God Does Not Kill Children

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The newspaper business is changing. Some people must put in extra effort to keep up with me each week.

Two weeks ago, I asked people to send me an email if they are still reading Friday’s Word.

I was encouraged by the number of responses.

If you did not respond then, I invite your response now. Let me know you are there. Thanks.

I know my preaching can sometimes shock people.

Last week, I said that God did not kill the first-born sons of the Egyptians in the time of Moses.

God does not kill children, not even the children of our enemies.

How do we know that?

Jesus told us so.

He said we are to love our enemies.

Do good to those who do bad to us.

Why?

Because that is what God does. God loves all of us.

So, simple rule of thumb: God does not kill children.

Let me push you further: Any preacher who tells you God killed the first-born of the Egyptians does not yet understand Jesus.

And—yes—I know!

Most preachers will say God killed those children.

But those preachers are ignoring Matthew 5:38-48. Jesus forbids vengeance of any kind.

Jesus begins Matthew 5:38-45 by deliberately contradicting a passage of scripture from the Old Testament.

We must let him do that.

We must let Jesus be Lord of the scriptures.

We must give him the final word.

What I am saying here is not shocking.

But this is:

Many Christians worship the Bible and ignore Jesus.

And that’s a problem.

Drop me that email.

Max’s Corner

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The Class—Discovering God

Has God ever spoken to you?

Can God speak to us?

That’s what we will be discussing in class this Sunday.

(Remember our home-thought-work for the week: What does that experience I shared with you at the end of the class tell us about God? You can make a list, if you wish. We will make one Sunday.)

Class at 9:45—followed by breakfast.

Speaking of Breakfast

This is a “Winston Sunday.” Feel free to help.

Food and fellowship at 10:30.

This Sunday

That was a barn stomper from the choir last week, wasn’t it! This week, they will sing a setting of Psalm 100. Should be lovely.

The sermon this Sunday grows out of the realization that my preaching requires people to wrestle with things they have been taught all their lives. The sermon is: The Rock We Stand On.

Let’s see how many people we can get to church this Sunday. Put everything else off.

This week—this Sunday—make worship your priority. Just do it. See what happens.

Come—as we lift the name of Jesus.

God Bless,
MB

MEETING: PPR Committee—for 30 minutes after church this Sunday to fill out forms for the Conference—required by Nov. 1.

Mary’s Corner

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I bring you peace in the name of the risen Christ,

We honored the life of Bill Parker today at the DFW National Cemetery. The setting there is breathtaking and heartbreaking at the same time. Bill received the honor and recognition he deserved for his service during the Vietnam War. And Bill would have been reluctant to receive those honors, as his humble service in all areas was a way of life for him. Service never seemed anything more than “as it should be,” to quote Bill. I do not know how we were able to experience an actual angel among us, but I do believe that we have many in our small but mighty congregation. We saw Don Horton volunteering at the cemetery. He sends his love and well-wishes to all and promises to be back in church soon. Don told me that the DFW National Cemetery sits on more than 650 acres and can be the final resting place for 283,000+ veterans and spouses. Don reports that there are currently 92,000 folks interred on those sacred grounds. If you have not seen it already, it is worth the drive.

The bulletin Sunday contained information on upcoming events, specifically Eastside Ministries events and Bill J. Elliott Elementary School events. Please check our website, saintmatthewumc.com, for details about the upcoming events. I am grateful for your support of all our ministries. These actions are our witness to our neighbors. This is how they know we are followers of Jesus—by the way we love them with our time, talent, and resources. The end of October is coming quickly, and we know that the school is having a fall festival. We have not received guidance from the school counselor about how we can participate, but we will let you know as soon as that guidance comes. I am telling you this because we may not have much notice, and I know you do not want to miss an opportunity to serve our community.

Also, the St. Matthew Women’s United group will be assembling women’s hygiene bags containing tampons, pads, and lotion. If you can, please bring any or all of these items: medium and large sizes for the feminine hygiene products and travel-size lotion. I have ordered 100 opaque, resealable bags and will have them on Sunday.

Peace in the name of the risen Christ is a peace that we cannot understand, because it is nothing like what we can provide for ourselves. God’s love for us creates this kind of peace. At the same time, we can make peace with ourselves and each other, with life and with death, but most of all, with our Creator.

My love to all,
Mary

PS: We just received word from the elementary school that they would love for us to participate in their Trunk or Treat on October 24. We have been invited to bring candy to the school and to dress up a trunk and distribute candy at the event. If you are interested in being at the school with a dressed-up trunk, let me know. Otherwise, please bring a bag of candy to church this weekend. Don’t forget!

Kids’ News: Abraham’s Journey

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We were so happy to have a wonderful group of children for Children’s Church this week! We learned about God’s promise to Abraham. God appeared to Abraham and told him to pack up his family and belongings to travel to a new land. This wasn’t Abraham’s first move, as earlier in Genesis, we learn he had attempted to journey to Canaan before but settled in Haran. Now, God was calling Abraham to finally finish his journey to Canaan—a journey that required a lot of trust.

At 75 years old, Abraham obeyed God and left his home with his wife Sarah, his nephew Lot, and all their belongings. Along the way, God promised to give the land to Abraham’s descendants. Can you imagine being 75 and gathering up all your animals and possessions to travel by foot to a new country? Abraham even built an altar to worship God along the way. We have so much more to learn, and we’re so glad you’re bringing your kids to church!