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Michelle L. Torigian

Monthly Archives: March 2018

An Easter Sunday Communion Liturgy

29 Thursday Mar 2018

Posted by mictori in Church Life, Holidays, Liturgy, Pop

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Tags

Communion, Communion Liturgy, Easter, Easter Communion, Easter Communion Liturgy, Easter Morning, Liturgy, non-violent Communion, progressive Christianity, Resurrection

bread

SERVICE OF COMMUNION

Invitation
One: On this day, we celebrate the risen Christ
Many: On this day, we celebrate resurrection in our lives.
One: On this day, we embrace the grace which reaches from the tomb.
Many: On this day, we embrace faith by committing to love in action.
One: On this day, we shout Hallelujah!
Many: On this day we shout, Christ is risen!  Alleluia!

Prayer of Communion
One: It is through our neighbors and creation that we see the rising of Christ, O God.

Creator of Our Earth: We celebrate the shifting of seasons from one to the next.  As the earth sheds its snow, it begins to drink in the warm rains and creation comes alive once again.

And so in this spirit of brightness and life, we celebrate.  We celebrate the risen Christ in our midst.  We celebrate the table in which we can join together with friends and strangers, loved ones and enemies.

Through this meal which has stood the test of time, we covenant to love you, God.   We covenant to love as Jesus the Christ loved us- loving our neighbors as ourselves.  Through a simple meal of grain and grape, we, your children, unite.

As we enter this season of Easter, we ask that the warm winds of the Spirit encircle this table and accompany us on our journey.  May this Spirit help us to recognize the Christ-presence in our midst.  May the Spirit open our souls in order for us to see humanity, God and creation through the eyes of Jesus.

It was Jesus who introduced this meal to his followers.  Even though Jesus knew he would be betrayed and deserted by those at this supper, he still continued to join them at the table, sharing time and space with whom he grew closest.

As the night lengthened, Jesus took a simple portion of bread.  He blessed it and broke it, and shared it with the disciples.  He urged them: Remember me.

Afterwards, Jesus took the cup.  During his blessing, Jesus reminded them how he would go to the ends of the earth in his love for them.

Today, we celebrate this earth-shaking love of Jesus – a love that sent him to the cross and a love that lives eternally with us, encouraging us to live a resurrected life.

The Bread of Life and the Cup of the Covenant: Gifts to unite the Body of Christ.

Distribution of Elements

Prayer of Thanksgiving
Through this space and time together today, we celebrate the covenant that ties us with God, Jesus the Christ, our neighbors and creation.  Thank you, Divine Crafter of the Table, for fashioning us a holy meal unites us with the Body of Christ.  Send us into the world resurrected, refreshed and ready to share Christ’s unconditional love.  Amen.

 

Written by Rev. Michelle L. Torigian.  Please feel free to use in your faith communities with attribution.

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A Prayer for the Many Marching for Our Lives

24 Saturday Mar 2018

Posted by mictori in Current Events, Life, Pop, Social Justice

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Gun control, gun violence, guns, March 24, March for Our Lives, parkland, school shootings

IMG_7231

Graphic from the United Church of Christ. Visit https://g.co/kgs/zZ7AGY

God whose Justice moves in marches across our land:

Bless the feet, the wheelchairs, the strollers, the bicycles, the scooters and any other mode of movement our neighbors use to pray along the way.

Bless the young people leading this movement. Their courage and their power shines a light to the future and where we are all called to follow.

Bless the adults who recognize the power and voice of our children, and who hold the concerns of our youth in sacred spaces.

God, we know that people want to hold onto their rights. But all of us want to hold on to our lives. May we place our power in you instead of weapons. May we acknowledge the full humanity of each person who abides among us.

Amen.

 

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A Liturgy for John 3

15 Thursday Mar 2018

Posted by mictori in Church Life, Liturgy, Pop

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God so loved the world, John 3, John 3:1-17, John 3:14-21, John 3:16, Lent, Lent 2A, Lent 4, Lent 4B, Lent 5, Liturgy, Trinity A, Trinity B, worship

glass.jpgCALL TO WORSHIP
One: As we bask in the steadfast love of God,
Many: Let us share this love with our neighbors.
One: As we stand in the light of God,
Many: Let us embrace this light and shine it everywhere
One: As we grow with the grace of God,
Let us share the Good News of this grace in all times and spaces.

OPENING PRAYER 
Eternal Source of Light and Love, may we grow with your presence. May we know that with your light we are able to see paths of hope ahead of us. Through your love, we realize that we never travel alone. In this season of wilderness, may the glimmer of your light continue to shine on our road, and may your love warm us in frigid moments. Amen.

PRAYER FOR RECONCILIATION (unison)
God we are addicted to condemnation. Whether it’s criticizing our neighbors for how they look or attacking who they are, we like to categorize them as “other.”  We banish our neighbors to their own exile. During this season of Lent, may we reflect on the ways we condemn others. May we find ways to understand their struggles before judging them. May we build relationships with people who are not like us. We pray this in the name of Jesus the Christ, the one who taught us how to love unconditionally. Amen.

Moment of Silent Reflection

ASSURANCE OF GRACE
One:    God knows our hearts, and God knows that each day we experience salvation in new ways. Let us not only hear the good news of God’s grace but embrace it and share it with others. Amen!    

All:                  Amen!  Thanks be to God!

INVITATION TO OFFERING 
One:    Through this season of Lent, we not only grow spiritually as individuals, but we see how God is calling us to grow with our neighbors. In a spirit of unity, let us share our treasures and talents with God, neighbor, community and Church.

PRAYER OF DEDICATION (unison)
Eternal Source of Light and Love, we give thanks for the gifts you bestow upon us. We are grateful that you call us to use these gifts to build a just-filled world. May your spirit embolden us to use these gifts to bring more love into our communities. Amen.

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To the Students

14 Wednesday Mar 2018

Posted by mictori in Current Events, Pop, Social Justice

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Tags

assault weapons, gun legislation, Gun safety, gun violence, guns, High School, March 14, mass shootings, protest, student protest, student walk-out, student walkout

IMG_7092.JPG

Dear Students,

Some of you have been told that you will be reprimanded if you walk out in protest over gun safety and legislation. Some of you will still walk out- risking your reputations and your futures in the process.

And for that, I support you.

I support your concern that you do not want to die in a mass shooting.

I support your frustrations that the powers that be are not doing enough to protect your safety.

I support your sadness that has fallen over you as your adult leaders lack support for your voice.

As a faith leader, I have to attest that part of our sacred texts include prophets who spoke out against injustices. In the Hebrew Scriptures, the prophets called out the powers that be for treating their people and the strangers in their land as less than human.

In the New Testament, Jesus turned over tables when seeing injustices in the Temple. He wasn’t afraid to voice what he believed. That Divine Courage is what I hope to grow into as time passes.

Many of you have that same strength for risking everything you have over this issue. I don’t think I even have this much courage most of the time. So I commend you, students in my area. I send you love as you make the decisions. I send prayers of strength as you face the punishment.

You are shining a light that seems to be missing in our world. Please continue.

We will die without it.

*****

As always, my post is my opinion and does not represent any organization with which I am associated.

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It’s a Tough Time to Be in the Pulpit

06 Tuesday Mar 2018

Posted by mictori in Current Events, Life, Pop, Social Justice

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Tags

#metoo, #timesup, Current Events, Gun control, gun violence, Jesus in Temple, Jesus overturning tables, progressive Christianity, Prophetic, Prophetic preaching, Pulpit, racial justice, sexual abuse, sexual harassment, Social Justice

pulpit 2

Theologian Karl Barth claimed “Take your Bible and take your newspaper, and read both. But interpret newspapers from your Bible.”  Each week, many of us preachers adhere to this advice.  We review the Scripture which we have chosen (often from the lectionary), attempt to understand it from the context in which it was written, and then apply the text to today’s world.

Unfortunately, I find it more and more difficult to hold the Bible in one and the newspaper in the other.  Engaging in this practice requires me to address the world today.  And often the lectionary texts with which we are preaching feature Jesus radically attempting to change the world.

For instance, this week’s text featured Jesus turning over tables in the Temple.  Jesus is protesting the powers-that-be and the corrupt commerce practices of the time.  And he doesn’t just voice his concern but decides to physically disrupt the exploitive dealings.  Like I mentioned in my sermon this Sunday: it’s interesting that we criticize people who are protesting today and yet we don’t criticize Jesus for protesting very radically during his time…

As I hold Biblical texts like this alongside recent events, I cannot ignore the speeches and marches by students who are standing against gun violence and for gun control.  I cannot dismiss protestors who see a members of the community unjustly targeted by community authorities.  I cannot forget the women who are speaking out against sexual abuse and harassment.

And yet, here we are in congregations which hold a variety of views.  As pastors, we are called to be prophetic, addressing the injustices of our time and pointing out in scripture where the prophets spoke out against gaps in the system.  Yet we must walk the fine line between being prophetic and pastoral, praying and searching for the best words to use and hoping that we present the issue with the appropriate amount of pressure for our particular congregations.

During my 45ish years, I’ve never seen so much division in our society based on political and theological beliefs.  As the Church, I believe we are called to find common ground between all of us and continue to converse on these subjects…

…But I must admit that on some Sunday mornings – when the text offers a prophetic tone and the issues of today are calling us to address – all I want to do is pull the covers over my head and stay in bed.  I do not want to be the one who stirs the pot.  The simplicity of brunch with friends or sleeping until 11am would be delightful.  And somehow, God has called many of us pastors to lead the conversation.  God has called all of us to leave our homes on Sunday morning to wrestle together – no matter how liberal or conservative our politics or who we voted for in 2016.

So let’s join together in this uncomfortably holy space- ready to experience God in the chaos of this time.  As we pastors approach the pulpit, we may have dry mouths or racing hearts as we wonder how our message will be received.  We realize that our message may infuriate some.  We understand that we are called to take up the cross and follow Jesus into the depths of radical love.  But know that we are trying to be as faithful as possible to God in this 2018 world, loving our congregations as we fulfill our callings.

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