God’s mercy is always wider than we imagine.

As Charlotte Pride filled our streets this weekend, worship answered Jeremiah’s call: name false prophecy, reject fear, and embrace liberating love.

Tenth Sunday After Pentecost – Worship Service – August 17, 2025

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Hebrew Scripture: Jeremiah 23:23–32 | Modern Lesson: Rev. Broderick Greer (excerpt)

This Sunday, Pastor Chris led us through Jeremiah’s sharp warning against false prophets—voices that distort God’s word to preserve power and stoke fear. In contrast, true prophecy is grounded in God’s presence: it nourishes, liberates, and widens the circle of belonging.

Preaching in the heart of Charlotte Pride, Pastor Chris named how scripture has been weaponized against LGBTQ+ people and invited us to reclaim God’s voice of justice and mercy. He lifted up New Testament scholar Richard B. Hays’s journey from exclusion to affirmation—reminding us that theology is never abstract; it shapes real lives and families. The thread of scripture is not narrowing but widening: mercy, inclusion, and love.

Our worship affirmed what we hold dear at Holy Covenant: queer and trans lives are holy, beloved, and central to God’s story. Our praise within the sanctuary sends us out to live the offering God desires—acts of welcome, advocacy, and liberation.

📖🙏 Order of Worship Highlights:

• Prelude: “O Searcher of Hearts” – G. Clarke
• Modern Lesson: Rev. Broderick Greer (excerpt)
• Hebrew Scripture: Jeremiah 23:23–32
• Sermon: “Prophets and Pride” – Pastor Chris
• Communal Songs: “God of Many Faces” | “In an Age of Twisted Values” | “Sing a New World into Being”
• Postlude: “Christians, We Have Met to Worship” – arr. M. Hayes

“The most radical thing we can do as Christians is tell every LGBTQ+ person: you are loved, you are wanted, you are already enough.”
— Jayne Ozanne