Throughout the month of November, we will gather for tender and meaningful moments of remembrance, thanksgiving, and hope. On Sunday, November 5, we will celebrate All Saints’ Day in worship, where we will remember and give thanks for the saints who have gone before us into the nearer presence of God. We will call out the names of the church members who have passed away in the previous twelve months, giving thanks for their place in the story of our church.
On Thursday, November 9, we will have a service for grief and hope in the Fellowship Hall, where in anticipation of the holidays, we will have a chance to honor the sadness that often times accompanies these days. These can be tender days of celebrating with loved ones, but also remember the loss of loved ones. We will lean into the comfort and hope that we find in God’s steadfast love as we also garner strength in one another.
For our annual Thanksgiving Meal as a congregation, we will gather on Thursday, November 16, enjoying the celebration of Thanksgiving and the community we share with one another! We are thankful for the family of faith and its place in our lives. We will give thanks around the table as we share with one another. We will also celebrate community together, as we express our thanksgiving to God!
All of these experiences in life, including our grief, gratitude, and hope are connected to one another. They are born out of our love for one another, which is why we find solace, strength, and hope in the love of God as we experience them. They are experiences we share with one another, so we gather with the family of faith to recognize them.
We give thanks for the shared journey and for how we can walk alongside one another, remembering that God also walks alongside us. We will celebrate and grieve, give thanks and find hope, as we gather and worship together.
-Tripp