To All That Will Be
Table Talk
Setting the Table
You are welcome here. Come just as you are, bringing whatever is on your heart today. Take a few moments and allow yourself to just be. Take a couple deep breaths, grab yourself a cup of coffee, light a candle, do something that brings you comfort. Allow yourself to be present in this moment.
Remember those who have contributed love and goodness to your life’s journey.
For those who walked with us,
this is a prayer.
For those who have gone ahead,
this is a blessing.
For those who touched and tended us,
who lingered with us while they lived,
this is a thanksgiving.
For those who journey still with us
in the shadows of awareness,
in the crevices of memory,
in the landscape of our dreams,
this is a benediction.
- Jan Richardson
Hebrews 11:1-3
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Indeed, by faith our ancestors received approval. By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was made from things that are not visible.
Food for Thought
There is an inlet at the end of the beach where I grew up. The largest seashell I ever found was on a swim across it, when I uncharacteristically reached down under the deep waters to pick up the mysterious thing I felt brush against my foot. Most times when I visit the inlet, however, I don’t swim across. I just make my way to the edge of the water, or wade in at low tide to watch the waters move back and forth between the vast ocean and the intracoastal waterway. It is a good place to find shells, and to reflect and remember.
I ponder how each shell came to be there. How old are they? How many waves have washed over them, or at what point did they break into pieces before being washed ashore? How did all of their scars form? What is each shell’s story? When will they become sand, or be washed out toward the sea again, or into the channel by the same waters that have been shaping that area for thousands of years?
Every time I visit, I remember the walks to that point I have taken over the years, and those who have gone with me. I reflect back over the walk of my life, and those who have accompanied me on that journey. The inlet is a great place to reflect on those things: the ebb and flow of the tide moves the ancient sea and earth, just as we are carried through life by the ebb and flow of time — shaped by all that has come before, and intricately bound to all that will be.
This time of year brings around similar rituals of remembering those who have shaped us — those who have worn the path down before us, and created space for us along our journey. It is a time of honoring the deep connections we all have to one another, and the love that has been passed down from generation to generation.
In the Christian tradition, there are canonized saints remembered throughout the year who are honored for their faithful witness, courage, and prominence in the legacy of the faith. There are other saints, too, whose days of remembrance are not set by any particular calendar — the grandparents, parents, caregivers, teachers, and activists for justice that have departed from this earth — those who have shown us what it is to live better — to live more tenderly, more compassionately, in this world.
There are also the ones we remember who have died sometime in the past year, gone on to be with God in a new and beautiful way. And as we remember them, we acknowledge that we are also a part of that number moving through time, with opportunity to shape, and form, and bless, and love.
It is a sacred act, the remembering. The bringing to mind and heart of those who have blessed us. It is a sacred act of reconnecting with all that has made us who we are, and for recommitting ourselves to the task of living blessing into the world for those who are yet to be. In this sacred season of honoring the memories and legacies of our faith and lives, allow yourself to be transformed, honor the scars and broken places that have made you who you are, and allow to wash over you the awareness that love and blessing are not bound by time or space, but are eternally at work in the ebb and flow of all that is and has ever been, finding their way to me, to you, to all that will be.
Light a candle as you remember a loved one or significant person in your life who has died. Name three things you are grateful for that they offered in their living. Name three ways you can honor their memory in your own living.
Our hope is that this Table Talk series inspires you to take small steps toward inviting others into deeper community with you. This printable version of today's reflection, “To All That Will Be”, is for you to use in whatever way is helpful for you in your journey!
Blessing
God of many names, whose love is known throughout all generations, we give thanks for those who have shaped us into being, who have offered love and encouragement for our journey, who have inspired us to live goodness into the world. May we be ever-blessed by their memories, and may they be held in your love and light forevermore. Amen.
A little Table Talk for your table...
Who is one person you remember fondly? What makes that person special to your memory? Share about their significance with others.
What is one way you hope to be remembered?
Do you have a place or time of the year when you intentionally remember loved ones who have passed away? What rituals, or practices accompany your remembering?
Try taking it to the Kids Table...
Ask your kids what it means to remember. What is the earliest memory they have?
Ask your kiddos to name one person they are grateful for — they can be living, or someone who has gone on to be with God in a new way.
Talk with your children about the ways we can carry people in our hearts. Even when they are far away, we can remember them and keep them with us.
Meet Our Welcoming Voice!
Rev. Daryn Stylianopoulos is originally from North Carolina, but has called Boston, MA home for nearly twenty years. She is a graduate of Wake Forest University and Boston University School of Theology and serves as a Baptist pastor in the Boston area. Daryn is an advocate for the marginalized and works against injustices in her community. She believes in creatively cultivating a spirit of cohesion, welcome, and healing in the world. A lover of art, music, gardening, and, most of all, family, she often looks to these for inspiration in her work and ministry.
To hear more from Daryn throughout the week, follow along on our Instagram!
Here are Five Things to Remember When Setting Your Own Welcome Table!