A radiant welcome to the Table—where all are fed, all are loved, and no one is turned away. ✝️🍞💖

World Communion Sunday – Worship Service – October 5, 2025

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Gospel Reading: Luke 17:5–10 | Modern Lesson: Samuel Rayan

This Sunday, Pastor Chris delivered a deeply invitational message titled “Is My Faith Enough?” On this World Communion Sunday, the sanctuary pulsed with radical welcome and sacred belonging. From the opening call—“Come to this table of love, for Christ welcomes us all”—we were reminded that Holy Communion is not a reward for the righteous but a gift for the willing. For the doubters. For the seekers. For the weary and the wondering.

Preaching from Luke’s Gospel, Pastor Chris explored how even a mustard seed of faith—tiny, uncertain, imperfect—is enough for God to work with. He challenged the assumption that our faith must be flawless to be fruitful. “Faith,” he said, “isn’t a grand performance. It’s presence. It’s trust. It’s showing up—especially when you’re unsure.”

The sermon wove together scriptural truth with global and interfaith wisdom. Citing Indian liberation theologian Samuel Rayan, Pastor Chris emphasized that faith is not a badge to display but a table to share. That breaking bread with one another—across lines of culture, race, gender, and theology—is how we build the kin-dom of God on earth. Even when our faith feels fragile, God is still moving, still calling us to love louder.

Throughout the service, Holy Covenant embodied our extravagant welcome in both word and practice. The installation of eight new members became a moving centerpiece of worship. Each new member was introduced by their sponsor, who shared a brief story of that person’s faith journey and how they found a spiritual home at Holy Covenant. There was laughter, a few tears, and the unmistakable joy of community renewed. Each was presented with a welcome certificate and a UCC lapel pin—symbols of belonging and shared purpose within our covenant family. As the congregation spoke the words of mutual promise and welcome, the Spirit of unity was almost tangible in the room.

Music filled the sanctuary with hope and gratitude. During Communion, the congregation enjoyed “A Place at the Table”  with the Choir delivering a wonderful performance.  This sone will most certainly became a favorite.

📖🙏 Order of Worship Highlights:

• Prelude: “Jesus Loves Me” – arr. J. Evanovich (violin: Mary Tarr)
• Modern Lesson: Samuel Rayan – on hope, presence, and the margins
• Gospel Reading: Luke 17:5–10 – “If you had faith the size of a mustard seed…”
• Sermon: “Is My Faith Enough?” – Pastor Chris
• Communion Hymns: “A Place at the Table,” “Malo! Malo! Thanks Be to God”
• Welcome & Installation of New Members: Eight beloveds joined our covenant family, each introduced by a sponsor and welcomed with certificates and pins
• Special Music: “Come Build a Church” | “I Love the Lord”
• Prayer of Dedication: Offered by Eric Miner

“Faith doesn’t have to be perfect. It just has to be present. Keep showing up to the Table—God will meet you there.” — Pastor Chris

What if the good life isn’t about having more… but needing less?

To live freely, generously, and simply—this is the sacred invitation of Christ.

Sixteenth Sunday After Pentecost – Worship Service – September 28, 2025

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Scripture Reading: 1 Timothy 6:6–19 (First Nations Version & CEB) | Modern Lesson: Sherri L. Mitchell

This Sunday, Pastor Chris preached a powerful and peace-centered sermon titled “Taking Hold of What Is Truly Life.” Drawing from Paul’s letter to Timothy, the message centered on what it means to reject the trap of “more” and instead embrace the sacredness of “enough.”

In a world consumed by comparison and consumption, Pastor Chris asked us to pause and consider: What are we pursuing? What are we holding onto? And what might we need to let go of to live the abundant life God has already prepared?

He reminded us that gain is not always more. That the pursuit of wealth, comfort, and control can distract us from what really matters—our faith, our community, our calling. Instead, we are invited to seize a faith that is lived out, not stored up. One that prioritizes love, generosity, and justice over status and stuff.

Pastor Chris beautifully wove in insights from Buddhist wisdom, highlighting the suffering that arises from craving and attachment. Peace, he said, often begins with letting go. Letting go of perfectionism. Of scarcity. Of the lie that we must do or have more to be worthy of love.

The paired reading from the First Nations Version and modern lesson by Penobscot author Sherri L. Mitchell brought fresh clarity and cultural depth. Together, they affirmed this truth: we find fulfillment not in accumulation, but in harmony. In living simply, truthfully, and close to God.

With prophetic tenderness, Pastor Chris called us to the good fight—not a battle of ego or achievement, but a deep wrestling with who God calls us to be. Faith, he said, is not passive. It’s something we take hold of and let shape our lives. And when we clear away what does not bring joy, we make space for God to move. That is how we take hold of what is truly life.

📖🙏 Order of Worship Highlights:

• Prelude: “I Have Decided to Follow Jesus” – arr. L. Larson
• Hymns: “Wakantanka Taku Nitawa” (Dakota Hymn) | “Be Not Dismayed” | “Song of Hope”
• Modern Lesson: Sherri L. Mitchell
• Scripture: 1 Timothy 6:6–19 (First Nations Version & Common English Bible)
• Sermon: “Taking Hold of What Is Truly Life” – Pastor Chris
• Special Music: “Come Build a Church” | “I Love the Lord”
• Prayer: Pastoral & Centering Prayers led by Pastor Chris & Kristin Andes
• Monthly Affirmation: “We are open to letting God shape our life into some new expression of love.”

“When we let go of our need for more, we make room for God’s grace.” — Pastor Chris

Forgiveness Sets You Free — breaking the chains of resentment, we rise into freedom, peace, and new beginnings.

Peace is not only the absence of violence, but the active presence of compassion, justice, and love.

Fifteenth Sunday After Pentecost – Worship Service – September 21, 2025

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Scriptures: Ephesians 4:32; Genesis 50:20 (International Day of Peace focus)

Today Holy Covenant observed the International Day of Peace, lifting up our UCC witness as a Just Peace Church. In place of Pastor Chris, members of our church family—Lloyd Spencer, Kristin Andes, and Diane Neese—offered a shared homily on forgiveness, compassion, and the call to be peace-makers in a chaotic world.

What is a homily? From the Greek homilia (“conversation”), a homily is a shorter, meditative reflection that connects scripture to lived experience. Unlike a formal sermon, it is often conversational in tone and can be offered by clergy or laity. Its purpose is not to explain every doctrine, but to spark insight, invite prayer, and encourage faithful action.

Our lay preachers reflected on Ephesians 4:32 and Genesis 50:20, reminding us that peace begins within but is never meant to stay there. Real peace is not just the absence of conflict—it is the presence of compassion, justice, and love lived out in community. They reminded us that forgiveness is not weakness but strength: the courage to release resentment and to stand firm in love.

They challenged us to be shrewd and intentional in how we plan for peace, to use our gifts and skills in service of others, and to nurture compassion—especially with youth, neighbors, and those most vulnerable. Peace is love in action. Love is the only power strong enough to transform division into healing and fear into freedom. The homily closed with a charge: go into the world as bearers of peace, showing and sharing the love of Jesus in tangible, everyday ways.

📖🙏 Order of Worship Highlights:

• Prelude: “Amazing Grace” – arr. J. Curnow
• Song: “Imagine” – John Lennon
• Scripture: Ephesians 4:32; Genesis 50:20
• Homily: Lloyd Spencer • Kristin Andes • Diane Neese
• Communal Songs: “More Love to You, O Christ” | “Jesus Calls Us, o’er the Tumult” | “Song of Hope”
• Postlude: “Ubi Caritas” – Gregorian chant

“Be kind, compassionate, and forgiving to each other, in the same way God forgave you in Christ.” — Ephesians 4:32

Sometimes we need to get lost in order to be found.

God’s love seeks us out, not when we are perfect, but especially when we wander.

Fourteenth Sunday After Pentecost – Worship Service – September 14, 2025

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Gospel Lesson: Luke 15:1–10 (CEB) | Modern Lesson: Laurel C. Schneider

This Sunday, Pastor Chris preached a deeply moving sermon titled “Sometimes We Need to Get Lost.” Preaching from Luke’s parables of the lost sheep and lost coin, he challenged the idea that being “lost” should carry shame or stigma. Instead, he reminded us that wandering and questioning are part of being human—and sometimes even part of God’s design. To be lost, he said, is often the very place where transformation begins.

Pastor Chris reflected that God is never lost—we are. And yet God’s love is so fierce that it charges after us, refusing to rest until we are found. In contrast to the Pharisees’ narrow understanding of holiness, Jesus reveals a God who breaks open every boundary, goes to extraordinary lengths to seek us out, and celebrates our return with joy.

Drawing on Barbara Brown Taylor’s *Leaving Church: A Memoir of Faith*, Pastor Chris invited us to see “getting lost” as a spiritual practice—a path where questions are holy, wandering is welcome, and God meets us exactly where we are. Sometimes, he said, we only discover who we truly are when we’ve stepped outside the familiar and allowed ourselves to be reshaped by grace.

With pastoral tenderness and prophetic clarity, this sermon named the good news of God’s kin-dom: there is no shame in being lost, and no limit to God’s relentless searching. In Christ, every life has worth, every person is pursued, and every journey finds its home in God’s love.

📖🙏 Order of Worship Highlights:

• Prelude: “I Love to Tell the Story” – arr. M. Sedio
• Hymn: “Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead Us”
• Modern Lesson: Laurel C. Schneider
• Gospel Reading: Luke 15:1–10
• Sermon: “Sometimes We Need to Get Lost” – Pastor Chris
• Communal Songs: “Make Me a Channel of Your Peace” | “Just As I Am” | “Song of Hope”
• Postlude: “A Place at the Table” – arr. B. Mann

“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

In the Potter’s hands, nothing is wasted.

Even in our brokenness, God reshapes us into vessels of beauty, purpose, and love.

Thirteenth Sunday After Pentecost – Worship Service – September 7, 2025

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Hebrew Lesson: Jeremiah 18:1–11 (CEB) | Modern Lesson: Kai Cheng Thom

This Sunday, Pastor Chris preached a deeply pastoral and prophetic sermon titled “In the Potter’s Hands Nothing Is Wasted.” Drawing from Jeremiah’s visit to the potter’s house, he reminded us that clay responds when pressed—it may not turn out right the first time, but in God’s hands it can always be reshaped. No matter how brittle, rigid, or broken we become, the Potter never abandons us. Instead, it is often in our broken moments that God’s hands do their best work.

Pastor Chris challenged us to ask: Where have we grown brittle? Where do we need to soften and yield so God can re-form us? He affirmed that nothing in our lives is wasted—not our grief, not our mistakes, not our unfinished stories. Like clay, we are made in the image of God, not finished but faithful, not perfect but purposeful. Woven with Kai Cheng Thom’s testimony of community care and healing, the sermon invited us to open ourselves to being reshaped as vessels of justice, compassion, and joy.

📖🙏 Order of Worship Highlights:

• Prelude: “Let Us Break Bread Together” – arr. D. Wyrtzen
• Modern Lesson: Kai Cheng Thom
• Hebrew Scripture: Jeremiah 18:1–11
• Sermon: “In the Potter’s Hands Nothing Is Wasted” – Pastor Chris
• Communion: Mystic Supper – All Are Welcome
• Communal Songs: “As a Fire Is Meant for Burning” | “A Place at the Table” | “Have Thine Own Way, Lord”
• Postlude: “We Come to the Hungry Feast” – arr. M. Sedio

“We are not just clay—we are God’s image. Not finished, but faithful. Not perfect, but purposeful.”

Where God and neighbor meet.

In the stillness of Sabbath and the practice of justice, beloved community takes shape.

Eleventh Sunday After Pentecost – Worship Service – August 24, 2025

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Hebrew Scripture: Isaiah 58:9–14 | Modern Lesson: Archbishop Desmond Tutu

This Sunday, Pastor Chris preached a sermon titled “Where God and Neighbor Meet.” Drawing from Isaiah 58, he reminded us that true Sabbath worship is not escapism but engagement—where delight in God is inseparable from care for our neighbor. When we lift the yoke of oppression, feed the hungry, and honor each other’s dignity, our light breaks forth like the dawn.

Pastor Chris wove in the witness of Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who taught that to deny another’s worth is to wound God’s very image. Worship, then, is not confined to liturgy but lived out in acts of justice, compassion, and community. The sermon invited us to reclaim Sabbath as resistance to busyness and as a holy rhythm that re-centers us in God’s justice and joy.

📖🙏 Order of Worship Highlights:

• Prelude: “Leaning on the Everlasting Arms” – arr. J. Mansfield
• Modern Lesson: Archbishop Desmond Tutu
• Hebrew Scripture: Isaiah 58:9–14
• Sermon: “Where God and Neighbor Meet” – Pastor Chris
• Silent Meditation: Time of shared stillness with singing bowl
• Communal Songs: “Gather Us In” | “In an Age of Twisted Values” | “Jesu, Jesu, Fill Us with Your Love”
• Postlude: “Jesu, Jesu, Fill Us with Your Love” – arr. M. Sedio

“All human beings are created in the image of God—each one infused with priceless and intrinsic worth. To deny that worth to another is not merely unjust, it is blasphemous.”
— Archbishop Desmond Tutu

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

The holy is not found in more, but in enough.

In a world that glorifies accumulation, this week’s worship asked: What does it mean to live richly by God’s standards?

Eighth Sunday After Pentecost – Worship Service – August 3, 2025

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Gospel Lesson: Luke 12:13–21 (NLT) | Modern Lesson: John Pavlovitz

This Sunday, Pastor Chris invited us into a courageous conversation about money—not to shame or scold, but to reframe. Preaching from Luke 12, he reminded us that Jesus doesn’t shy away from wealth conversations. In fact, he speaks about money more than almost anything else—not to villainize it, but to show how easily it distorts our hearts and clouds our sense of hope.

The parable of the rich fool is not about savings or success, but about misplaced trust. The farmer in the story believed his abundance could shield him from mortality, uncertainty, and community responsibility. But, as Pastor Chris shared, “he was invested in everything except what truly matters.”

With deep empathy and prophetic clarity, Pastor Chris invited us to look at our own barns—what we accumulate, why we cling, and what we fear losing. Drawing on John Pavlovitz’s reminder that real life is found in how well we love, we were called to invest in the kind of wealth that endures: generosity, justice, relationships, and rest. In a culture of endless striving, this worship reaffirmed our call to live richly toward God—not in fear, but in faith.

📖🙏 Order of Worship Highlights:

• Prelude: “Give Me Jesus” – arr. M. Hayes
• Introit: “There’s a Spirit of Love in This Place”
• Modern Lesson: John Pavlovitz
• Gospel Reading: Luke 12:13–21
• Sermon: “Plenty to Live On, Nothing to Live For” – Pastor Chris
• Communion: Mystic Supper – All Are Welcome
• Communal Songs: “In an Age of Twisted Values” | “Table of Grace” | “God, Whose Giving Knows No Ending”
• Postlude: “You Satisfy the Hungry Heart”

“A life of faith isn’t measured in possessions or achievements, but in how well we love… That’s when we find what’s real. Everything else fades. But love endures.”
— John Pavlovitz

Lord, teach us to pray.

In a world of noise and striving, prayer reclaims our sacred center and reawakens our belovedness.

Seventh Sunday After Pentecost – Worship Service – July 27, 2025

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Gospel Lesson: Luke 11:1–13 | Modern Lesson from Pádraig Ó Tuama

This Sunday, Pastor Chris led us into a sacred exploration of prayer—not as performance, but as presence. Preaching on Luke 11 and drawing from the poetic theology of Pádraig Ó Tuama, his sermon “Lord, Teach Us to Pray” invited us to rediscover prayer as a posture of openness, courage, and communion with God.

In a moment of personal witness, Pastor Chris shared a touching video of his six-year-old son, Carter, who is autistic, praying aloud at the dinner table for the first time. It was a holy moment—a reminder that prayer does not have to be polished to be powerful. Whether spoken, signed, sung, or silent, **prayer in any form is an act of belovedness**.

The sermon reminded us that prayer is not about manipulation but relationship. “Shameless persistence,” as Jesus calls it, is not about pestering the Divine—it’s about trusting God enough to keep showing up as our full selves. Prayer dismantles ego, holds space for lament, and becomes an embodied act of justice when our hearts and lives speak together.

The service included a time of shared silence and interactive prayer stations—inviting us to engage with prayer through creativity, global intercession, and expressions of gratitude. In a culture of striving and spiritual perfectionism, this worship called us back to the core: we pray not to prove anything, but to stay close to the heart of God.

📖🙏 Order of Worship Highlights:

• Prelude: “I Need You Every Hour”
• Modern Lesson: Pádraig Ó Tuama’s In the Shelter
• Gospel Reading: Luke 11:1–13
• Sermon: “Lord, Teach Us to Pray” – Pastor Chris
• Silent Meditation: 3–5 minutes of shared contemplative prayer
• Prayer Stations: Gratitude • Justice • Art • Global Intercession
• Communal Songs: “Come and Find the Quiet Center” | “Seek Ye First”
• Postlude: “My Faith Looks Up to You”

“Contemplation is the soul’s rebellion against the busyness of oppression. In silence, we remember we are beloved.”
— Dr. Barbara Holmes

“What do you see?”

Inspired by Amos 8, God’s Summer Basket of Fruit invites us to see justice ripening and truth made visible in community.

Sixth Sunday After Pentecost – Worship Service – July 20, 2025

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Hebrew Scripture: Amos 8:1–12

With the prophet Amos as our guide, we entered this Sunday’s worship with a bold and ancient question: “What do you see?” Rev. Glencie Rhedrick—returning to Holy Covenant’s pulpit—brought a theologically rich, justice-centered message titled “The Time Is Ripe: Prophecy in the Age of Propaganda.”

Drawing on the imagery of Amos’s basket of summer fruit, Rev. Rhedrick called us to recognize that moments of abundance are also moments of accountability. The fruit is ripe—so is the reckoning. The systems that trample the poor and silence the prophets have been named before. And yet, God still calls for truth-telling, solidarity, and repair. In the UCC tradition, we are not only invited to discern God’s word—we are called to embody it in the public square.

Rev. Rhedrick named the danger of theological comfort zones and reminded us that the famine Amos speaks of is not a lack of food—but a lack of hearing God’s voice. Her sermon challenged us to listen with urgency and act with courage, especially when truth is inconvenient. Our worship was grounded in lament, resistance, and the deep joy of those who seek justice not just in word, but in deed.

📖🙏 Order of Worship Highlights:

• Prelude: “O For a Thousand Tongues to Tell”
• Introit: “There’s a Spirit of Love in This Place”
• Hebrew Scriptures: Psalm 52 | Amos 8:1–12
• Sermon: “The Time Is Ripe: Prophecy in the Age of Propaganda” – Rev. Glencie Rhedrick
• Postlude: “God’s Eye Is on the Sparrow”

“The time is surely coming, says the Lord God, when I will send a famine… not of bread, but of hearing the words of the Lord.”
— Amos 8:11