An Apollo 11 patch. From earth to the moon, then from Neil Armstrong to my uncle to me. Armstrong requested that they only go to Eagle Scouts who stayed with the program, teaching the younger boys. And under the "A" of the patch is the earth, our little blue marble, or as Armstrong called it, a tiny pea.

April 8, 2026 / 0 comments

Vespers – Apostle’s Creed – Creator of Heaven and Earth

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

  • Genesis 1:1

You alone are the Lord. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you.

  • Nehemiah 9:6

It is I who made the earth
    and created mankind on it.
My own hands stretched out the heavens;
    I marshaled their starry hosts.

  • Isaiah 45:12

For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him.

  • Colossians 1:16

“You are worthy, our Lord and God,
    to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
    and by your will they were created
    and have their being.”

  • Revelation 4:11

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

  • John 1:1-5

I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again;
he ascended into heaven,
he is seated at the right hand of the Father,
and he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.

  • Apostle’s Creed

Exodus 4:22-23 ”When we read the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, the story begins in history with Jesus Christ conceived by the Holy Spirit and born to Joseph and Mary. But in the Fourth Gospel, John reaches back even further—into eternity. We are given access to the prequel, so to speak.
The Father created the world through the divine Word, his Son, who is the eternal expression of God (1:1, 3; see Col 1:16; Heb 1:2). The Word was with God (eternal intimate fellowship) and was God (sharing the same eternal divine nature) (1:1).
In light of the Spirit’s involvement as well (see Gen 1:2), we see that each person of the triune God was unified in the work of creation. The Father, Son, and Spirit are co-equal members of the Trinity. Our one God (see Deut 6:4; 1 Cor 8:6) exists in three persons (see Matt 28:19).”

  • Tony Evans, The Tony Evans Bible Commentary

The Message

While our focus is on God the Father, there are clear verses here that show that Jesus was involved in creation, and the Holy Spirit.  But for now, God the Father is the creator of heaven and earth.

The first verse above reminds me of an LP that I bought in the mid-seventies.  It was simply entitled In the Beginning, God…   That’s all you really need.  The LP was arranged and produced by Gerald Wilson and narrated by Rob Townsend.  The recording, with Scriptures from Genesis to the Great Commission in Matthew 28 were inspired by the reading of Scripture by the Apollo 8 astronauts as they orbited the moon.  I was greatly moved by that Apollo 8 Scripture reading, live on television before such things were not allowed to be said on national TV, and I needed to purchase the LP.

But for the LP cover, those four words explain a lot.  God was not created.  God was already here when He set everything into motion.

The evolution versus Creation debate continues.  Science is finding more evidence that supports the Creation story, while evolution tries to bury the evidence, make excuses for the evidence, or discredit the people who make the discoveries.  Satan is working hard to win this battle, but the war has already been won.

It is not as much how God created the heavens and the earth as it is the timing.  Adam and Eve sinned against God.  They were cursed, but the earth was cursed with them.  God created everything to be good.  It was the sin of mankind that made things go sideways.

And now, these fake scientists that deny God are following a failed idea to draw people away from God.  They keep telling us that they can fix the things that are wrong.  So far, they have made things worse.  We need to turn back to the One who created everything before anything can truly be fixed.

They only win the battle if we remain silent.

And now let us sing.

The following song is Creator.  This is sung by Phil Wickham.  I have used it recently, but I love the song and the video.

 

The following video is poor quality based on today’s standards, but it was “other worldly” when the Apollo 8 astronauts gave their report from above the Sea of Tranquility, surveying the landing spot for the Apollo 11 flight.  The report was transmitted live from an orbit above the moon on December 24, 1968, and the world watched it live. The astronauts of Apollo 8 were Commander Frank Borman, Command Module Pilot James “Jim” Lovell, and Lunar Module Pilot William “Bill” Anders. The other famous event occurred three days later. The “earthrise” photo was the inspiration for the Apollo 11 patch, shown above.

 

 

Closing Prayer

Dear Lord,
We believe in You.  We trust You.  You created everything, and until man screwed it up, everything was good.  But You even had a plan for that.  You already knew You would send Your Son to earth to die for our sins.  The deniers of Your sovereignty cannot change what happened then nor what will happen in the future.  You are God and we are not.  And we bow before You and praise your Holy Name.  In thy Name we pray.
Amen

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.

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