🕯️ “The Light of the Saints” — A sacred reminder that love, once kindled, never fades. Its warmth continues to guide and grace our days.

When All God’s Children Gather at the Table – November 2, 2025

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Scripture: Revelation 7:9–17 | Modern Lesson: bell hooks

This Sunday at Holy Covenant, we gathered for All Saints & Souls Sunday, a day to remember those who have gone before us and to celebrate the great cloud of witnesses whose love still lights our way. Guest preacher Rev. Belinda Sledge joined us from the UCC Southern Conference’s Call to Care Tour, bringing a message titled “When All God’s Children Gather at the Table.”

Preaching from Revelation 7:9–17, Rev. Sledge invited us to imagine the holy vision of John — a multitude from every nation and tongue, gathered before God in song, joy, and liberation. She reminded us that this image is not a distant hope, but a living call to community and compassion.

Drawing from bell hooks’ reflection that “those who came before us dreamed us into being,” Rev. Sledge spoke about the courage and faith of the saints who made our gathering possible — the ancestors who prayed, protested, loved, and persisted so that others might live freely. “Every act of care,” she said, “is a continuation of their dream. Every gesture of love keeps their legacy alive.”

During the Lighting of the Saints, the sanctuary filled with a soft constellation of candles — each flame a story, each prayer a whisper of gratitude. As names were lifted and memories rekindled, the stillness became holy space. Pastor Christopher Czarnecki led us in the Prayer of Remembrance, blessing the love that shaped us and reminding us that “the saints are not gone; they live on in the pattern of our days.”

This service also echoed the rhythm of our new November theme, Finding Rest in God – Sabbath Wellness. Through music, prayer, and communion, we were invited to rest in remembrance — to trust that peace is not the absence of sorrow but the presence of love that endures beyond it.

As we received Communion, the choir called us to draw the circle wide, to welcome even those we don’t understand, and to remember that the Body of Christ is made of many stories.

📖🙏 Order of Worship Highlights:

• Prelude: “Be Still, My Soul” – arr. P. Rodriguez
• Call to the Heart: Led by Eric Miner
• Hymns: “Be Still, My Soul” | “Go to the World!” | “The Summons”
• Gift in Song: “Come Home” – Mary Tarr, violin
• Modern Lesson: bell hooks – “Those who came before us dreamed us into being.”
• Scripture: Revelation 7:9–17 – “They will hunger and thirst no more.”
• Sermon: “When All God’s Children Gather at the Table” – Rev. Belinda Sledge
• Communion Hymn: “Draw the Circle Wide” – arr. M. Miller
• Postlude: “I Need Thee Every Hour” – L. Smith