Category Archives: Life

A Prayer for Students Starting School, COVID-19 Style

20 Thursday Aug 2020

Posted by in COVID Prayers, Life, Pop, Prayers, Quarantine Liturgy and Prayers

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Creator God, source of all knowledge and wisdom-
In this unique era of our lives,
When laptops on kitchen tables
And masks in public spaces
Have become our norm,
We ask for blessing of our students.

Some of these young scholars will be learning in classrooms.
We pray for health in body, mind, and soul.
Bless their masks as they wear them from first bell to last.
Bless the air in the classrooms.  Bless their unusual recesses and lunchtimes.
May wellness be their companion.

Some of our learners are absorbing knowledge from new spaces-
Laptops instead of smartboards
Dining room tables instead of desks.
May their focus be great.
May connections grow between students and teachers
And students with one another.
We pray for health in mind, soul, and body.
Bless the energy in their homes, and the loved ones assisting them.

Bless the students navigating education
As they split their time between home and school-
Parents, grandparents and friends.
We pray for health in soul, mind, and body
We pray for the health of all their connections.
May their unique schooling inspire all of us to think outside of boxes.

Bless the parents wondering how to balance all of this.
The family members who are classmates and teachers in our current world.

Bless the teachers, staff, and administrators leading in this new realm of education.

Bless our communities as we work to stay well and reduce the spread of COVID-19.

May 2020 be the year in which we grow with you, God of wisdom.

Amen.

 

A Prayer on a Bad News Day

07 Tuesday Jan 2020

Posted by in Current Events, grief, Life, Pop, Prayers

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God who fills the cracks in this world-
Today was a horrific news day.

As the world falls apart,
And our neighbors endure pain,
And hate spreads across our planet,
We lament, we weep, we cry for you.

Why have you forsaken us as the earth shakes?
Why have your children screamed words of hate?
Why have bombs and planes and so much else fallen?
Why do illnesses spread throughout our loved ones?

The news was heavy… no, suffocating.
Like the air from fires,
The dust from earthquakes,
The smoke from bombs,
And the fuel from planes.

So we look towards you in our confusion, our pain, our sadness.
We try to makes sense of things that won’t make sense anyway.
And we go to bed, shedding tears upon our pillows-

Hoping that the sun will fill the skies tomorrow,
That pain is alleviated,
That fires are extinguished,
And healing begins.

Amen.

A Prayer for World Kindness Day

13 Wednesday Nov 2019

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

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Divine Tenderness-

As our world withers from the chills of words
And our souls are flooded from the tides of hate,
We embrace the tiny seeds of kindness still abiding around us.

For the ones who reach across aisles and tear down barriers
Our hearts celebrate.
For the ones who stand up to animosity
And refuse to let hatred win,
We send our songs of thanksgiving.

May we step out of our way to be kind to our neighbor today.
May we eschew cynicism after all of the prejudice we’ve seen.
May we embrace the light within ourselves and all of your creation.

May your holy glow push through the cracks in barriers
To reach each of your children here on earth.

Amen.

A Prayer Before Daybreak

05 Thursday Sep 2019

Posted by in Life, Pop, Prayers

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God of Mystery-

As the night peels away from the far reaches of the sky
And the dew visits the tips of grass’ blades,
May your calmness wrap around our souls
Like a blanket.

May the sounds of morning’s friends
Welcome us back from dreamland.

Rescue us from the grasps of anxiety
And the claims of hopelessness.

Sing to us the songs of mercy,
And grant us the grace to embrace this fresh start that we see with each sunrise.

Amen.

A Prayer for Youth Fearing Summer Break

01 Saturday Jun 2019

Posted by in Life, Pop, Social Justice

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Possible Trigger Warning of Child Abuse

God of the Midmorning, the Early Summer, the Dusk-

We often focus on the youth who rush out of the classrooms into their summer. We focus on their anticipation of free days and joy like the summers afforded us.

The stars aligned for us… but didn’t for many children.

What we forget is our youths’ dread and concern of extra spending time at home during summer break- houses empty of food and filled with stress and violence.

We forget that they wake in worry of what the day will bring- extra bruises, extra hunger, extra chaos.

May their summer days be filled with activities of fun. As they spend time outdoors, may they find safety in friends and neighbors. May they be able to afford programs that the community offers.

As the fireflies return in the evening, May their homes be filled with peace. May they not feel the emptiness of hunger or the fullness of trauma. May their sleep be restful, and may their tomorrows be overflowing with hope.

Amen.

Tears, Songs, and Hearing His Voice

26 Sunday May 2019

Posted by in grief, Life, Pop

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This morning, I supercried at church – weeping like a small child.

The song was “Let There Be Peace on Earth.” Beyond the voices of the choir, I could hear the sound of my dad’s voice…

Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me…

My dad would sing the song with every fiber of his being. His (probably) tenor voice would sing each syllable with intent. As a civics teacher, a Genocide survivor’s son, and a person who believed Christianity was an active faith, the song was probably the best representation of what he believed.

Let peace begin with me, let this be the moment now…

And so, when this song is sung as it was today with the choir, every piece of my being remembered him. I remembered his articulation of faith, of his voice singing a song that was a prayer in his heart. I remembered our time sitting next to one another in church as my faith grew next to his more matured, more articulated faith.

Songs connect us with people and the past. Of moments of joy and of losses. We know what we no longer have, but we know that we’ve been given the gift of something spectacular – the holiness of song, of love, of spirit.

To take each moment, and live each moment, in peace eternally-

Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me.

 

Eternal Resilience: A Prayer Remembering the Armenian Genocide of 1915

24 Wednesday Apr 2019

Posted by in Current Events, Life

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This was originally posted on my blog in 2015.

Soothing Spirit,
Whose gentle winds hovered over the Euphrates,
Surround our souls with support in these days of remembrance.

Strengthen our resolve to never let anyone forget
The atrocities of April 24 and beyond –
The genocide of the Armenian People.

They wanted to kill all of the aunts and uncles and grandparents
And place the very last one in a museum to show their sordid victory.

But they did not win.
Hate was not victorious.

We remember the spirits of our ancestors,
Of our sisters and brothers in Christ,
Marching through the mayhem
Of death, confusion, loss.
We remember their steps on the march to Deir-Zor-
Their empty stomachs and heavy hearts.
Their lives chipped away
As they lost their mom, or baby, or brother,
and endured violations of body, mind and soul.

In gratitude, we remember those who defied their people,
The Turkish and Kurdish souls who rebelled against the powers-that-be
Saving the lives of our kin.
We are grateful for those who stand against the powers today
And refuse to call these events anything but a genocide.

Heal our hearts as the deniers’ speeches become
Louder and louder.
Their words will melt into the pool of justice one day.

We give voice to the trauma that lingered in survivors’ hearts
From the days they left their homes in the ‘Old Country’
To the moment when they saw the face of God.

Help all who carry the stories of the past into the future
So that we will not forget,
And we will not stand by,
As more of God’s children are massacred.

We pray for the survivors of all genocides that burned our earth
And stole our siblings-
Armenia, the Holocaust, Rwanda, Cambodia, Bosnia, Darfur, and then some…
And then some more…
Knowing that God will give them resurrection from the ashes of yesterday,
rising into the winds of tomorrow.

Read my grandfather’s story of survival during the Armenian Genocide here. 

National Take a Chance Day Prayer

23 Tuesday Apr 2019

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

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Chaotic, Creative God-

The winds of change hover over your creation, nudging us towards a new heaven here on earth.

As the dry winds from the south pick up, causing us to remain inside our comfort zones, your Spirit is throwing open doors and windows, begging us to move back into the world.

In a vulnerable state, we slowly emerge into ferocious terrain- an atmosphere which wants to remain at rest and at unrest.

But here you are, God, asking us to take chances, asking us to speak boldly, love courageously, and care fiercely.

Today, we ask for prayers of strength to advocate for our neighbors on the margins. We pray for bravery as we allow mercy to emerge from our traumatized, closed-up souls.

We are willing to heed your call and take chances that build a more-caring world and share love which unites us and magnifies your image in one another.

Amen.

One Good Friday

16 Tuesday Apr 2019

Posted by in grief, Lent Prayers, Life, Pop, Single in the Sanctuary

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Trigger warning: abuse

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The writing below occurred on a Good Friday over 20 years ago. I was verbally abused by a significant other during my mid-20’s. While he never physically abused me, I believe I would have left as soon as hits and shoves began. Instead, I wondered for months if what I was experiencing was verbal and emotional abuse, often convincing myself otherwise and telling myself that it would get better.

*****

From the rolling tears creeping down my cheeks
And the short breaths attempting to fill my lungs with air,
I inhale your disgust,
The grit spilling from your voice
Tastes like clouds of dust escaping from bottoms of sandals.

Our dinner the night before was a beautiful memory-
A time of quiet celebration…
But oh how the tone has changed quickly.

Even when my prayers begged for you not to betray me again, you walk back in.
Your hate-filled, dagger-edged sentiments
Came back to the room.
You weren’t finished.

Hit me, I think to myself.
I can finally come down off of the cross to which you nailed my spirit
And I can flee towards the lands of plenty
Where the God of hope and love has promised me
Milk, honey, vines drooping with grapes and nets overflowing with fish.

Hit me, I say to myself. I want to know where you stand
Instead of you driving the crown of thorns upon my sore spirit-
And removing it.  Then placing it and removing it
Again
And again
And again.

Your repeated accusations and condemnations pick apart my heart.

You might as well smack my face or whip me across the back
Or pierce my side with the dagger you kept in your bag
Because I cannot tell if I’ve done something wrong
Or if you’re thriving from my pain
And stirring
Stirring
Stirring the energy around us to kill the dreams leading me forward.

Your ‘love’ dizzies me
Like a ride on a chariot.
Your ‘love’ lifts me
Like a soldier lifting the Christ’s cross.
Your ‘love’ pierces me
Like nails driven into a body.
Such ecstasy is too much for my soul.
You’ve taken my breath – my will to breathe – away.

*****

I’m ready for my empty tomb and riding on clouds
Because my night in spiritual Sheol has captured all of my tears.

I will no longer allow you to cast your die upon my mind.
And I will shed your sins that you have showered upon my soul.

*****

As we wake for the new day
And you wash your hands of last night’s agony,
I barely feel human.

It’s Saturday.
We say goodbye.
The next time we meet face-to-face,
I’ve left the tomb.

 

“Illuminate Your Winter” Worship Service

08 Friday Feb 2019

Posted by in Epiphany Liturgy/Prayers, Life, Liturgy, Pop

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The idea for this worship service was brought to me at my last congregation by a retired pastor.  As the days are often extremely gloomy and cold in January and February, this is a time to remind ourselves that God’s steadfast presence is near.  For many of our siblings in faith, seasonal affective disorder is a struggle because of the dreary, chilly winter days.  This worship service is to recognize that there are things that obstruct us from seeing God’s brilliance, and we are called to carry light even on gloomy winter days.

This is also an opportunity to look at darkness as something beautiful.  While we are recognizing gloomy, cloudy, cold days as difficult, we recognize the night sky and darkness as glorious and a gift from God.

Ideas for Scripture texts:

Isaiah 60:1-5, Matthew 5:14-16, John 1:1-9

 

Call to Worship
One: In this space, God’s glow surrounds us.
Many: In this place, God’s glimmer brightens the surrounding gloom.
One: We yearn to see the radiance from the sun’s company.
Many: We hope to see the moon’s glow accompanying us until the morn.
One: Winter’s malaise will not last long.
Many: Arise, friends.  For God’s warmth endures forever.

Invocation
Holy Radiance, Holy Spirit, in our seasons when gloom invades our skies, may your mirthful glow shine brightly.  As brisk winds monopolize our air, may your welcoming breezes nudge us to comfort and serve our world.  Help us to seek you beyond thick layers of clouds.  Encourage us to steer our neighbors to see you in the short days of winter and the long nights of summer.  Amen.

Prayer of Reconciliation
One: God of breezy nights and dreary days, we hoard Divine Brilliance for ourselves – even when we have been reminded that to love our neighbors means to spread light into the world.

All: Without thinking, we cast shadows across the earth.  Shift our perspectives so that we avoid becoming obstacles to God’s gleam.  May we become carriers of light instead of  barriers to God’s glow.  Amen.

Assurance of Grace
One: God will always share Divine Beauty with us.  God will call us to find splendor in darkness and magnificence in daylight as both are where God abides.  God will continue to ask us to share radiance and joy with our neighbors.  God gives us second chances, calling us again and again to be channels of love and warmth.

All:  Amen!  Thanks be to God!

Call to Offering
Holy Radiance, you fill our hearts with levity and our souls with joy.  Even in the seasons that appear gloomy, your steadfast presence kindles our spirits, sustaining us until the new season approaches.  In our gratitude for love and light, we share our gifts and our luminosity with our world.  Loving God, let us take these moments to share our treasures and reflect on how we share your Divine Glow with our world.

Prayer of Dedication
We look to you for what we need, God of Love.  We ask that you continue to fill our hearts with your Divine Glow.  Ignite our spirits so that we can pass along your radiance with our world.  We pray all of this with hearts of hope.  Amen.

Benediction
One: In seasons of despair, God’s Glow will warm our hearts.
In seasons of hopelessness, Christ’s Light will spark our minds.
In seasons of gloom, Holy Radiance will sustain our souls.

As clouds droop low and shadows stretch, let us carry Divine Illumination into our world!  Amen!

All: Amen!