuge for the rock badgers. God provides shelter and places of safety for his creatures. And he's been kind to us in that way too, hasn't he? We too have homes, refuges, places that are much more bare places of safety. Most of us dwell in places of great comfort and luxury. How kind our God is to us in the physical things that he has provided for us. And how kind he is also in providing the seasons of the year. Think about all of the things that this psalm meditates on and draws us to meditate on. Things about which I think often we don't think much about. Light and water and trees and hear the seasons. Verse 19, he made the moon to mark the seasons. The sun shows its time for setting, knows its time for setting. Here are the seasons that are set in terms of months and days. We think of the year related to the sun as well as season passes season. We see God's kind ordering of time so that there's a season for planting and a season for growing and a season for harvesting and a season for resting. The kindness of our God in providing homes and seasons for us as his people. All creation, you see, this psalm is telling us, points us to our God to have our hearts stirred to thanksgiving for his great provision for us. God is great. And God is kind. And finally, God is wise. He's wise in the way that he has ordered this world for us. And the first evidence of that wisdom is in his movement of night today. And again, how beautifully, poetically this is expressed here. Night is the time for the creatures to go forth to hunt and to find their food. And when the creatures at the end of night go back to their lairs, then man goes forth to labor. This is God's appointment. The psalm is not teaching that none of us are allowed to work at night, but it's reflecting on the ordinary course of human life, Particularly in the ancient world where there was no electric light, most of those people, when the sun went down, work was ended. And they returned to their homes where little lamps might sustain them for a time. But they lived much in darkness at night. And work had to be done during the day. And this psalm is saying, how wise God gave us that pattern, that movement, that change. Night to rest, day to work. And God has also shown his wisdom in all the varied creatures that he has created in this world. It's amazing, isn't it? Scientists are still discovering new unknown creatures. Sometimes we wonder, why do we need so very many? It's amazing. Do we need them all? And God is saying, yes, it's part of the fullness of my wisdom that I've given to this world. And the psalmist who has been looking so much at what goes on on dry land and the trees and the mountains and the valleys now turns to the sea and says, consider the sea, all the creatures in the sea. And that's true, isn't it? We marvel when we see some of these documentaries about undersea life. Great and small, this psalm says. full of creatures, teeming with creatures, that God has made in his wisdom. Man, too, goes out on the sea, this psalm says, in ships. Man goes out to work. Again, the theme of food, probably. They go out to fish. But God is not a God only of work, because this psalm reminds us that God also created the Leviathan, the great creature, Probably a whale. And he made the whale, this psalm says, to play in the waters. To amuse itself or to amuse us. We're not quite sure what this psalm means. But isn't that true? Doesn't it sort of bring a smile to your face when you see one of those whales jump out of the water or one of those dolphins jump out of the water? It looks like they're playing, doesn't it? In fact, this word, play, can almost have the sense to play clumsily. Maybe that's a little what those whales look like when they break through the water. And it reminds us that God in his wisdom has not only given us a grim world of necessity, but he's also given us a world of gladness and play and joy and good things. In wisdom, God has given us night and day. He's given us a world of full creatures and full of creatures. And in his wisdom, he's given us life. In his wisdom, he's given us life. And this psalm reflects on that. At verse 27, these all look to you. All these creatures you have made in wisdom, they look to you to give them their food in due season. And every creature is sustained by food of one sort or another, and all that food, this psalm says, comes from God. When you give it to them, they gather it up. When you open your hand, they are filled with good things. Every good thing we enjoy is from the open, generous, kind, great hand of our God. When you hide your face, they are dismayed. When you take away their breath, they die and return to the dust. Life and death are in the hand of God. Nothing in this world is beyond his care and his purpose and his wisdom. These things happen for his divine purpose. And they happen through his spirit, his spirit of power present among us. Verse 30, when you send forth your spirit, they are created. And you renew or make new the face of the ground. Where there is renewal, where there is newness, where there is life, it is evidence of the spirit of God. As a congregation, it's a great thing that we can rejoice in the birth of a new child in this congregation. Becky and Greg Van Lamp have, only Becky gave birth, but they together rejoice as father and mother in the birth of a son, Ezekiel. And we rejoice with them. And where do babies come from? Well, there are a variety of answers to that. But the psalm answers it by saying, from the Spirit of God, from His blessing, from His life-giving power, our God is wise and He gives us the things that we need and we rejoice in Him. And that wisdom of God then, as well as the kindness of God and the greatness of God, leads us to rejoice in Him following His example. Because this psalm says, you know what? God rejoices in his work. God is pleased with his work. And he sets himself there as a model that we are to follow. As God is pleased in his work, so we are to be pleased in him. Our hearts are to be filled with joy. Our hearts are to be filled with thanksgiving. Blessing is to be taken on our lips to our God who is so great, so kind, so wise. and what a tragedy it is that there are those in this world who will accept the gifts but ignore the giver that will rejoice in the creation but reject the creator and this psalm solemnly warns that that condition will not go on forever that ultimately Secondly, God will forever provide blessings for the grateful and will forever provide judgment for the ungrateful. And on that solemn note, we need to reflect that while we, on this day, think of God particularly as creator, we must never forget that we need God as our redeemer as well. And that Jesus Christ, the firstborn of all creation, is the light of life for us. Is the water of life for us? Is the food of life for us? Is the shelter from the storm for us? And he then is our hope. He then is the power of life within us so that we may turn to our great creator God. And from the depths of our souls say, bless the Lord, O my soul, for he is great, and he is kind, and he is wise. Praise the Lord. Amen. Let us pray. Lord, our God, we are thankful for a day in which our hearts can turn to you and we can say thank you for all that you have given us. We are thankful that we can listen to your word in the company of your people and that we can rejoice that you are so great, so kind, so wise, so caring for us. Receive our praise, for we pray in Jesus' name. Amen. Thank you.