Remembrance and Reflection

As we draw closer to the end of the year and the days grow shorter, November invites us into remembrance and reflection. We honor the saints and all souls who have gone before us, and we sense how deeply our lives are woven together across time and space.

What will God think if we don’t all arrive together?

The question, “What will God think if we don’t all arrive together?” lingers like a holy echo in this season. It reminds us that our journey toward God is not meant to be solitary. The divine dream has always been one of communion — of a people, a community, not just a single person. God’s heart is not satisfied with a few arriving while others are left behind, unseen, unheard, or unloved.

Though we experience more hours without daylight in November, we see more clearly how interdependent we are. The call is not to race ahead, but to walk together — to reach back for those who stumble, to pause for those who grieve, to make space for those whose paths look different from ours. Even as we rejoice and give thanks, we must find ways to act on behalf of the many who are being left out and left behind.

I like to think heaven’s gates are not closed until all have entered. Perhaps God waits patiently, lovingly, until the last and least are welcomed home. As November leaves fall and earth prepares for rest, may we remember that building the kingdom of God is a shared journey. We walk together so that when we arrive, we arrive as one — all God’s beloved, together in peace and with great joy. If we hope for such a heaven, we must live this way now.

What will God think if we don’t arrive together? We look forward to welcoming you to Sophia where we celebrate being together in God’s love for now and all time.