Category Archives: Pop

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.

A Prayer for Insomnia

29 Wednesday Nov 2023

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

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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.

A Prayer for the Day of Forgiveness

28 Thursday Sep 2023

Posted by in National Day Prayers, Pop, Prayers

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Holy Fountain of Grace-

Our realm has become arid because of rifts, conflicts, arrogance, and shame. As the blazing winds of blame scorch our world, our souls have become dehydrated.

Like flowers, our hearts are wilting. They have held on to the grudges of the past. Each day, upon waking, they grasp at anything for energy. Yet nothing will quench our thirst of animosity.

Through you, God, we find the relief that comes with mercy. With you we search into our spirits to find ways to forgive. We know that sometimes we must hold a distance between us and the one who you call us to forgive – for the safety of our spirits, and minds, and bodies. Even so, the process of forgiveness is to release something from our souls.

Free us, God, from the grudges of the past, from the ones who wounded us. May the releasing of our resentment create space in our hearts for hope. If we can join together with those whom have hurt us, may peace bind us together and understanding become our companion.

Amen.

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

A Prayer for Our Siblings Feeling Dehumanized During Synod

04 Tuesday Jul 2023

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

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Holy Branches of Care-

Even as we meet in this forest of support, a tempest approaches beyond your limbs:

Squalls of arrogance, hate, and ignorance.

As some sign sweet songs of love and justice,

A cacophony raises its noises of dissonance, denying humanity and the song of our neighbors.

And how much we want to run from this forest, God!


Yet you have called us here for a time such as this.

May your unfailing breeze carry us forward.

May the gentle winds of the Holy Spirit protect us from the storms streaming from unkind minds.

May your divine leaves block the harmful rays of hate and the misuse of your Holy Name.

Amen.

This was written as a group of prayers for the remote UCC General Synod in 2021.

A Prayer for Freedom to Use My Voice

15 Wednesday Mar 2023

Posted by in Lent Prayers, Life, Pop

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Beloved God, Divine Tongue-

As the years pass,
I’ve kept my mouth quite closed.

You have asked me to share the Good News,
And I kept your love to myself.

You have asked me to share your message of justice and equity,
And I worried about what others would think.

You have asked me to be to be the most authentic version of myself,
To share the truest me with the world,
But I kept that self hidden too many times.

It would have been lovely to speak my truth along the way-
To those who downgraded me,
To those who have doubted me,
To those who tried to destroy my soul.

Yet as I learn about my worth,
And continue the journey of healing and growing,
My voice continues to be freed by the constraints of this world.

The song I sing in this new chapter
Reflects a version of myself that has hidden in the depths of my spirit
That once fled to the Sheol of my mind.

And now I stand in the warm sunlight with you, Spirit of Wonder-
On top of the escarpment overlooking the lands I’ve previously walked.
I know what needs to happen now
As I warm my voice at dawn of this brand new day.

Amen.

A Prayer of Gratitude for Nostalgia

18 Wednesday Jan 2023

Posted by in Life, Pop, Prayers

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God of Yesterday, Holy Hope for the Future,

Running through my head throughout today is a moment from years ago.
I was young with friends I had left in the past.
The laughter was loud and our smiles were widening across our faces.

As a song from yesterday lifts my spirits-
It’s reached into my soul in a way that I just can’t explain.
But it’s transported my mind back to being a young one again.

These are the moments that are worth more than gold.
But I can’t abide in yesterday-
Otherwise I’m gonna turn into a pillar of salt.

Today I thank you for the flashes from yesteryear,
For the joys of nostalgia, and the stories which I carry.

Help me to savor the joy of memories but to leave them in the past.
Give me the drive to live fully into today’s realm
And to dream about a future with hope.

Amen.

A Mid-Winter’s Prayer

12 Thursday Jan 2023

Posted by in Life, Pop, Prayers

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Divine River of Light,


As days expand and the colors stretch upon the horizon, my spirit celebrates the growing glow across the hours. This light fills our spirits with gentleness as the chilly winds whisper while it whips throughout its frigid path.

May we ignore the chill and the shadows. Even when the nights are cold, may we turn to what warms us: love, laughter, friendships. May your glow expand in our hearts- even when nights are long.

When extreme weather shoves milder temperatures out of the way, we know you are here to warm our souls and cool our spirits when needed.

Amen.

A Prayer of Gratitude

24 Thursday Nov 2022

Posted by in Pop

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Divine Creator of the Universe-

Creation blossoms as your breezes build around us. The snow descends to earth, and you are there.
The flowers bloom in various hues, and you are present. The sun welcomes the daytime with warmth, and you abide with us. The leaves of browns and greens and reds and yellows find their way to earth, and your image is reflected.

In this season of gratitude, our attention is drawn to those who love us. We gather around tables lifting laughter and carrying conversations.

For filled dinner plates, we sing our praises to you. For a person or two who will never let us go, we honor your care in our lives. For the beauty of the world and the ones who care for all of creation, we give thanks.

Amen.

Wednesday Prayer – Searching for Gratitude

16 Wednesday Nov 2022

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God of Great Delights,

On days of bleakness, our eyes focus on the fog surrounding us instead of the warmth from your Spirit nearby.
On days of aches from the chilly climate, we search for relief from the balmy Christ in our midst.

Distractions get the best of us.
Whatever ails our bodies and minds and souls wins our attention.

We attempt to shake off any malaise as we turn onto a new road-
A path in which our senses reach for your presence.

As we see you in the light, notice you in laughter, feel you in the mild temperatures,
We turn our fields of emotions into gardens of appreciation.

In seasons of gratitude, may we express our sentiments freely.
May our hearts open to share words of encouragement and thanksgiving to you, God, and to our neighbors.

Shorten our nighttimes of despair and return the bright daylight of joy to our souls.

Amen.

All Souls Day Prayer

02 Wednesday Nov 2022

Posted by in National Day Prayers, Pop

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God of the early morning inhales and the deep evening exhales-

We remember the souls who have gone to the other side of heaven- to your realm, where all souls, or saints as we often call them, bask in your light for all eternity. For your grace which welcomed them from near and far, and your mercy that gave them comfort upon their last breaths, we give you thanks.

We remember the souls who are here among us, dining with us at tables, sharing with us their extravagant love, quarreling with us, challenging us. Through Jesus the Christ, we work to forgive them. And while reconciliation may not happen on this side of heaven, we trust in the healing space of eternity to find everlasting peace.

We nod to the souls of the future who abide with and in the Divine energy. Through their time with God, may they carry wisdom and love into this world when their time comes to abide on this side of heaven. May their love radiate beyond the bounds of heaven to shower our earth with light and love.

Amen.