Rector's Reflection: RR A Song of Hope in a Weary Throat, November 16, 2024

Beloved Members of St. Martin’s

This weekend our readings will begin with the story of Hannah, the mother of Samuel, one of the great prophets of Israel. Hannah underwent years of barrenness, and finally in her despair prayer to God or an answer. God grants her request, and she declares that she will dedicate him to god’s service. Simply being a mother is enough.

Hannah’s story reminds us that God has the power to transform lives in ways beyond our knowing, for God is utterly free to act as God wills—and God often acts through those who would otherwise be the least likely suspects—not the mighty, or the powerful, or the comfortable, but the humble, the defenseless, those who have experienced heartbreak and even loss, those who seemingly had nothing but hope and faith to power them through.

Having faith when times are easy is… easy. Having faith to know that God accompanies and empowers us in times of trouble is more difficult, but when that faith is most needed.

Our God is calling to us now. The time for use to witness that God is a God of love, of compassion, and mercy, is now.

In Christ,

Leslie+

Join us for Worship at 10:30 am on Sunday, November 17th

Live by faith, grow in grace, and walk in love with St. Martin's this coming Sunday as we come together, in person as well as online, for worship, thanksgiving, and praise. Wherever you are on your journey of faith, allow us to walk alongside you.

Woman Praying, Julio Romero de Torres, 1915

To download a bulletin for the Sunday Holy Eucharist at 10:30 am, please click here:

26P Penticost 17 Nov 2024 LS

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Music Notes from Denise, November 16, 2024

This Sunday we will read about Hannah and the blessing she received from God when she bore a son and named him Samuel “I have asked him of the Lord.” She then sings a hymn of praise that we will read from 1 Samuel 2:1-10 that reminds us of the song that Mary sings in the New Testament after receiving God’s message from the angel Gabriel. Our readings will give us hope and remind us of how God supports and protects us when we seek God’s presence in our lives.

Our Processional hymn will be O God, our help in ages past written by Isaac Watts in 1714, shortly before the death of Queen Anne of England (and thus the tune is titled St. Anne). In Isaiah 41, we find: “I took you from the ends of the earth, from its farthest corners I called you. I said, ‘You are my servant’; I have chosen you and have not rejected you. So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” No matter our situation, no matter our struggles and fears, no matter doubts, we are told to have courage, for the Lord is our God. And as Isaac Watts writes so powerfully in this hymn, our God is everlasting, and will be our help through all of our years. The first verse gives us every assurance we need: God is our help, our hope, and our home. This does not blithely dismiss our fears and troubles. They are, and always will be, very real. But it does assure us that even if we cannot feel the immediate comfort, or even when all we can do is lament, we have a God that withstands the storms of the life and the tests of time, and who protects us and hears our cries. (hymnary.org)

Our Sequence hymn, For all the faithful women, is a new one that was written by Rev. Dr. Herman G. Stuempfle (1923-2007) in 1993. It was written to honor several women from the Bible in both the Old and New Testaments: Miriam, Ruth, Mary Mother of Jesus, Martha and Mary, the Woman at the well, Mary Magdalene, Dorcas, Eunice and Lois, but the woman that we will sing about is Hannah. The verse that we will insert as stanza 2 reads: To Hannah, praying childless before the throne of grace, you gave a son and called him to serve before your face. Grant us her perseverance; Lord, teach us how to pray and trust in your deliverance when darkness hides our way. (1993 GIA Publications)

Our Offertory will be a familiar song from the 1960’s: What the World Needs Now is Love written by Hal David and Burt Bacharach. This is an arrangement for choir by Seth Rudetsky and Cameron Moncur that was written for a chorus of Broadway celebrities in response to the June 12, 2016 Orlando shooting massacre, the worst in U.S. history. The recording was created to honor the victims and those wounded at Pulse nightclub and aid the surrounding community. Our St. Martin’s choir will sing a version of it and invite the congregation to join us at the end of the song. (2016 halleonard.com)

We will have a guest soloist with us for both the Offertory and to sing several songs during communion. Nadia Maddex is a Lindenwood University graduate with a B.A. degree in Vocal Music Education and a minor in Musical Theatre. She is currently the Director of 7-12 grade Vocal Music at Maplewood Richmond Heights school district and the Music Director at Eliot Unitarian Chapel. Outside of teaching, Nadia is an active musician in the area, with many musicals and performances under her belt; including recently singing the Star Spangled Banner for St. Louis City SC. Her biggest performance involvement at present is with the St. Louis Symphony IN UNISON program. Currently, she represents the chorus as a soprano Young Artist but has worked there in many capacities as a scholar, fellow and soloist. We welcome her presence and look forward to having her share her talents with us this Sunday!

Our final hymn will be Soon and Very Soon, written by Andrae Crouch (1942-2015). It illustrates our hope and expectation of Christ’s return, and the need for us to be open and ready. Crouch grew up in the church with both parents as pastors. He began playing music in their church at the age of 11 and wrote his first gospel song at 14. Since then he has won nine Grammies and numerous other awards. After his parents died, with his twin sister Sandra Crouch he took over the pastorate at the New Christ Memorial Church of God in Christ in Pacoima, California until his death. (Hymnary.org) We will end our service with the hope-filled singing of  “Alleluia, Alleluia, we’re going to see the King!”