A Blessing for the Words We Need

01 Wednesday May 2024

Posted by in Life, Pop, Prayers

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God who paints the world with images, letters, and colors-

As the world spins on its axis,
As day and night rapidly waltz throughout our lives,
Our expressions design the relationships between us and friends,
Between us and loved ones,
Between us and strangers,
Between us and enemies.

We reach for the right words when penning a letter to a relative
Or making the call to end a relationship.
We crave the appropriate sentiments as we dare stand for ourselves
Or issue an apology.
We seek the right terms when our friends weep with grief
Or when we desire to write the perfect poem.

Letter and languages often escape us, God of Words.
Into the fog of our minds go phrases and terms.
We give much gratitude for the thesaurus,
For the plethora of synonyms to make our language elegant.
And when all of the concepts come together on a page
Or in a speech
Or in a conversation
Or in a prayer,
We sing your praises
God of commandments and covenants.

May words reach our minds quickly.
May sentiments be appropriate and soothing.
May peace and comfort flow from our hearts
Using the words you need us to say.

Amen.

(c) 2024 Rev. Michelle L. Torigian. Permission to use with attribution.

A Lament for Constant Anxiety

29 Monday Apr 2024

Posted by in grief, Health, Life, Pop, Prayers

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Divine Deliverer of All Beings,

As the vibrations under my skin reach unheard of levels,
And my heart shivers at the state of the outside world,
I curse my mind and all of its thoughts as it drags me down a shadow-filled road.

Oh mind, you think of everything,
Yes all the good, and all the ideas,
Blessings of creativity and newness of plans!
For this, Steadfast God, I am forever grateful!

Yet, as my brain connects A and B, left and right, red and green,
It births horrors and creates day-mares.
What will go wrong? Who is it that isn’t happy?
What could fail or fall tomorrow… or later today?
What streaks of messiness will it create next?

God, I know you have given me my brain.
It’s beautiful and gifted and gives me what I need.
But there are spinoffs and offshoots from the synapses-
Paving me sparkly roads of people pleasing,
Creating curvy roads of perfectionism.

And yet I still thank you for my brain,
The constant working – even the overfunctioning of its synapses.
For with the disastrous thoughts there are many good.
For with the messiness, there is love.
For with the anxiety, there is care.
This blessed brain is needed here.

Amen.

(c) 2024 Rev. Michelle L. Torigian. Permission to use with attribution.

Photo by KeilaSmile24 on Pixabay: https://pixabay.com/illustrations/ai-generated-think-mind-man-alone-8584099/

A Blessing of the Storytellers

21 Thursday Mar 2024

Posted by in National Day Prayers, Poetry, Pop, Pop Culture, Prayers, Vocation Prayers

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Holy Crafter of All Narratives,

As our stories are etched into our memories
And become part of this universe’s great chronicles,
Bless the ones who continue to write and speak the tales of their kins
And the fiction birthed from their souls.

For the stories that derived from holy sources
And the great epic tales entertaining one generation to the next,
We cherish the blessed memories and myths that continue to pave our planet.

For the voices of storytellers,
For their animated faces and expressions with hands,
We share our joy.
For the creative ways they tell a tale,
And the way they keep stories alive,
We celebrate their gifts.

For the creators of the written word,
From ones writing history from the marginalized
to the ones who write in ways with captivating language,
We give our thanks.

May the stories continue from age to age.
May the narratives of our ancestors never be forgotten.
May the stories that were silenced be amplified once again.
May courage empower the narrators and poets.
And may we know the power of passing our stories forward.

Amen.

March 20 is World Storytelling Day

(c) 2024 Rev. Michelle L. Torigian. Permission to use with attribution.

A National Backward Day Prayer

31 Wednesday Jan 2024

Posted by in Life, National Day Prayers, Pop, Pop Culture

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God of the Upside Downs,

You’ve created the beauty of chaos, the accidental inside out clothing, the wrong turns, and the incorrect spellings. None of these upset you in the same ways they shake us. Instead, you continue to find light even in the bizarreness of life.

In the moments when we are frustrated by the slowness of computers and drivers ahead of us, we ask for your patience. When we are stopped by each red light along the way and the ultra-slow train, we plead with you for peace.

May we co-create joy in the most unlikely valleys and alleys. May we work together to turn backwards into the most interesting of ways.

May we remember that you are in the passengers seat even when we put the gears in reverse and head in the wrong direction.

Amen.

A Prayer When Missing Our Loved Ones

17 Wednesday Jan 2024

Posted by in grief, Life

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Holy Vessel of Memories-

Our minds church with the memories of loved ones-
Parents, Grandparents, Siblings, Friends, and more.
In our holey hearts,
There is an emptiness remaining after their deaths.
Their last words frozen in our minds.
Their last embrace a memory in our muscles.

Maybe it’s been a week, or a year,
Or a few decades ago.
But their loss reverberates throughout our lives.
We feel a presence missed at big events.
And in the small moments, we feel a tear rolling down our cheeks.
With a song on the radio or hymn in the sanctuary,
We recall the sound of their voices belting out the melody.

Loving God, Holy Salve of Loneliness,
Heal the aches in our souls from grief,
Give us the grace to move past the regrets,
Help us to keep the memories of love
And release the pains which echoed from our times together.
Give us the discernment needed to part with their items no longer needed,
And may we honor them through the light we continue to shine.

Amen.

(c) 2023 Rev. Michelle L. Torigian. Permission to use with attribution.

A Prayer of Grace for Failed Goals

04 Thursday Jan 2024

Posted by in Epiphany Liturgy/Prayers, Holidays, Hygge, Life

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Divine Journal of Visions and Dreams,

Before I close the last year’s calendar,
I scan each page for the moments of joy-
For the blessings and the tasks done well,
For the moments which will shine in my memories for eternity.
Holy God, I share much gratitude for those moments of bliss etched into my soul.

And then…

For the many ways my plans never came to fruition,
For the goals that stagnated and the dreams that fell asleep,
For the visions that danced only in my mind and never in front of me,
And for the ways I let my anxiety overwhelm the path ahead,
I lament.
I ask for forgiveness in the ways I could have stretched myself just a little more-
And then I ask for forgiveness as I didn’t embrace grace for myself.
I may believe I only gave 25%,
But the 25% was really 100% of what I was able to contribute.
I gave my whole self when my body could give no more.
I used my mind the best I could.
And now, as the calendar closes, it’s time to clothe myself in mercy
And see myself as your child, a beloved piece of the puzzle.

For all the failures and incomplete dreams, I give gratitude as well.

In this new year,
May I continue to work to be my most optimal self,
To care for my neighbor as you have asked,
To grow in the ways you are calling,
And to forgive myself for falling short of perfection.

Amen.

(c) 2023 Rev. Michelle L. Torigian. Permission to use with attribution.

A Prayer of Gratitude for Sabbath

28 Thursday Dec 2023

Posted by in Holidays, Hygge, Life, Pop

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Divine Deliverer of Rest,

As workdays stretch brains and bodies,
and minds feel like mush at the end of a day,
I give gratitude for a few days of rest.

My focus is drawn away from fretting over the details of the day-to-day.
Instead, my soul relaxes to the sounds of Netflix and video games.
The taste of chocolate and cheese.
Or maybe a good book. Or hobby-time.

And throughout this week, I’m investing my time with loved ones-
since I have pushed our time aside with them in pursuit of perfected production
and have shamefully embraced a “live to work” mentality.

As my brain restores to a restful state-
like a battery recharging overnight-
and clarity returns to my mind,
creativity builds inside of my soul.

O Holy One-
Allow me to find the blessing of balance moving forward,
to embrace the strength to say no,
to prioritize Sabbath over overachieving,
to recharge my mind and body, and spirit,
and to realize time with loved ones is a gift from you.

Amen.

(c) 2023 Rev. Michelle L. Torigian. Permission to use with attribution.

Prayer of Grief for the Losses on our Card List

21 Thursday Dec 2023

Posted by in Advent prayers, grief, Holidays, Life, Pop, Prayers

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Divine Deliverer of All Greetings-

As we scan the names of loved ones on our holiday card list, we ache with the absences reminded by this list. We’ve lost the aunts, uncles, cousins, old loves, and friends. As they abide with you on that side of heaven, our hearts hunger for their presence. Our breath is taken away by the sight of their names. The lights of this season is dimmed just a little more with each loss.

God of All Connections, our ties with some love ones on the list have stretched and broken. They remain here on this earth, but our contact is minimal to none. Due to our falling-out, there is pain that radiates throughout our spirits.

And some on our list have just drifted away as we’ve grown apart. While there are little hurt feelings, melancholy rises as nostalgia draws us away from the present moment to a time that will never be again.

Holy Comfort- Heal our hearts with each pinprick of sadness or wave of grief. May we remember the joyful times often. Ease the hard memories that linger.

For your children who are still alive, please bless their paths that divert from ours. May their health be sustained, and may their new year find bountiful blessings.

For the loved ones of saints who will no longer be on the list: deliver strength to them during this holiday season. May your comfort coat their hearts and peace fill their souls.

And for the saints we marked off the list this year or years before: May they live into the eternal lights of Epiphany and absorb the fullness of your presence and love.

Amen.

(c) 2023 Rev. Michelle L. Torigian. Permission to use with attribution.

An Advent Pastoral Prayer

05 Tuesday Dec 2023

Posted by in Advent prayers, Church Life, Liturgy

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God among us and with us,

Under the long night sky
There are rooms filled with laughter-
Friends reconnecting
And family sharing meals.
There is warmth.
There is peace.
These are blessings, like the Cold Moon
Full and bright-
Accompanying us far into the night.

Under the long night sky
There are lonely corners filled with tears.
Neighbors feeling alone.
Neighbors distraught.
Spirits are chilly, waiting for the dawn of hope.
Yet you are with them
As they seek your peace,
As they wait for your strength to soothe their shaking souls.

Under the long night sky
There are open fields filled with questions
Wondering and waiting
For the Christ child to bring hope.
Doubt and discouragement dance around minds.
But you, the Divine One,
Sit with us in the fields under the long night sky
Waiting for dawn,
Waiting for comfort to coat our spirits
Waiting for peace to crack the hardened-hearts of war
And for love to break open possibilities of unity again.

Under the long night sky
Hope paves the roads.
Peace plants the gardens.
Joy lightens our burdens.
And love births the advent of your Divine bliss here on earth.

Amen.

(c) 2023 Rev. Michelle L. Torigian. Permission to use with attribution.

A Prayer for Insomnia

29 Wednesday Nov 2023

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Holy Creator of the Night,

You yearn for us to be awake, to be alert to the workings of the world around us.
You desire for our attentiveness in a world drowsy to injustices
And to be attentive to the needs of our neighbors…

Yet being awake at 4am isn’t your dream for my night.

My snores were stolen by the latte I drank at 4pm.
This wicked wired state is simply impossible to ease.

I imagine the birds will begin to chirp soon-
That’s when the night begins to transform to day
And my hopes for a beautiful night of sweet dreams are tossed into the abyss of sleeplessness.

Whatever fairy dust or calming angels you can send to surround me,
To bring me sleep in my sad stirring night,
Will bring me joy in the daytime tomorrow-
Or at least the hope that I won’t need another latte at 4pm.

Amen.

(c) 2023 by Rev. Michelle L. Torigian. Free to use with attribution.