A PRAYER FOR CHRISTMAS 1(OT)

Psalm 148 (MSG)

1-5 Hallelujah!

Praise God from heaven,

    praise him from the mountaintops;

Praise him, all you his angels,

    praise him, all you his warriors,

Praise him, sun and moon,

    praise him, you morning stars;

Praise him, high heaven,

    praise him, heavenly rain clouds;

Praise, oh let them praise the name of God—

    he spoke the word, and there they were!

6 He set them in place

    from all time to eternity;

He gave his orders,

    and that’s it!

Everywhere we go

we are overwhelmed

We find ourselves awestruck

silenced by beauty and splendor

Creator God

We search for words

to explain what we see and feel

amidst the stars and sun

mountains and prairies

gentle streams and roaring oceans

How can we Praise You, Creator God?

We can start by caring for the corner where we live

Being stewards of this, Good Earth

We can start by not fouling the skies and waters

Not using the great outdoors as a global refuse center

Turning clear skies into smoggy residue

babbling brooks into sludge filled rivers

Rolling hills into cratered moonscapes

We can praise you by living as good renters

of this garden you allow us to live in

How can we Praise You, Creator God?

We can start by Living in your creation

Roaming around

getting lost in it

Stopping

Looking

Feeling it

We shut ourselves away

preferring to burrow in

playing with our toys

Couch potatoes safely hidden

We can praise you

by rolling on the grass

Dancing in the rain

Wandering on the hillside

Sitting on the beach

How can we Praise You, Creator God

We can start by remembering

who the creator is

Too often we confuse our role in the cosmic dance

Believing we are more important

more powerful

more designer than the designed

We need to be humble before Your creation

O God, and thankful

Thankful

Wherever we are

Whatever we see

Smell

Touch

Hear

So let us laugh when it rains

Run in the breeze

Listen in the night

Pray in dawn's first light

We praise you

and thank you

Creator God

Amen