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On the first Sunday of November we will be celebrating All Saints Sunday. Traditionally, as part of our worship we read the names of JCPC members who have died during the calendar year and following each name spoken, a bell rings out and resonates in our souls. We remember.
Remembering is fundamental to our being. As much as we are told to stay in the present or move forward into the future our very being is rooted in remembrance. Such is our faith. Wayne Oates states that first and foremost Christian faith is about remembering the past. We remember what God has done!
The bell rung during All Saints Sunday reverberates in our hearts to recall the loved one whom we remember and miss. It rings a mixture of both knowing and missing; of presence and absence. In our hope and our grief there is a strong bond with the departed and All Saints Sunday reminds us of that sacred bond. As one author states, "the Christian celebration of All Saints Day and All Souls Day stems from a belief that there is a powerful spiritual bond between those in heaven and those the living. This bond and its remembrance bring both joy and grief.
If you have lost a loved one or know someone who has I want to invite you to Safe Harbor following the 11:00 a.m. worship service on November 3 from 12:30-2:00 p.m. in the small dining room. As we approach the holidays it is important to remember that our grief gets activated when we remember holidays past.
Stephen Minister, Angie Ferrell recently told how her grief was triggered at the holidays. Angie had lost her mother and as she and her daughter were planning the family meal Angie's daughter asked, "But Mom, who will make the dressing?" Out of the blue her grief washed over her.
Perhaps you've experienced some of these out of the blue moments which can leave you feeling blue. Safe Harbor is a gathering of others who share in similar experiences.
If you would like to attend email me at nealk@jcpcusa.org or call me at 678-467-4909.
Click here for more information.
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