The heavens are telling the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims his handiwork.

Day to day pours forth speech, and night to night declares knowledge.

There is no speech, nor are there words; their voice is not heard; yet their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In the heavens he has set a tent for the sun, which comes out like a bridegroom from his wedding canopy, and like a strong man runs its course with joy.

Its rising is from the end of the heavens, and its circuit to the end of them; and nothing is hid from its heat.

The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the decrees of the Lord are sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is clear, enlightening the eyes; the fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever; the ordinances of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.

More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey, and drippings of the honeycomb.

Moreover by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.

But who can detect their errors? Clear me from hidden faults.

Keep back your servant also from the insolent; do not let them have dominion over me. Then I shall be blameless, and innocent of great transgression.

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

I grew up in Milwaukee, where the night sky glows with a yellow orange reflection of street lights and billboards. Only the moon and a few very bright stars can shine through the glow of the city lights. How different the sky of the Upper Peninsula: literally millions of nighttime stars, with the amazing display of the Milky Way, the glow of planets at dusk and dawn, and the incredible winter show of the Aurora Borealis. It is simply glorious, and visitors from the big city stare up at the night sky in speechless amazement. King David must have felt this same kind of speechless wonder as he looked at the heavens and heard their silent testimony to the wisdom and the mystery of God. The heavens declare the glory of God!

The spiritual insights of Albert Einstein have impressed me since my years as a student in high school. For Einstein, the universe bore witness to the mystery of God's intelligence and wisdom, and yet he also recognized that the deepest scientific insights tell us nothing about God's heart or God's intentions for us. There is a mysterious paradox here that combines scientific eloquence with theological silence. There is nothing personal about Einstein's God, and the universe cares nothing about our human existence.

Like King David, we need God's revelation in his holy word to begin to know God's heart. God has to break the silence of the universe with a personal word, addressed to each one of us. So we delight in God's word, God's commandments and promises directed to each one of us and our individual situations. Here we learn to understand what God truly desires for our lives. And the greatest revelation of God's truth and wisdom is Jesus Christ, the word made flesh. The Incarnation is the story of the God of distant galaxies coming into our human world to show us who God is and what God desires. It is a long way from the glory of the Milky Way to the manger of Bethlehem or the cross of Calvary, but it is here that God speaks so plainly that the youngest child can understand his word. The God of infinite glory is the God of infinite love; that love is spoken most clearly to us in Jesus.