Roy’s Ramblings

This Sunday is All Saints Sunday and it has been an honor for me for many years. Some are much easier and some are much harder. Let me explain … I had one year that we had no members die – no candles to light – no names to read. And so, we turned the service into a life remembrance / celebration (laughing, up beat music, and fun decorations) and when folks came up for communion they lit a candle to remember their loved ones and to remember the joys they brought.

One year, we lit 14 candles remembering 14 beautiful saints that had gone to glory. I had been at that church for four years at that point and I knew all of them very well – I grieved for days. And the hardest year was four years ago when we lit a candle for Lauren’s Mom. (She was more like a mother to me than my own mother) Lauren, Kaleb and I lit a candle in her honor/memory together as a family in a small holy huddle … and cried.

This Sunday, November 3rd, we will celebrate All Saints’ Day in worship, as we remember those who have blessed us, our community and our world. As part of the worship service, we will share the names and light a candle of remembrance for each member of our congregation who has died in the past year. Then, during our remembrance of Holy Communion we will invite all present to remember other loved ones by lighting candles honoring and celebrating their lives, and the gifts of their spirit that live on through us.
If you have been part of the Nashville UMC community for a long time, a short time, or will be joining us for the first time, we look forward to connecting with those of you here in-person or joining on the livestream.

Bless You all – Pastor Roy