NOVEMBER 2023
CENTENARY UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
Stewarding the Sacred
T
his year, All Saints' worship begins with Howard Helvey's stirring setting of this beautiful Isaac Watts text: Give us the wings of faith to rise within the veil, and see the saints above, how great their joys, how bright their glories be. They marked the footsteps that he trod, his zeal inspired their quest, and, following their incarnate God, possess the promised rest.
While this annual Sunday of remembrance typically trains our sight on things beyond and things other-worldly, perhaps Watts' reference to our “incarnate God” suggests that the very path to heavenly sainthood is an unflinching commitment to the presence of God in the present. How often do we miss God's presence among us? Later this month, on Stewardship Sunday, the Chancel Choir sings two anthems - Stopford's Locus iste and Parry's I Was Glad - that triumphantly call us to revel in the sacred nature of the here and now. That which the saints have grasped fully, we also can glimpse and glean. So, as we remember our dearly departed and enter the season of stewardship, how might we go about stewarding the sacred? How can we use all of our gifts to empower our brothers and sisters to enter into the beating heart of God? During this time of renewal and recommitment to the church, join me in giving thanks for the ways in which music and art become a conduit through which the sacred is known. Join me in giving thanks for the ways in which our ministry equips us with "wings of faith to rise." - Jonathan Emmons, Director of Music Ministries