Friday’s Word

John Stoehr of Yale says that most evangelical preachers pay almost no attention to the Sermon on the Mount.

And many Christians don’t agree with the core of it.

Stoehr must be a smart guy. I’ve been saying the same thing for years.

I’ll talk about that next week. This week, I must talk about the concert at St. Matthew Saturday night.

Six o’clock. Dinner after.

Our concerts help support Friday’s Word and other aspects of our outreach.

They are important.

They are also free.

But we do pass that plate.

And we have a great time. (I promise.)

This concert is called Hymns and Sounds Like.

There are three hymns, but the other eight songs are the “sounds like”—pop songs that could be hymns with a couple of word changes.

Like, say, You’ve got a Friend. It has always reminded me of Jesus’ words on prayer.

And our great soloist, Shannon Davidson, will sing Dolly Parton’s I Will Always Love You. Dolly wrote it for someone who was very mad at her.

What about You Raise Me Up? I know—it’s a love song. But I think of Jesus every time.

Throw in a few great old hymns and we end up with a very spiritual and very uplifting evening.

I will sing, too. And tell a story. Four singers, all together.

These monthly concerts take a lot of work. I expect good attendance.

Don’t disappoint me.

Don’t make me have to call you or knock on your door. Just come and enjoy.

That’s Saturday, Aug. 19.

At 6:00.

Plan to stay and eat.

(Not live-streamed.)

Max’s Corner

Read Friday’s Word

It’s all about the concert.

That’s all we are pushing this week.

We have to bring the food.

I hope we have a lot of people from beyond the church. But we very much need our people from the church.

After this one, our monthly concerts will always be on the second Saturday.

And we will always need good support from our members. So, if you are able, just make Second Saturday Night a part of your monthly schedule.

Here’s something else important.

We will always have a joyful and uplifting time at these concerts. And they are very important to our church as both a fundraiser and as part of our evangelical outreach. They give people a touch-point for engaging with the church.

We—and we alone—can make sure that any guests that show up see a church comfortably filled.

Let’s give it our best.

And bring something for the dinner if you can.

If you can’t—don’t let that keep you home.

See you Saturday.

And Sunday. (Mary’s preaching.)

GOD BLESS—-MB

Mary’s Corner

Greetings St. Matthew,

I am still basking in the joy and comfort I felt at the end of the service yesterday. It is so very good to be loved by God and to share that love with all of you. Blake’s song was very meaningful to me as well, on top of his beautiful delivery of the music. We are blessed to hear great singing and great preaching. While reading my email this morning, I learned a few things about the ordination process. I wish I could tell you that what I learned was good news; instead, it is rather frustrating to me. My upcoming interview is a second interview with the District Committee on Ministry. These interviews are annual interviews and this one is to procure a recommendation for commissioning. If that happens, I will then have three more interviews (over the next 3 years) with the Board of Ordained Ministry. So close, and yet still so far. I am begging God for patience today. And for the power to trust the timing and the process. I am so very grateful that you allow me to fulfill my calling now. You and I are not waiting for permission or acknowledgement from anyone before living the gospel in our neighborhood. This gives me strength and the willingness to persevere.

To the women of St. Matthew (and any other women), please join us on September 21st at 11:30 am as we renew our bi-monthly women’s lunches. Please RSVP to Veta McCullough by call or text: 8179941619 or by email: vetamc@att.net or vetamc@outlook.com. We had a glorious time at these events in the past and I hope many of you can attend. Please also let Veta know if you have any requests for programming as she and Peggy Decker are going to work to create some meaningful and enjoyable activities for the meetings.

Finally, I will be preaching this weekend and I need your prayers this week as I prepare.

My love to you all, Mary

Kids’ News

It was obvious last Sunday that our kids were taking advantage of the last weekend before school starts. I certainly missed them!

Since this Saturday is Miss Vickie’s birthday, I picked up Bundt cakes to celebrate. We had a cake for Miss Vickie and baby Bundt cakes for each of the kids! Bridget was even there to help with any little children we might have. We had our lesson ready about the Passover.

The Passover is a Jewish holiday that honors the exodus of God’s people from Egypt. The most central part of the Passover is the seder meal. One prominent part of this meal is the unleavened bread. This bread is used to represent both the sadness and the hastiness in which the Israelites left Egypt. There was no time to allow the bread to rise.

The festival of Passover is one of great joy. People come together to remember God’s protection and God’s mercy for His people. When we celebrate Passover, we can celebrate all that God has done for us and trust in His promises.

Bring Mom and Dad to church this Saturday evening so we can celebrate the wonderful music our church has to offer! See you there!

Blessings