Missionary Renegade: All Soul's Day this Sunday, 1 November 2015! from Reverend Brent Ross of Normal Heights United Methodist Church in San Diego, California, United States

Tuesday, October 27, 2015

All Soul's Day this Sunday, 1 November 2015! from Reverend Brent Ross of Normal Heights United Methodist Church in San Diego, California, United States

All Soul's Day this Sunday, 1 November 2015! from Reverend Brent Ross of Normal Heights United Methodist Church in San Diego, California, United States

This Sunday is “All Souls Day"! It is a day when we remember those who have passed away and celebrate their lives and presence with us. It’s a religious service that is both a recognition of sorrow, but also a reminder of hope. A service where we announce that we do not grieve as those without hope in God, because we believe that we will be reunited again with those who have died.
And in this way, both "All Souls Day" and the Latin celebration of Dia de los Muertos have something in common. Both are religious observations that remind us that we are not separated from those who have passed, for we are together in God’s love…a love that is not restrained by life or death. Thus, on November 1st, we will mark the day as our “All Souls Sunday” with a local Dia de los Muertos aesthetic. Here is how we invite you to participate:
If there is someone you would like to remember in the service on November 1st, we are asking that you send us their photo and name. We will make a candle with their picture and have it ready on Sunday morning. Then, during communion time, as you receive communion you can come to the worship table and light their candle as recognition that we are still gathered together in the communion of God’s love for the world. You will not be asked to say anything or do anything where others will be focused on you, just come and light the candle we’ve made for your loved one during communion time. It’s a quiet liturgy of healing and hope.
So, if there is someone you’d like to have a candle prepared for, please send me their photo and full name at brent@nhunited.org by sometime tomorrow. We will do the rest and have it ready for you on that Sunday.