Dear Church Family,

I am so grateful for a generous church family. Thank you all for praying for and giving to the relief efforts in Kerrville, as well as to our preschool wing expansion. I know the LORD will take our giving and multiply it in His Kingdom. Thank you for the many encouraging words about this current series on the Bible I’m preaching on. I want to share my frequent reminder that if you get any communication supposedly from me asking for gift cards or money, please disregard. In the day and age of scams, this one is pretty common. May this devotional touch your hearts:

When J.R.R. Tolkien wrote The Lord of the Rings, he created a rich world filled with heroes and villains—but he never wrote himself into the story. You won’t find Tolkien fighting orcs or sharing a meal with hobbits.

Yet, his fingerprints are on every page. He is both absent and present: not a character, but the creator.

The Bible tells a story both similar and vastly different. Like Tolkien, God is the author of the narrative. But unlike Tolkien, God is also a character—indeed, the central figure. From the opening verse, “In the beginning, God created…,” he is active in creation, battle, and even in meals with his people.

The divine Author wrote himself into his own story.

This truth profoundly shapes how Christians read the Old Testament, including the Psalms. We confess that Jesus is this divine Author—the Word made flesh (John 1:1, 14). The Creator who called Abraham and led Israel is the same Lord born of Mary, crucified, and risen.

Psalm 8 captures this beautifully. In just nine verses, it sweeps from Eden to Bethlehem, to the cross, and to Christ’s enthronement. Psalm 8 is a trailer for the entire biblical movie, and the entire biblical movie centers on Christ.

It begins with a world in conflict—God, children, and enemies—mirroring Genesis 3. Jesus quotes Psalm 8 in Matthew 21 to show that praise from infants silences his foes. The battle from Eden continues into the Gospels.

Verses 3–5 echo Adam’s creation but shout Christ’s incarnation. The “Son of man” is ultimately Jesus, who was for a little while lower than angels, born as a servant, and obedient unto death. He crushed the serpent’s head even as it struck his heel. Through his suffering and resurrection, he conquered death and now reigns, crowned with glory.

Psalm 8 ends with praise: “O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!” The name of Jesus—God and man, Creator and Redeemer—is exalted everywhere.

God wrote himself into his own story so your story could end in redemption.

Mark