St. Andrew's United Methodist Church - Musical Musings

GRACE and Peace to you St. Andrews Family  As we prepare for worship next week, our music traces a clear and hopeful journey—one shaped entirely by grace. We begin with “Love Divine, All Loves Excelling,” lifting our hearts toward the God whose love initiates all transformation. Renewal does not begin with our striving or effort, but with God’s grace entering our lives—healing, shaping, and calling us into deeper life. This opening hymn sets the foundation, reminding us that divine love always moves first and will carry us through every step of the journey ahead. From there, “Living Hope” draws us inward, centering our hearts on the risen Christ. Grace meets us in the present moment—right where we are, even amid doubt, weariness, or struggle. Hope begins to take root as we proclaim again that God’s power is stronger than anything that seeks to separate us from life, love, and joy. This song serves as a bridge from old ways of living into the new life God offers. Paul’s words i...

Grace and Peace St. Andrew's Family  This Sunday, our worship tells a single, grace-filled story—from beginning to end. We open with “All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name,” a hymn of praise that lifts our focus immediately to Christ. Before we speak of ourselves, our struggles, or our faith, we name who Jesus is: Savior and King. Grace begins not with what we do, but with who God is. As worship continues with “Open Our Eyes, Lord,” the tone gently shifts from proclamation to prayer. Having praised God, we now ask for open hearts and clear vision. This simple song invites us to become attentive—to the Spirit, to the Word, and to the grace already at work in our lives. The Gloria Patri , sung through the first verse of “Amazing Grace” set to a new tune, reminds us that God’s grace is both familiar and ever new. These beloved words point us to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, praising the God whose saving love has been at work long before we ever noticed it. Our scripture reading...

Greetings St. Andrew's Family This week we begin a five-week worship journey centered on Grace, and our first step into that journey echoes the promise at the heart of Norma’s sermon: “And the Lord is With Me.” Our Scripture from Genesis 39:1–6 leads us into the story of Joseph in a season of displacement and uncertainty. Though far from home and living in circumstances he did not choose, Scripture repeats a grounding truth — the Lord was with him . God’s presence does not remove challenge from Joseph’s life, but it shapes his spirit, directs his work, and allows grace to flourish even in unfamiliar places. As a worshiping community, we hear in Joseph’s story a reminder that God’s nearness is not dependent on setting, status, or comfort — God accompanies us wherever we stand. Our worship begins with the hymn “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing,” a prayer that God would tune our hearts to grace the way Joseph’s life was tuned toward trust and faithfulness. It invites us to look ba...

 As we gather on Sunday, we begin where worship always begins: with God’s call. Our service opens with Here I Am to Worship , a song that invites us to step into the light of Christ with humility and wonder. We do not come as people trying to earn God’s attention — we come as people already seen, already known, already called by name. Paul reminds the church in 1 Corinthians that we are “called to belong to Jesus Christ” and sustained by grace from the very beginning. Our opening song shapes our posture for worship, not as performers on a platform, but as a community choosing to stand in God’s light and offer ourselves fully to the One who calls us into communion and purpose. At the heart of our worship, the journey deepens. We Three Kings places us within the Epiphany story, following the light that leads us to Christ — sometimes slowly, sometimes with questions, but always with trust. The choir anthem, Walk in the Light by André Thomas, gives voice to this calling in a way tha...

Hello Friends  This week, our worship unfolds like a story—one we do not just hear, but enter. We begin by stepping away from the noise of everyday life and quietly approaching the manger through “Away in a Manger.” Picture yourself pausing at the stable door, breathing in the stillness, and letting your heart rest in the gentle simplicity of that holy night. Hope is small here. Love is wrapped in swaddling clothes. And in that tenderness, God meets us exactly where we are. As the story deepens, “Infant Holy, Infant Lowly” draws us further into the mystery. We are no longer observers; we are present. Each phrase reminds us that God chose humility, choosing to come not with power and spectacle, but with vulnerability and grace. Matthew 1:18–23 becomes the voiceover of this sacred scene, declaring that this child is Emmanuel—God who refuses to stay distant, God who comes near. The sermon, “God With Us,” invites us to carry this truth beyond the sanctuary, learning to recognize Go...

Friends As we step deeper into the Advent season, I’ve been sitting with this week’s Scripture from Luke 2:8–18. It’s easy to forget that the first people to hear the good news of Christ’s birth were not priests or scholars or well-prepared worship leaders. They were shepherds—ordinary workers just trying to stay awake in the cold night air. Nothing about their evening suggested divine interruption. And yet God chose them . God broke into their routine with glory, with song, and with a call: Go. Move. See for yourselves. And the shepherds went. They didn’t analyze it, overthink it, or look for a better time. They simply responded. Something about that has been speaking to me this week. Music itself is movement. Breath becomes motion. Sound becomes journey. Harmony becomes invitation. And every time we gather—choir, congregation, musicians, pastors—we step once again into that holy movement toward the presence of God. Our music on Sunday reflects that journey. We begin with Angels We ...