St. Andrew's United Methodist Church - Musical Musings

Greetings Friends As we continue in our stewardship series, this service invites us to see stewardship as more than a financial commitment. It is a response to God’s goodness and an expression of where our hearts truly belong. Through scripture, song, and the message, we move from gratitude for what God has given us to reflecting on what we treasure, how we give, and how our giving draws us closer to God. Each musical selection builds on that journey, reminding us that stewardship is not simply about what we put in the offering plate, but how we offer our whole lives in faith. As Music Tom takes some time away, we are grateful to Martha and Anne for sharing their gifts and helping lead worship. The service begins with For the Beauty of the Earth , a song of gratitude for the many ways God’s goodness is made known in creation and in our lives. That spirit of thanksgiving leads naturally into Seek Ye First , reminding us that amid all the blessings we receive and the choices we make, our...

Greetings St. Andrew's Family This Sunday, the Revs. Deborah and Geoffrey Hemenway will preach from Luke 15, the familiar story of a father and his two sons. At the heart of the story is something that can be surprisingly difficult for us to understand and even harder to receive; grace. Both sons struggle with the idea that their place beside their father is grounded in love rather than in what they have done. The younger son believes he has wandered too far and must earn his way home. The older son believes his faithfulness has earned him something more. Yet the father moves toward both of them. He does not keep score. He does not calculate their worth. He simply loves them. Our music will help us tell that story. We begin with “It Is Well with My Soul,” inviting us to let go of the need to have everything figured out or to prove ourselves worthy. Before we can receive grace, we have to make room for it. The peace we sing about is not the reward for getting everything right. It i...

Church Family, This Sunday is World Communion Sunday, and here at St. Andrew’s, we are going to experience the communion table in a way that reaches far beyond our own sanctuary. We will travel around the world in song. But before we travel, our young people will ask us a simple and beautiful question: What is Communion to you? Perhaps communion is remembrance. Perhaps it is forgiveness. Perhaps it is a place of welcome, healing, or belonging. Perhaps communion reminds you that you are never alone. Whatever our answer, the table has room for all of them. Our worship begins with “Siyahamba,” a South African freedom song whose title means “We are marching/walking.” As we sing, we begin our journey together. We are not simply individuals arriving at the table. We are a people moving together. Then we hear “Wade in the Water,” an African American spiritual deeply rooted in the experience of enslaved people and the biblical imagery of water, deliverance, and liberation. The song reminds u...

Church Family  This week, our worship invites us to recognize that stewardship is not simply about what we give; it is about how we live with what God has entrusted to us. We begin with Praise to the Lord, the Almighty , singing verses 1, 3, and 4. We praise God as the source of creation and salvation, the God whose goodness sustains us and whose grace equips us for the work before us. Everything we have begins as a gift from God, and gratitude is the first response of a faithful steward. From gratitude, we move toward formation with Jesu, Jesu, Fill Us with Your Love , singing verses 2, 3, and 5. The hymn expands our understanding of neighbor, reminding us that our neighbors are rich and poor, near and far, and that every person is someone we are called to love and serve. Christ does not simply ask us to feel compassion; Christ forms us into people whose love becomes action. We are shaped by God's love so that our lives, our choices, and our resources can become expressions of tha...

Greetings St. Andrew's Family  This week, our worship continues the stewardship journey by beginning with surrender. Take Up Your Cross calls us to release our desire to live solely for ourselves and place our lives in the hands of Christ. Stewardship begins here—not with what we give, but with recognizing that our whole lives belong to God. From surrender, we recenter our desires. The Heart of Worship reminds us that worship is not ultimately about what we receive, accomplish, or possess. It is about returning our attention to God and allowing God to become the center of our lives. When our hearts are centered on God, our understanding of what we have and what we are called to do with it begins to change. James 3:11 then asks us to consider what flows from us. If our lives are being shaped by Christ, what should others experience through our words, choices, relationships, and resources? In Our Homes, Lord Be Glorified takes that question beyond Sunday morning and into the place...

Church Family This week, our worship lets the music tell the story of stewardship. We also welcome back some of our contemporary musicians as we offer our music in praise to God. Please join us in welcoming Thomas Pool and the Tita Boys as they share their gifts with us in worship! We begin with For the Beauty of the Earth , quietly noticing the gifts that already surround us. Creation, love, community, the Church, and finally Christ, the “best Gift Divine.” Stewardship begins here: not with what we are asked to give, but with recognizing what we have already received. From there, the music begins to move. Build My Life turns our attention from the gifts we receive to the life we are building in response. In My Life, Lord makes that response personal. If we are made in the image of a generous God, then God's generosity should become visible in the way we live, serve, love, and give of ourselves. Then we arrive at Goodness of God . What began as quiet gratitude has become testimon...