Hello St. Lukers!
I was under the weather this past Sunday and missed it in person, but I have heard from so many of you about how powerful Traditional worship was this week as our Sanctuary Choir, orchestra, and soloist Brandon Sangster inspired with a dynamic arrangement of “How Great Thou Art.” It’s a favorite for so many of us, isn’t it?
There’s something about music that draws us deeper into our faith, and into our own stories. It can be any kind of music, really – so often it’s the Broadway show tunes that shine a light for us at St. Luke’s, or maybe for you it’s the deep gospel roots we hear in Contemporary worship so often. For many of us, it’s hymns that remind us of the people and places that nurtured our faith early on.
There are certain songs that seem to live in our souls, don’t they? Songs that when we hear them stir something up inside of us that goes beyond the words or the melodies, and invite us into something bigger than ourselves.
This weekend, we are privileged to be partnering with Encore Performing Arts to celebrate some of the hymns that draw us deeper into God’s story at our HymnSong concert (tickets still available – click here!). A choir of 100, an orchestra of 55, and the incredible acoustics in our Sanctuary are coming together for a musical experience that you are going to want to be there for. If you were present Sunday or saw the replay on Facebook, you got a pretty good taste of what is to come, and so much more!
I don’t know about you, but for me, when I have one of those over-the-top experiences in music, it reminds me of just how big God is. How God’s Kingdom is so much more expansive than my own experience, and it makes me want to be a part of it. To go beyond my small experience and join in with this divine purpose.
This week in worship, we’re going to be celebrating this year’s Estimate of Giving campaign. While the idea of a “pledge” can seem very business-focused, I always take time during this season to look broadly at what God has been able to do because a group of us that we call St. Luke’s UMC has committed to be a community, to share our resources, and to listen for God’s call together. You may have seen this handout we shared in worship a few weeks ago that shows what that looked like, just in 2023.
I hope you, too, are sitting in awe of all that God can do when we all commit together, not just with our time and talents, but also in sharing our resources to ensure that God’s vision can come to life through us at St. Luke’s.
If you haven’t yet shared your Estimate of Giving, you can do that here, or you can share it in worship on Sunday. Join in the 24 & More vision God has given us so that we can keep sharing stories of how God is doing more than we could ask or imagine together!
Blessings,
Pastor Melissa