🌈 Universal Rainbow Faith Church🕊️ Sunday Service (Online Only) | November 2, 2025✨ Theme of the Month: Finding Gratitude in All Circumstances💜 Theme of the Week: Cultivating Gratitude & Joy

Dear Beloved Community,

Today we pause for a scheduled rest and reflection Sunday as our Founding Minister, Rev. Paula Josephine Sadler, travels out of town.There will be no live broadcast tonight, but you are warmly invited to join us for a self-guided online service right here on Facebook or at universalrainbowfaith.org.

Take this moment to breathe, pray, and reconnect with the Spirit of Gratitude that flows through all creation.Let this pause be a holy invitation to rest and to remember how far we have come together as a spiritual family.

🕯️ Today’s Theme: Cultivating Gratitude & Joy

Gratitude isn’t found in perfection or ease—it is born in awareness.Even in times of uncertainty and change, we can choose to see blessing, to give thanks for breath, for love, for truth, and for each other.Joy is what happens when we recognize the divine in ordinary life.

📖 Sacred Reading – The Nature of Miracles, pp. 354–356 (Verified 6×9 Edition)

Prayer of Gratitude“Dear God, thank you for sending me an Angel to watch over me and guide me today and to bring me specific guidance that I really need. Thank you for sending an Angel to smooth the way before me in all my affairs. I release my fears to you and to the universe, and I enter into this day with an attitude of thankfulness and with a servant’s heart and with gratefulness… Thank you for showing me that heaven is already here on earth, and for the magical experience of being alive and experiencing miracles as everyday life.”

Affirmation – Life is a Miracle“Life is a miracle. The greatest miracle of all in the human experience is to be alive and know it. Breathing is the miracle. I breathe in life, and I breathe out life. The air I breathe, God breathes. I am a miracle. Life is a miracle. I am joy-filled today and I am grateful to be a part of the human experience.”

🪶 Reflection Prompt:What does it mean to recognize your own life as a miracle today?Where do you feel the breath of gratitude moving through you?

💬 Suggested Reading & Reflection

📰 Latest URF Blogs by Rev. Paula Sadler• When Faith Is Weaponized: The Texas Supreme Court’s Dangerous Redefinition of Religious Freedom• Universal Rainbow Faith Open Letter Series on Religious Freedom

These writings invite us to see that true gratitude is not complacency but courage — the courage to protect sacred freedom, to honor divine truth, and to stand in love even when faith is tested.

🎶 Sacred Music & Creative Offerings

Explore our original songs and recordings on YouTube and TikTok, including:🎵 Violet Awakening – A song of spiritual protection & self-love🎵 Light Beyond the Veil – A song of remembrance & rebirth

🌈 Support Our Sacred Work

Your donations and memberships sustain this ministry of love and light.💖 Give or join today: universalrainbowfaith.org/donations-tithes

🌟 Closing Blessing

May this quiet Sunday fill you with peace.May you remember that rest is holy, gratitude is transformative, and joy is your birthright.Until we gather again next week, carry the light of gratitude wherever you go.

With love and rainbow light,Rev. Paula Josephine SadlerFounding Minister, Universal Rainbow Faith Church

💬 Sermon: “Gratitude, Faith, and the Weaponization of Religion”

Theme of the Week: Cultivating Gratitude & JoyTheme of the Month: Finding Gratitude in All Circumstances

Beloveds,

There comes a time when the deepest act of faith is not found in praise, but in perseverance.When faith is twisted into a weapon, and sacred freedom is redefined by fear, gratitude becomes an act of holy resistance.

In my recent blog, “When Faith Is Weaponized: The Texas Supreme Court’s Dangerous Redefinition of Religious Freedom,” I spoke about the growing distortion of faith in our nation — where some use religion to exclude, to harm, and to deny equality. The Texas ruling allowing judges to refuse to marry same-sex couples under the guise of “religious freedom” is not a protection of faith — it is an inversion of faith.

As I wrote:

“True religious freedom never denies another person’s sacred right to love, to marry, or to exist.The moment religion becomes a weapon against love, it ceases to be holy.”

This distortion isn’t new — history is full of moments when fear dressed itself in sacred robes.But love, like truth, always rises.

🌈 The Heart of True Faith

Faith, at its essence, is not control — it is trust.It is the surrender to divine love that flows through all beings without condition.When we begin to believe that God needs our laws to enforce God’s will, we have lost the very heart of what faith is.

That’s why the Open Letter Series on Religious Freedom was written — to remind our community, our leaders, and our world that religion should never be weaponized against another soul.Universal Rainbow Faith teaches that the sacred rights of gender expression, marriage, and love are divine acts of worship — not civil privileges granted by the state.

As the letter declares:

“Our faith commands us to protect the sacred diversity of creation — including LGBTQIA+ people, families, and children.Any law that strips away that protection violates not only human rights but the divine order itself.”

So, how do we respond when faced with such injustice?With gratitude.

💜 Gratitude as Divine Rebellion

Gratitude in hard times is not denial — it’s defiance.It’s the soul saying, “You cannot take my joy. You cannot silence my light.”

When we say thank you — even as systems oppress and voices are dismissed — we declare that love remains undefeated.When we choose to be grateful for our resilience, our community, and the awakening of truth, we are living the highest form of protest: peaceful, joyful, unwavering love.

Gratitude transforms the battlefield into a sanctuary.It shifts our focus from what is taken to what can never be lost — the divine truth within.

As I wrote in The Nature of Miracles:

“The greatest miracle of all is to be alive and know it. Breathing is the miracle.I am a miracle. Life is a miracle. I am joy-filled today and grateful to be part of the human experience.”

That gratitude is what heals the spirit of division — it reminds us that we are all part of one creation, breathing the same sacred air, carrying the same eternal light.

🕯️ The Practice of Remembering

When faith is used to separate, our response must be to remember.Remember who we are.Remember what we stand for.Remember that God is not the author of fear, but of freedom.

So today, as we rest and reflect, I invite you to a quiet spiritual practice:Close your eyes. Breathe deeply.Whisper the words:

“Thank you for my freedom. Thank you for my truth. Thank you for this breath, this moment, this sacred chance to love.”

Even when the world seems to crumble, love remains.Even when courts rule against justice, truth endures.Even when hatred rises, gratitude holds us steady in the storm.

🌈 The Eternal Light Within

This week, as we move from the season of ancestors and remembrance into the cycle of gratitude and renewal, let us honor all who came before us — the prophets, poets, saints, and everyday warriors who kept love alive when the world said it was impossible.

To them, and to you, we say: thank you.Thank you for standing in truth.Thank you for carrying the rainbow light through the shadows.

The Universal Rainbow Faith Church exists because of gratitude — because one woman refused to believe that love was less than holy, and because countless others have joined in that sacred affirmation.Together, we are proving that no law can erase divine identity, no prejudice can cancel purpose, and no fear can diminish joy.

So let your gratitude be your prayer.Let your joy be your resistance.Let your faith be your freedom.

💖 Closing Affirmation

“I give thanks for the truth that sets me free.I give thanks for the light that cannot be taken.I give thanks for the love that lives within all creation.My gratitude is my shield, my joy is my song, and my faith is my flame.”

Amen. 🌈

🧘‍♀️ Guided Meditation: “The Flame That Cannot Be Taken”

(Read slowly or silently as your personal practice. Light a candle or place your hand over your heart as you begin.)

Take a deep breath.Inhale peace.Exhale tension.Inhale gratitude.Exhale fear.

Let your body settle into stillness.Feel the rhythm of your heartbeat — a quiet reminder that you are alive, that you are sustained, that you are loved beyond measure.

Now imagine a gentle violet flame rising from within your heart.It is not a fire of destruction, but of remembrance.It glows softly — part gold, part amethyst — the color of healing, truth, and divine balance.

This is your eternal flame — the light that no law, no hatred, no injustice can extinguish.

As you breathe, this light expands, filling your body with warmth.It travels to your hands, your feet, your voice, your eyes.You are made of light.You are made of love.

Now imagine this flame connecting to others — souls across the world who are praying, healing, creating, and resisting with love.Together, these flames form a vast Rainbow Grid of Light, circling the Earth in sacred protection.

Whisper quietly to yourself:

“I am part of something greater.I am never alone.My faith is my freedom.”

Let your gratitude rise like incense to the heavens — a living prayer that blesses all beings.

Gratitude for those who came before.Gratitude for those awakening now.Gratitude for those yet to come, who will walk the path we prepare today.

As you rest in this awareness, place one hand on your heart and say:

“I am grateful for this breath.I am grateful for this body.I am grateful for this sacred moment.”

Stay here for a few breaths.Feel peace radiating outward — to your home, your city, the world.

When you’re ready, whisper:

“And so I let it be.”

Slowly open your eyes.Carry this light forward in quiet courage and gratitude.

🎶 The Flame That Cannot Be Taken

(2-minute version — Key of C or A minor suggested)

[Verse 1]There’s a light inside my soul, it’s burning through the night,Not made of walls or weapons, just love in sacred sight.They tried to call it wrong, they tried to turn away,But this flame was born eternal — and it still lights the way.

[Chorus]The flame that cannot be taken,The love that will not die,It burns in every heartbeat,It shines in every eye.Through storms of hate and shadow,Through fear and great divide,The flame that cannot be takenStill rises deep inside.

[Verse 2]They can twist the laws of heaven, they can write deceit in stone,But truth remains unbroken — the soul is never owned.For every child rejected, for every heart denied,The flame of grace grows brighter, and love won’t be denied.

[Chorus]The flame that cannot be taken,The love that will not die,It burns in every heartbeat,It shines in every eye.Through storms of hate and shadow,Through fear and great divide,The flame that cannot be takenStill rises deep inside.

[Bridge]So lift your hands to heaven, let gratitude be your song,We’re part of one creation — we’ve been holy all along.No power can erase us, no darkness steal our name,We are the sacred fire, and love will never fade.

[Final Chorus / Outro]The flame that cannot be taken,The light that cannot fall,We are the living miracle —The love that conquers all.Yes, the flame that cannot be takenStill rises through it all.

🌈 Universal Rainbow Faith Church – Weekly Announcements

📅 Sunday, November 2, 2025🕠 Self-Service Sunday (Online Only)💜 Theme of the Week: Cultivating Gratitude & Joy🌟 Theme of the Month: Finding Gratitude in All Circumstances🍂 Seasonal Focus: Fall – Miracles of Reflection & Healing

🕊️ Service Note

Today we are taking a scheduled rest and renewal day — a sacred pause to reflect, restore, and practice gratitude.Instead of our live livestream, you are invited to enjoy today’s Self-Service Sunday experience right here on Facebook and on our website.🌐 Explore: UniversalRainbowFaith.org

You can read the full service, sermon, meditation, song, and sacred reading online at your own pace today.🙏 Take time to light a candle, breathe deeply, and let today’s message awaken your own divine gratitude.

📖 This Week’s Blogs & Teachings

📰 By Rev. Paula Josephine Sadler

1. “When Faith Is Weaponized: The Texas Supreme Court’s Dangerous Redefinition of Religious Freedom”➤ A bold spiritual analysis of how religion is being twisted to harm LGBTQIA+ people — and how URF reclaims the sacred truth that love is never a sin.🔗 Read: universalrainbowfaith.org/post/when-faith-is-weaponized-the-texas-supreme-court-s-dangerous-redefinition-of-religious-freedom

2. “Universal Rainbow Faith Open Letter Series on Religious Freedom”➤ A heartfelt call for unity, inclusion, and the recognition of gender and love as sacred rights under divine law.🔗 Read: universalrainbowfaith.org/post/universal-rainbow-faith-open-letter-series-on-religious-freedom

📚 These teachings form the spiritual foundation for today’s sermon: “Gratitude, Faith, and the Weaponization of Religion.”

🎶 New Sacred Music Release

🎵 “The Flame That Cannot Be Taken”An original song by Rev. Paula Josephine Sadler — inspired by today’s meditation and sermon.A 2-minute song of faith, resilience, and divine gratitude — declaring that no fear, law, or hatred can extinguish the sacred light within.📺 Watch and subscribe on YouTube → Universal Rainbow Faith Church Channel💫 Listen on our Sacred Music Playlist

🕯️ Saint of the Month: Saint Gwen Araujo

Patron of Trans Youth & The Right to Be Seen📅 Remembrance Day: October 4 | 💖 Color: Pink | 🦋 Symbol: Butterfly✨ We continue to honor Saint Gwen through this season as a light of protection for trans youth and a reminder that to be seen is to be sacred.

🧡 Spiritual Focus for November

November is the month of Gratitude, Generosity, and Grace.Each week, we’ll explore what it means to live thankfully in a world that often forgets to pause.🕊️ Themes include:

• Nov 2: Cultivating Gratitude & Joy (Self-Service Sunday)

• Nov 9: Living Generously in Times of Uncertainty

• Nov 16: Sacred Service – The Gift of Giving

• Nov 23: A Feast of Thanks – URF Gratitude Celebration

• Nov 30: The Light Returns – Advent of Hope

💖 Donations & Membership

Your gifts sustain our global digital ministry, sacred music, and inclusive outreach.✨ Become a member or supporter today at:🔗 universalrainbowfaith.org/donations-tithes

“Your generosity fuels miracles. Every gift, every prayer, every share helps us bring light to a world that needs it.” 🌍

🌈 Stay Connected

Follow us and share our message of love, truth, and inclusion:📺 YouTube: Universal Rainbow Faith Church🎶 TikTok: @RainbowFaithChurch📸 Instagram: @UniversalRainbowFaith💻 Website: www.UniversalRainbowFaith.org

Thank You for Tuning In-to our self service this week, we look foward to seeing you next week!

Rev.Paula Josephine Sadler

Universal Rainbow Faith