✨ Called to Be Light — A reminder that God names us beloved before asking anything of us, and then calls us to let that love shine into the world.

Called to Be Light – January 18, 2026 | Second Sunday After the Epiphany

Bulletin – 01-18-2026

Scripture: Isaiah 49:1–7

This Sunday at Holy Covenant United Church of Christ, we gathered on the Second Sunday After the Epiphany to reflect on calling, courage, and the quiet persistence of light. Worship invited us to consider what it means to be named by God—not after we feel prepared, but before—and to trust that belovedness is the beginning of faithful action.

From the opening prayer, we were reminded that we come carrying the weight of the world and the doubts we hold about our own adequacy. And yet, we were invited to center ourselves in the truth that we are loved simply because we belong to God—formed not only for comfort, but for service.

Our scripture from Isaiah 49:1–7 named a servant who feels weary, unseen, and unsure whether their labor has mattered at all. Into that exhaustion, God speaks a deeper truth: the work is larger than imagined, the calling wider than expected, and the light meant not only for one people, but for all nations.

In his sermon, “Called to Be Light,” Pastor Chris invited us to release the myth that readiness precedes calling. Drawing on voices from the civil rights movement and prophetic faith, we were reminded that justice grows when people trust that their contribution matters—even when the destination remains unclear.

The service wove together scripture, prayer, and witness to affirm that justice is not the absence of pain, but the refusal to let pain have the final word. Through communal prayer and song, we named our doubts honestly, received words of grace freely, and were reminded that God equips those God calls.

Music carried the theology of the day with power and tenderness—from the opening spiritual “Nobody Knows the Trouble I’ve Seen,” to the stirring anthem “Roll Down, Justice,” and the communal hymn “We Shall Overcome.” Together, worship reminded us that faith is not passive—it sings, it marches, it hopes.

📖🙏 Order of Worship Highlights:

• Prelude: “Nobody Knows the Trouble I’ve Seen”
• Introit: “Holy Ground”
• Hymn: “Oh Freedom”
• Modern Lesson: Words of Fannie Lou Hamer
• Scripture: Isaiah 49:1–7
• Sermon: “Called to Be Light” — Rev. Christopher Czarnecki
• Special Music: “Roll Down, Justice”
• Poem: “Let America Be America Again” — Langston Hughes
• Closing Hymn: “We Shall Overcome”
• Postlude: “Deep River”

“God does not call us because we are ready; God calls us because love demands a response.”