Category Archives: Prayers

A Prayer for Beauticians and Barbers

10 Sunday Mar 2019

Posted by in Lent Prayers, Pop, Prayers, Vocation Prayers

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Divine Stylist of Creation,

For the cuts and colors by our stylists and barbers, we give our gratitude. Their clips and foils, manicures and braids bring a sense of warmth to the lives of their clients.

Bless the work of their hands as they give the care others seek. Bless their own hands as they trim and color, wax and shave. May their hands hold up in this repetitive work. Protect their fingers, wrists, arms, and backs as they clip and stand for hours to care for their neighbors.

For the times they listen to our life stories and work hard to give us the result we desire, we celebrate. May these caregivers find the energy they need to continue in their careers joyfully.

Amen.

*****

This is part of a series of Lenten daily prayers for various careers.

 

A Prayer for Bankers

09 Saturday Mar 2019

Posted by in Lent Prayers, Pop, Prayers, Vocation Prayers

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Divine Source of All Resources-

In seasons of financial stability and uncertainty, we pray for our bankers. As they sit behind desks and bullet-proof glass, allow them to feel safe in their places of work.

May they see the ways in which their practices encourage growth in the world. May they embrace justice and righteousness as they assess and calculate. May they feel the nudge from you to make decisions that serve the entire community. May grace light the way in their decision-making and their service-giving.

While we know their decisions must be financially responsible, we pray that they can discover ways in which they can work with our neighbors who are struggling. By co-managing with our bankers, God, encourage them to create systems where people of all means – including those who have financial challenges – can find their own well-being.

With joy, we give thanks for the ways they invest in our communities. No matter the market, allow them to see their purpose and place in our cities.

Amen.

*****

This is part of a series of Lenten daily prayers for various careers.

A Prayer for Artists

07 Thursday Mar 2019

Posted by in Lent Prayers, Pop, Prayers, Vocation Prayers

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Holy Chaos, Holy Creator,

Through the hands of your artists, the world shines. Through the minds of your artists, the world holds no confines. Through the hearts of your artists, the world continues to grow.

In works of art, your universe explores your visions and solidifies your dreams. By answering this calling, our earthly creators co-design a just-filled world with you.

Kindle imaginations and spark energy in the souls of our artists. Allow the world to see your presence through the work of their hands.

Amen.

*****

This is part of a series of Lenten daily prayers for various careers

A Prayer for Air Traffic Controllers

06 Wednesday Mar 2019

Posted by in Lent Prayers, Pop, Prayers

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Spirit who abides in the air and on the ground,

We pray for our neighbors who shepherd the skies. As they evaluate screens and data, may they become aware of the necessity of their vocations. Allow them to grasp how their time and talents ensure the safety of many.

We pray that their hours in front of computers are filled with meaningful moments. May clarity guide their minds. May peace guilds their hearts. May stress fall from their souls.

For their time in towers, we send our thanks. Allow their spirits to become refreshed and renewed. And nudge us to send them a prayer each time we enter the skies.

Amen.

*****

This is part of a series of Lenten daily prayers for various careers.

A Prayer on International Migrants Day

18 Tuesday Dec 2018

Posted by in Advent prayers, Current Events, National Day Prayers, Pop, Prayers

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Wandering Spirit- as we speak aloud or quietly remember migrants in our world, may we seek the stories of those who yearn to survive.

Your children hope for homes in which they can thrive.  May they find a permanent place to rest – if they so choose.  May they have abundant food, healthcare, and housing.  May possibilities for employment be plentiful. May love surround their homes, and may love walk with them on their journeys.

Spirit of Safety, shine on our sojourner siblings.  As they cross borders and walk on arid ground, give them the light they need to find smooth pathways.

As our neighbors walk miles, allow them the strength they need.  When food is insufficient and water is lacking, connect them with the resources they need for survival.

We pray for the families who have lost loved ones on their journeys, in exile, and imprisoned.  May Divine peace which extends beyond time and space comfort our friends who continue to lament.

May the powers that be see all migrants with the dignity they deserve.  May those with authority acknowledge our common humanity yet differing stories.  May we all open our souls to the narratives of neighbors who are unlike us, and may we advocate for the migrants who have been robbed of dignity.

Nudge us to recall the stories of our ancestors who risked everything to migrate to distant lands.  With thanksgiving, we celebrate the bravery of our kin, and pray for the courage of our siblings around this world.

During this season of Advent, may we connect with neighbors near and far, knowing that you, God, are calling us to radically love on our journeys.

Amen.

*****

You can find more information on International Migrants Day here.

Advent Prayers – A Prayer for Focus

05 Wednesday Dec 2018

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Spirit of Strength who abides with us in the sparkles and shadows-
In the midst of this glitzy season
Filled with every distraction known to people,
Give us the focus to finish what we’ve started.

May Advent draw our attention to the sweetness of the journey-
Not the saccharine superficial sentiments of cultural expectation.

May Advent enliven our spirits and energize our tired minds.

May Advent drive us away from disturbances
And give us the gall to reach into the caverns of injustice
to aid in the delivery of God’s holy righteousness.

Amen.

Eden in the Wilderness (A Prayer for Our Tree of Life Siblings)

29 Monday Oct 2018

Posted by in Current Events, grief, Pop, Prayers, Social Justice

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“For the Lord will comfort Zion;
he will comfort all her waste places,
and will make her wilderness like Eden,
her desert like the garden of the Lord;
joy and gladness will be found in her,
thanksgiving and the voice of song.” – Isaiah 51:3

Your prophets told the people that Eden would be here.  Your prophets foretold comfort and joy, gardens and gladness.

And upon arrival, only wastelands stand.

So where is this flowering land?  Where is the spiritual destination foretold?  Where is the sanctuary where soul and body are safe and nourished?  They thought they had arrived…

And yet – only the raw wilderness remains.

Rather than a wilderness flourishing like Eden, this garden remains rocky.  Its sandy soil erodes with each bigoted downpour.

The diaspora people in their new orchards struggle for the fruits to blossom while deep, infiltrating weeds of privilege sprout and strangle.  The flowerbeds cannot abide in beauty while wayward shrubs obstruct the sun’s streams of healing and nurture.

We keep praying for comfort.  Comfort the people.  Comfort our neighbors.  But the warm winds are blocked by the biting breeze of bigotry.

We ask again for their comfort.  And, this time, we must ask for our complacency to end.  We must work for our inertia to end.

Divine Cultivator, even when the winds are harsh and the weeds unruly, let us be willing to abide together in orchards.  Let us be willing to sow together in new gardens, and may we be willing to uproot the crabgrass which overtakes healthy soil.

May Eden abide in the diaspora, and may we be willing to cultivate Eden with all your gardeners.

Amen.

 

© 2018   Rev. Michelle L. Torigian.  Permission is given to reproduce for worship or educational purposes.

A Prayer for Christine Blasey Ford (And All Telling Their Painful Stories)

27 Thursday Sep 2018

Posted by in Current Events, Pop, Prayers, Social Justice

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God, you waited with us in our shadows,
You currently abides with us on thresholds
And you will walk with us in the sun-

Today, a voice will exclaim her truth.
And you will be with her.

There have been many women and men throughout the ages who have sat in chairs-
Watching as they’ve expressed themselves
And detailed a piece of their past.

Yet trauma awaits them in the chambers,
Lurking behind tables,
Entering the room through vicious questions and piercing stares.

May peace rest upon the heart of Christine
And may her soul be soothed.

May others who need to tell their stories – whether related to this particular case
Or other cases-
Find your strength that already abides in their hearts.

And for the questioners…
May wisdom fill their dreams as they sleep.
And as they wake,
May your clarity guide them when speaking
And may openness stir them into listening.

For the ones who commit such abuses,
Who have left scars upon the spirits of many,
May your voice enter their minds.
May the winds of change nudge them to repent
Not only for the survivors, but for the spiritual survival of our world.

We are slowing moving towards justice.
May Christine find healing
May we say her name, Anita’s Name,
The names of women throughout times and spaces –
From Tamar to Vashti and many more.
In lifting their resilience and courage
We will find ours too.

Amen.

A Prayer for the Ones Not Believed

21 Friday Sep 2018

Posted by in Life, Pop, Prayers

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DF9B4F19-B887-4D73-84EB-1A6D4B6CE86FGod of the vocal cords and facial expressions and gestures…

Sometimes there are times when we remain quiet in our trauma. Sometimes we wonder if our words matter and our bravery will transcend injustice.

But most of the time we remember the experience when our words evaporated quickly after attempting to express ourselves.

Do we say anything if we know it will fall on closed ears? And the tougher question with which to wrestle is this: what if they turn it around and the blame falls on us?

We become the Eves and the Gomers and the Jezebels when we assert our value. And we think to ourselves “why bother???”

So when we are questioned years later as to why we remained silent, hopefully they will understand. Hopefully.

(You understand this God, right?)

A slow triumph- the stories are emerging. They linger longer and fill our world with much-needed discomfort.

And through you, Holy Narrative, we find our voices. Your strength and courage deliver us from trauma to peace and from injustice to righteousness.

I believe the stories. You believe them too, God.

Let’s do this.

Amen.

A Labor Day Communion Liturgy

30 Thursday Aug 2018

Posted by in Church Life, Liturgy, Pop, Prayers

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One: Creator of the harvest- We lift our voices in praise!
Many: Creator of the table – In you we find our peace.
One: In gratitude we gather to share this meal.
Many: With thanksgiving, we gather to share our love for neighbor.

One: As the sun sets earlier, the days become cooler, and the crops near harvest, we celebrate the plenitude of fruits available to us.  We acknowledge the ways that we can use our gifts to care for our siblings in need.  We extend this table through the work of our hands and the missions of this church.

As we celebrate this sacrament, may we remember the laborers in the fields:
The harvesters of the wheat and grapes.
The transporters of the their yields.
Those who transform wheat into bread and grapes into juice.

Bless their hands and feet as they labor at farms and gardens, in trucks and warehouses.  We give thanks for the ones who prepare the table here today.  May their gifts of preparation and hospitality inspire us to extend hospitality to the strangers among us.

After laboring on the streets of Jerusalem-
Doing justice, loving kindness, and walking humbly with God-
Jesus clutched bread in his hands.  He blessed the food, gave thanks, and heartfully expressed to his friends that this was the bread of life.  “As you eat this bread, remember me.”

After supper, Jesus grasped the cup filled with the gifts of the vine.  In his blessing, he reminded them “whenever you drink of this cup, remember me.”

Spirit of wisdom and of wonder, wind around these elements today.  May they stir us from stagnation into actively loving God, our neighbors, and ourselves.  May our participation at this table transform us into the people God is calling us to be.

With gratitude, we gather at this table.  As we take a piece of bread, let us experience the love of God as seen in Jesus the Christ.  As we immerse the bread into the cup, let us remember the grace that pours from God.