Sensory Overload: A Prayer of Confession

We confess, Lord,

That it takes very little to distract us from You.

There are screens all around us obscuring our view of You: Fifty-two inch plasma TVs and tiny little cell phone displays, eye-catching LCD billboards and DVD players mounted in our vehicles.

Forgive us when we fail to focus on You.

There are voices everywhere competing with our desire to hear You: news analysts spinning opinions and radio hosts inciting controversy, self-help gurus practicing pop psychology and advertisers offering enticements.

Forgive us when we fail to listen to You.

There are never-ending activities hindering us from revering You: Sabbath- day sporting events and lawns that need mowing, overstuffed schedules and a thousand errands to run.

Forgive us when we fail to pursue You.

When we are so preoccupied that we miss out on Your wonder,

We are foolish.

When we become so sidetracked that we miss out on your wisdom,

We are ignorant.

When we become so diverted that we miss out on your love,

We are lost.

Save us from ourselves.

Please hear our prayers and help us find our way back to You. Amen.

Litany: Creator, Created, Creative

Praise the Creator, the Originator, the Artist,
Who drafted the blueprints of the universe
with unencumbered imagination;

Who sculpted our globe into rough-hewn mountains and impressive canyons; Who carved hollows for waterways and planed the plains smooth;

Who etched texture upon a tree's trunk,
and embossed pattern upon its leaves;

Who painted the sunset backdrop with a sweeping wash of orange, and the sunrise scene with more delicate shades;

Who composed the soundtrack of nature, writing melodies for songbirds and accompaniments for bullfrogs;

Who molded humanity deftly and with care, shaping the intricacies
of body and mind, of personality and ability;

Who molded humanity after a particular model;

Who molded humanity in the Creator's own image.

Praise the Creator, the Originator, the Artist,
Who wove the very threads of Godself into our DNA;

Who embroidered God's own initials upon our souls.

We are the signed originals, the artwork of the Creator, created to be creative.

We are among the Artist's masterpieces, created to be creative.

Praise the Creator. Praise the Originator.

Praise the Artist. Praise God. Amen.