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Preaching: Rev. Dr. Stephen M. Fearing

Text: Ephesians 1:11-23

The question keeps returning in whispered prayers and hallway check-ins: where do we find hope when grief is heavy and the world feels unsteady. We take that question to Ephesians 1 and to the tradition of All Saints, where names are spoken, bells ring, and the church stands together at the crossroads of lament and resurrection. Rather than polishing pain, we name its complexity—how sorrow can walk with numbness, how love can sit beside anger—and we explore what it means to place our hope on Christ, not merely in Christ, as a living foundation that does not sink when life does.

We reflect on the echoes between modern stories of loss, like the song Requiem from Dear Evan Hansen, and the ancient cadence of the church’s prayers. That contrast helps us see how requiems are more than sad songs; they are acts of surrender, entrusting those we love to a larger story. Paul’s words lead us to the heart of that story: the power of God at work in Christ, raising him from the dead and setting him above every rule, authority, and name. From there we talk plainly about false hopes—money, status, personalities, and politics—and why they cannot carry the weight of our longing. The resurrection can, and does.

Out of that foundation comes courage: to preach life where violence is loud, to feed neighbors where scarcity speaks, to sing when the words catch in our throats. We honor ten saints by name and hold space for every untold name our listeners carry. Together we remember that eternal rest is promised and that our loyalty to Christ frees us for love that lasts. If this conversation meets you in the ache and invites you to stand on steadier ground, share it with someone who needs that ground too, subscribe for more thoughtful theology and practice, and leave a review with the moment that gave you courage.

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