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A Liturgy For The Seasonally Depressed (SAD)

Ben Neiser
2 min readJan 22, 2024

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When my day begins,

before the sun does

and the comfort and warmth of my bed

feels like the only promise I can rely,

remind me of your mercies

new every morning.

Meet me with the warmth of your presence

as my feet hit the cold floor.

Place in me a supernatural faith

to believe what I do not feel.

_

Give me pause

in the all but fleeting,

yet colorful moments of the sunrise.

Remind me that you are still the God of color,

Bright and brilliant.

But that you are no less beautiful

in the day that is ruled by gray and brown.

You are the God that has made all color

for its time.

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When I find myself stuck

between mourning the memories of fall

and longing for the life of spring,

ground me in the glories of now.

The life I can not see

and the infinite measure of your work

That does not cease.

_

When all I see is seemingly

meaningless death,

give me eyes to see

not death but dormancy.

Life under the surface,

active and deeply purposeful.

Tree bark thickening

and roots deepening.

Preparing not for winter to be over

or for warmth to return

but for fruit and flower.

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Holy and Sovereign God

You are no less wondrous or glorious

in this winter you have ordained.

You are still jealous for our affections

and worthy of our worship.

You have not stopped working

your redemptive plan in my life

and in the world around me.

_

Fill me with awe and purpose

of this season you have made.

May each day of dormancy

prepare me for the fruit

that is to come.

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So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

- 2 Corinthians 4:16–18

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Ben Neiser

Christian. Husband. Father of two girls. Creative. Writer. Collaborator of Faith, Art, and Community.