“What are humans that you are mindful of them, mortals that you care for them?” – Psalm 8
Dear People of St. David’s,
I spent this past week taking some time off on Lake Champlain in Vermont. It was my first time in Vermont, and I was struck by the beauty of creation. I couldn’t believe my eyes at the many fields of wildflowers, the gorgeous Green Mountain range, the starry night sky, and the sparkling waters and sunsets on Lake Champlain. These sights impressed upon me the sheer gratuity of existence—that all of life is a bountiful gift.
I hope you, too, have had the chance to experience transcendent beauty during your summer. If not this summer, perhaps you can remember another time when you felt this kind of numinous wonder. These overwhelming, awe-inspiring experiences of creation often remind me of the words of the Psalmist in Psalm 8. After surveying the vast expanse of the heavens, the Psalmist writes, “what are humans that you are mindful of them, mortals that you care for them?”
There seems to be a universal mystical experience that recognizes just how small we really are and just how little we know. It’s an experience that forces us to admit life is bigger and more complex than we usually recognize. We often go through our daily lives avoiding these kinds of humbling experiences, but occasionally something breaks through: a sunset, a clear starry sky, an imposing mountain range.
We often avoid these disruptive, reorienting experiences when it comes to God as well. We like to put God into a box and imagine we have it all figured out. So much of the spiritual life gets mired in ossified rules and rituals. Both of our New Testament lectionary readings this week remind us of the risk of making God and spirituality too small. The author of Hebrews warns that God is not easily put into a box—and that we should be careful about trying to do so. Instead, we are told that God is an all-consuming fire! Talk about a humbling, transcendent experience. In our Gospel reading, Jesus rebukes the religious leaders as hypocrites for putting religious rules above the healing of a woman.
The challenge for each of us, then, is to learn how to open our daily lives to awe-inspiring, humbling arrivals of beauty and goodness—to cultivate a sense of mystery and wonder. The good news is that we don’t have to figure this out alone. Instead, we can journey together and encourage one another.
My hope is that this is exactly what “Formation” here at St. David’s is doing. Formation is simply a word for the programs at St. David’s that help us grow together as a community—with each other and with God. Whether it’s our Cross Connections podcast, our Bible studies and book groups, or our Sunday morning forum for youth and adults, we are seeking to create spaces where you can have a transformative experience with God.
I pray that as your summer ends and you return to your daily and weekly routines, you will join me in seeking a bigger, more expansive God here at St. David’s. If you have any questions about ways to get involved, or if you’d like more information about our programs, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me or to any of the clergy.
Peace,
Elliot VanHoy
Pastoral Associate
Editor’s Note: If you have children or youth in your household, or if you regularly bring children and youth in your life to St. David’s formation, fellowship, aor music programs, please register them for the 2025-2026 season here by Sunday, September 7, 2025. Visit the Lifelong Christian Formation page of our website to learn more about programs for all ages.
Image: Lake Champlain By DebraMillet from Getty Images via Canva Pro; filter added.
Published on August 21, 2025.