I remember the first time I came to the Bay Area. I was struck by its beauty: the hills, the bay, the landscape. Everything felt remarkable. But after living here for a while, something changed. What once felt extraordinary became ordinary.

I think that happens to us more often than we realize. A newborn baby can captivate us. A song can give us chills. A new home can make us notice every detail. A relationship can leave us amazed that someone like this would choose us. But over time, familiarity can dull our sense of wonder.

And the same thing can happen with our faith. We can become familiar with church, worship, prayer, Scripture, communion, grace, forgiveness, and even the story of Jesus. We hear that Jesus died for our sins so often that the cross can become little more than decoration.

The problem isn't that God has become less amazing. We've simply become less amazed. Psalm 104 gives us a different way to see. The psalmist looks at the world around him - the sky, mountains, waters, trees, animals, sun, moon, and sea - and instead of simply seeing things he has seen before, he stops in wonder:

“How many are your works, Lord! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.” — Psalm 104:24

The psalmist isn't merely amazed by nature. He's amazed by the God revealed through nature. He looks at creation and sees the Creator.

And he recognizes that God isn't merely the God who created everything long ago. God is continually creating, providing, sustaining, and renewing. Every breath we take, every meal we eat, every sunrise we see is a reminder that God is present and at work.

That means our lives aren't divided into “God stuff” and everything else. God cares about the physical world he made. He cares about water, food, animals, land, bodies, breath, and he is present in the ordinary moments of our lives.

So perhaps one of the most spiritual things we can do is simply slow down and pay attention. Look at the sky when you walk outside. Put your phone down when you're with your family. Take a moment to be grateful for your food. Listen to the song instead of letting it become background noise. When you wake up, take a breath and remember: God has given me another day. And maybe we need to do the same thing with the gospel.

If you've heard the story of Jesus so many times that you've stopped being amazed, look again. Look at the cross. Think about what it means that the God who created all of this entered his creation in Jesus. The Creator came near. Jesus lived among us, loved us, served us, suffered for us, died for us, and rose again. We know the story. But don't let knowing the story keep you from being amazed by the story. The God who made galaxies knows you. The God who made the oceans calls you by name. The God who sustains every living thing cares about you.

Stop long enough to notice.

Look closely enough to see.

And perhaps what has become ordinary will become extraordinary again.