25 Thursday Apr 2013
Posted in Current Events, Life, Pop
Here is my article at the Huffington Post. I’m blessed that I can share my grandfather’s story so that the Armenian Genocide of 1915 will be remembered.
The Armenian Genocide memorial in Boston
16 Tuesday Apr 2013
Posted in Current Events, Life, Pop, Sports
Tags
2 Timothy 4, 5k, bombing, Boston Marathon, cloud of witnesses, Hebrews 12, marathon, race, running
“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” (2 Timothy 4:7)
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us…” (Hebrews 12:1)
Back when I used to run in more races (usually 5k races), I was still not in the best shape. I was exhausted past the halfway mark, if not earlier in the race. I was barely making it to the end. But when I saw the silhouette of the finish line, I began to find my second wind.
Quite often, there were people lined up on both sides of this end point.
Even though I was running on fumes, short of breath, feeling I was going to have a heart attack or get sick, I would begin to feel a positive energy as I grew closer and closer to the line. The energy of those cheering reached to me. As I approached the last few steps, the crowd of strangers were cheering as I sprinted the final handful of strides.
It didn’t matter that I was usually closer to the end of the crowd who was trying to complete the race. These strangers were called to be cheering us on, no matter who we are or how fast we could compete.
And, one evening, as I crossed the finish line, it occurred to me that the kingdom of God is like the finish line of a race.
I had finished the race, like it said in the above mentioned 2 Timothy text. I gave all I had to fighting fatigue and doubt. And then I saw the great cloud of witnesses, embracing their gift of exhortation (encouragement), giving me the last bits of energy and faith I needed to run my last few steps.
I thought to myself – maybe this is like what the transition from our lives on earth to our lives in heaven in God is like. Maybe those who loved us and those we hardly knew are the great cloud of witnesses cheering us as we reach the finish line and celebrate the race completion. What a beautiful image of what heaven could be!
And that’s the heaven we experience on earth – at the finish line of races when friend and stranger cheer us on to victory and completion of our goal. There is only love at the finish line – love from those we know and those we don’t. There is rarely ill will at the finish line but, instead, genuine gratitude for finishing the race and being loved by all of those around us. Many of us are trying to find our energy after greatly exerting ourselves, but words and smiles of love are still in our presence.
But Monday was different. It wasn’t the kingdom of God as we would hope to see it on earth. As numerous runners neared and crossed the finish line, explosions rattles and injured those at the end of the run. The people who have answered God’s call to encourage friends and strangers finishing the race were struck with physical and emotional objects and flames. These are people who were there to share their love with fellow humans. These are people who were trying to help their neighbors experience the true kingdom of God.
On Monday, that glimpse of what the kingdom of God looks like here on earth was shattered. It was destroyed in a matter of moments.
Instead of love and peace, trauma and fear now have entered the hearts of many. Some may be tempted to quit their racing. Others may find it dangerous to stand and cheer on the many runners.
Right now it’s hard to see that God is the God of resilience and resurrections. As time passes and healing begins, many will eventually leave behind fear in the tomb and resurrect into a place of faith and hope. They will lace up their shoes again. They will rejoin the great cloud of witnesses at the end of the race. It may take time, but I pray that many who suffered today will find their way back to the finish line.
I look forward to meeting these great cloud of witnesses and fellow runners the next time I run the great race of life… or my next 5k.
My prayers are with all of those in Boston – especially those grieving, those healing and those helping, with runners and spectators of the Boston Marathon and with runners and spectators everywhere.
14 Sunday Apr 2013
Posted in Pop
If you like poetry and/or liturgy, follow me at my poetry blog: somedayapoet.wordpress.com
How long did you hands linger
Over the inside cover
Of the book of love poetry
That you gave me in our past life together?
As you penned the words of love and admiration,
Did you think our hearts would dwell together
From century to century
From this life to the next?
The ink has faded.
The book has been stashed away,
And the sentiments have vanished.
10 Wednesday Apr 2013
Posted in Pop
Tags
Life isn’t a destination but a journey. It’s a journey which isn’t finished. We keep looking for the finish lines along the way instead of enjoying the scenery of the journey. This song is a beautiful reminder that we are all complete in our incompleteness, and God’s ok with this.
09 Tuesday Apr 2013
Posted in Current Events, Life, Pop, Pop Culture
Tags
As I cross into midnight of this very significant birthday, I can’t help but remember a great number of birthdays gone by…
I struggled with influenza at 10. And then I had to reschedule my birthday party twice. The first time, I had a fever. The second time, I woke up with nausea and low blood sugar. The third time was a charm.
My house was filled with boxes on my 13th birthday. Everything seemed so unsettled around me. We moved two days later.
I invited a number of people to celebrate my 18th birthday at my parents’ house. Of course, my parents were home (I was a well-behaved teenager). But all my friends told me they couldn’t make it. So the three friends who could attend took me out for dinner. When we got back to my parents’ house, a multitude of friends yelled in unison “Surprise.”
It wasn’t a surprise. I knew they were planning it.
Around my 19th birthday, I was dating a guy for a couple of months. He took me out for my birthday dinner somewhere on The Hill in St. Louis. When the check came, he asked me to pay for my own meal… but to slip the money under the table so no one could see that I was paying for myself. I’m not sure how I allowed that relationship to last three more months.
I waited around for my boyfriend to join me at my parents house to ring in birthday #20. I waited. And waited. And waited. And I believe tension blossomed when he finally showed up.
Celebrating my 21st birthday by going out at midnight. I celebrated with the boyfriend, another classmate and my friend Lisa who died just a year ago. The day after my birthday, I headed up to Canada to watch my grandma die.
Twenty-two was spent at a small but laid-back and cheerful gathering at my friend Mike’s apartment.
I celebrated 23 in Florida. I had just interviewed and received my first real job.
My friends surprised me with a party for 25. I didn’t have a clue they were planning my birthday. But then it had crossed my mind that a party could be in the works as I walked into the restaurant. I was surprised that time.
Then, the day after my 25th birthday was one of the most heartbreaking nights I’ve had in any relationship.
My 30th birthday was the day Baghdad fell. And I cried when realizing what I had not yet completed in my life. But my birthday cake was delicious.
On my 31st birthday, mom, dad and I went to the Magic Kingdom in Orlando. It was delightful. Because I was wearing a “It’s my birthday” button, I was wished “Happy Birthday” by countless strangers that day, most of whom were Disney employees.
My 32nd birthday was to be celebrated with another guy I was kind of seeing. But then he kept delaying and delaying getting together with me. I waited. And waited. And waited. And much later that evening, he finally called me after deciding to hang out with his adult nephew. The next day, he gave me my birthday gift: glass jars.
From the time I was 35 until 37, I celebrated my birthday with seminary friends in St. Louis. Usually, we would gather at Schlafly’s Bottleworks in Maplewood. When I went back there for my 39th birthday, the restaurant was closed for the evening, and the party had to be moved to Roadhouse in Webster Groves.
Which brings me here to 39 (again), or also known as 40. Forty years of birthdays, some I fondly remember and some crushed my heart. But here are a few things I have learned from my birthdays:
07 Sunday Apr 2013
Posted in Current Events, Life, Pop
Tags
Body of Christ, comfort, depression, God, Grace, Hope, Love, Matthew Warren, peace, Rick Warren, suicide, Vine and Branches
Today, I heard the news that Rick Warren’s son committed suicide. I can’t imagine what pain a parent would feel upon hearing the news that his or her own son ended their own life.
Granted, I may not agree with many theological points that Rick Warren believes. His style of ministering and preaching may not be my style.
But, without a doubt, he is a child of God just as you and I are children of God. He is part of the same Body of Christ that we belong. He is made in the image of God the way all of us are made in God’s image. God loves Rick Warren as much as God loves all of us. And on the other side of heaven, Rick Warren will be there along with all of us.
Right now, God mourns with Rick. God cries with Rick. God surrounds Rick and his family with love, grace, comfort and peace.
We are called to do the same.
Because there is a hole in the heart and spirit of Rick, there is a hole in our spirits as well. Because we are all part of the same vine and branches, we feel the branch that has been lost because Rick’s son Matthew is not walking with us on earth. We feel a tremor in the whole body because Rick and his family have experienced this loss.
I tire hearing some theological traditions that believe that suicide sends people to hell. Suicide is a result of mental illness. As depression is a health issue, it can consume a person so greatly. People do not choose to end their lives because Satan or some “evil force” causes them commit suicide. Because of body chemistry and hormones, depression grasps the emotions of a person and causes them to understand reality in different ways. This is a scientific and medical reality. So Matthew isn’t in hell. Matthew is finally seeing God in God’s fullest. Matthew is able to see himself as God sees him. Matthew can experience God’s full love and grace. And Matthew is still a member of the great Cloud of Witnesses who will welcome us as we transition from this life to the next.
May the Warren family feel God’s peace, love and comfort during this time. We pray for all who are contemplating suicide tonight and those who experience deep depression. Amen.
31 Sunday Mar 2013
Posted in Life, Music, Pop, Pop Culture
Tags
Alanis Morrisette, Anything Could Happen, At Last, Barry Manilow, Bright Side of the Road, Carry On, Dog Days Are Over, Don Henley, Don't Stop Believin', Easter, Ellie Goulding, Elton John, Emily, Escape Club, Etta James, Faith Hill, Fire and Rain, Florence + The Machine, Fun, Gloria Gaynor, Heart of the Matter, Here Comes the Sun, Here I Go Again, How to Save a Life, Huey Lewis and the News, I Made It Through the Rain, I will Always Love You, I Will Survive, I'll Be There, I'm Still Standing, Incomplete, Jacob's Ladder, James Taylor, Jimmy Eat World, Journey, Katy Perry, Kelly Clarkson, Let My Love Open the Door, Michael W. Smith, Music, P!nk, Part of Me, Paula Abdul, Pete Townshend, Peter Gabriel, Playlist, Promise of a New Day, Raise Your Glass, Resurrection, Shake It Out, Solsbury Hill, Someone Like You, Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You), The Beatles, The Fray, The Middle, There You'll Be, Van Morrison, Whitesnake, Whitney Houston
Last night, I was having a conversation with some folks about compiling a resurrection playlist. For fun and inspired by them, I came up with a resurrection playlist. These songs connected me to themes of remembering, hope, grace and resilience and have often been a source of comfort and strength during difficult moments.
1. Carry On – Fun
2. The Heart of the Matter – Don Henley
3. Anything Could Happen – Ellie Goulding
4. I’ll Be There – Escape Club
5. Shake It Out – Florence & The Machine
6. Dog Days Are Over – Florence & The Machine
7. You’ve Got the Love – Florence & The Machine
8. Jacob’s Ladder – Huey Lewis and the News
9. Fire and Rain – James Taylor
10. The Middle – Jimmy Eat World
11. Don’t Stop Believin’ – Journey
12. Part of Me – Katy Perry
13. Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You) – Kelly Clarkson
14. Emily – Michael W. Smith
15. Raise Your Glass – P!nk
16. Promise of a New Day – Paula Abdul
17. Let My Love Open the Door – Pete Townshend
18. Solsbury Hill – Peter Gabriel
19. Here Comes the Sun – The Beatles
20. Bright Side of the Road – Van Morrison
21. Someone Like You – Van Morrison
22. Incomplete – Alanis Morrisette
23. There You’ll Be – Faith Hill
24. How to Save a Life – The Fray
25. Here I Go Again – Whitesnake
26. I Will Always Love You – Whitney Houston
27. At Last – Etta James
28. I Made It Through the Rain – Barry Manilow
29. I’m Still Standing – Elton John
30. I Will Survive – Gloria Gaynor
What are some of your favorite songs that remind you of resurrection? List them below or tweet me at @mictori.
28 Thursday Mar 2013
Posted in Current Events, Life, Music, Pop, Pop Culture
Tags
brokenness, Fun, Good Friday, Holy Week, Jesus, Just Give Me a Reason, Nate Ruess, Original Blessing, Original Sin, P!nk, Pink, sin
Recently, I have fallen in love with P!nk and Nate Ruess’ song “Just Give Me a Reason.” The melody of the song is magnificent. Yet there’s something about the words that reach into my heart.
It’s the lyric “Not broken, just bent.”
As Christians, what would it mean to call ourselves bent instead of broken?
I ponder the subjects of original sin, total depravity and these centuries-long idea that humans are so fallen that we can’t redeem ourselves – at least on our own. What if that wasn’t the case?
What if we are just slightly dented? What if we have the potential to smooth over our dings and bends because of the love of God, the leadership of Jesus the Christ and the strength of the Holy Spirit?
This is where Holy Week comes in…
Jesus died on a cross. Did Jesus die to repair a brokenness? Or did Jesus die in the process of showing us ways of evening out the indentations on our souls and in our societies?
If we are made in God’s image, maybe we aren’t completely broken. Maybe we just have been crushed and squashed by life, and it’s time for us to find God’s image within each one of us once again.
There is hope in knowing that we aren’t completely broken. There’s possibilities for tomorrow. There’s new ways of finding grace. There’s dignity where we haven’t seen it before.
So I’m sticking with the school of thought that we are bent and not shattered. And quite often, bends, twists and dents make us more beautiful anyway.
25 Monday Mar 2013
Posted in Current Events, Life, Pop, Pop Culture
Tags
40, Ben Affleck, bucket list, buy house, cake decorating, child, half-marathon, Holy Week, Jesus, Love, marathon, marriage, movie extra, turning 40, Van Morrison, write book
In fifteen days, I turn 40.
This gives me no time to fill my “Before 40” bucket list – the list of activities I wished I had accomplished before I turn 40. There are things I would have loved to cross off before this impending birthday, but it doesn’t look like these will happen.
Here is my “not going to accomplish before 40” bucket list.
I’m sure there’s other items…
Have some of you felt the urge to complete certain activities before you turned 30, 40, 50, etc? What happened when you didn’t complete them? Did you feel discouraged or even less than whjole?
Or did you save them for the next decade?
Why is completing our dreams so important by a certain age? I think about Jesus the man, especially this Holy Week, I wonder if he was at a content place before he died? Did he have his own Bucket List? Was Jesus’ bucket list one that included improving the conditions for the poor and expendables during his time? Was it one that included a significant other, marriage and children?
Or was he just blissful living fully in each moment? Maybe that should be #1 on my list.
If you do have a way to help me make the other 12 things happen in the next 15 days, let me know…
24 Sunday Mar 2013
Tags
Holy Week, Jesus, Justice, Lent, Mercy, Mission, Palm Sunday, Pilate, St. Paul UCC
This is part of the Palm Sunday Sermon delivered at St. Paul United Church of Christ, Old Blue Rock Road, on March 24, 2013.
When we celebrate Palm Sunday, we’re not just praising Jesus. Our call to faith is deeper than sitting in a cheering section on Jesus. We can’t support for Jesus without cheering on our sisters and brothers who struggle. By waving our palms in this parade, we’re cheering a system where all are given dignity and rights.
Here’s the thing – it’s risky. Jesus died for standing up for humanity and the humans he met. Jesus died because of the sins of broken systems. In many similar ways, we’ve seen these deaths in recent history. Martin Luther King Jr. died because he spoke to loudly on issues like civil rights, labor and the war. Dietrich Bonhoeffer died because he was outspoken against Hitler and the Nazis.
If any of us to really have the faith of Jesus, we’d have the faith that would put fear aside and put our neighbors front and center. Our lives would be at risk – from ridicule by our loved ones to arrests and death.
I wish I could have that level of faith that Jesus had – the kind that would stand up for radical love and grace no matter what the cost. But I worry what others will think. The let the fear of “what will people think of me if I voice my opinions” get in my way. What will people think of me if I attend a rally or protest or parade… It’s not that I don’t stand up for what I believe, it’s just that I’ll lower my voice a bit if I know I’ll offend others. It’s scary to be as bold as Jesus.
But boldness and justice is an imperative part of our faith. I know that justice is reoccurring theme in Scriptures. Some form of the Hebrew word for justice, mishpat, is used over 400 times in the Hebrew scriptures. The faith of the prophets who stood for love and justice was the faith of Jesus. He carried that radical love and boldness into the future by advocating for the marginalized.
Looking at the repeated mention of justice in scripture would indicate to me justice is a part of our call as Christians. So how do we look at justice issues as a faith community, especially as a faith community of diverse theological and political views? Our first and most important step is dialogue. It’s trying to understand why our neighbors believe what they believe and try to figure out if we are called to advocate for the marginalized. While we may not agree as a full community, we are still journeying together to find out what we can do to give dignity to all of God’s children.
Yes, we are called to feed and house and clothed, but we’re not called JUST to feed and house and clothe. Through Jesus the Christ, God has called us to stand up to the powers that be to create just ways of living. I’ve often used the illustration of mission and mercy as pulling people out of a fast running river. Justice is going upstream to find out why they fell in the river to begin with. Most of us have found our place at the bottom of this stream pulling people out. But what if we traveled together upstream to find out why people have fallen into the river and maybe even do something about it?
And If we had the faith of the prophets and the faith of Jesus to be radically loving and just, who would we stand up for in our society? Much like they took care of the widows and orphans, is our call to stand up for the single mom who can’t afford childcare? Just like they called for the Israelites to take care of the aliens, are we called to take care of immigrants in our land? Just like the Just like Jesus cured those with leprosy, are we called to advocate for those with HIV/AIDS or other stigmatized illnesses? Just like Jesus had a grassroots protest on the other side of Jerusalem, are we called to protest systems that oppress?
Celebrating Palm Sunday means supporting Jesus’ stand against oppressive systems. It means more than hosannas and yippees. It’s standing on the side of justice and risking who we are to stand for the greater good. So when we wave the palms, we’re not only supporting Jesus, we supporting Jesus’ way of loving others at a cost.
As we face the most intense part of Lent – Holy Week – how will we reflect on the powerful love and courageous steps of Jesus? In what ways can we love, advocate and serve radically? In what ways can we be bold in our faith? If we are willing, let us pick up the palm leaves not only to honor our redeemer, but to stand with him as he shares the love of God with all he meets.
Michelle L. Torigian 