Passage for reflection: Psalm 8
I have the privilege of meeting a lot of people. I’ve noticed that in most social settings, people rarely introduce themselves using only their name. More often, they offer some clue about who they are, usually by offering insight into what they do. “Hi, I’m Mark, and I’m an aerospace engineer.” Or, “Hi, I’m Melissa, and I reimagine higher education.”
We often understand our identity through our work, our relationships, our accomplishments, or the communities to which we belong. But Psalm 8 reminds us that our deepest identity is more fundamental than any of those things.
Regardless of how impressive your job title may be or how large your circle of influence, you are a human being created in the image of God. Regardless of how others may have made you feel small or insignificant, you are a beloved child of God. You have a unique place and purpose within God’s creation.
A few summers ago, I was invited to be a guest preacher at a congregation spending the summer in the Psalms. I preached on Psalm 8 and concluded with these words:
“The next time you encounter the ‘Who am I?’ question, resist the temptation to robotically reply with a default answer. Instead, remind yourself that you are a child of God and that you’ve been invited to co-create God’s realm here on earth as it already is in heaven.”
Who am I? It turns out I am someone who loves, worships, and serves a God who first loved me. What might happen if you began with a similar statement when naming your own identity?
This post was originally published in the Lectionary for Life Series for the Center for Congregational Ethics on August 26, 2026.