Monthly Archives: April 2024
2419 – The Hitching Post Mentality
Friday’s Word
Jesus Got God Right
We can know God.
Millions of people have actually met God.
They have encountered God in experience.
Consider this from Bill Wilson, founder of AA. In a moment of desperation, he cried out to God to show himself:
Suddenly the room was filled with a bright white light. I felt an ecstasy beyond words. All about me and through me was a wonderful presence. I thought, so this is the God preachers talk about.
Here God answered a prayer both obviously and immediately.
I’ve had this happen to me a couple of times.
Every encounter with God gives us information about God. Every mystical event, every NDE, tells us something about God’s nature.
So, I began to wonder:
What kind of God would we come up with if we looked only at information from experiences?
I began work on my book, Discovering God. (Not yet published.)
I would set the Bible aside, set aside my own theology, and be entirely open to the God we meet in experience.
My book examines over 100 profound stories of personal encounters with God.
And what kind of God did I discover? A God of infinite love—the God we know in Christ. I even ended up at the Cross and the Resurrection.
I did not discover the rough and vindictive God of Revelation and some Old Testament passages.
That God does not exist.
In experience, we meet the God revealed in The Sermon on the Mount.
Experience tells us Jesus got God exactly right.
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Sunday, May 5, is Special Giving Day at St. Matthew. I invite your gift.
Max’s Corner
Eastside Ministries 40th
It’s at the Botanical Gardens this Friday.
It starts at 6:30. Ticket price is $75 per plate. That’s because this is a fundraiser for the poor on the Eastside of Fort Worth. Raising money is what it is about. But the buffet will be good.
I am the event MC. Blake and Shannon will sing.
You can still get tickets. Just call Bill Parker: 817-296-0065.
Breakfast this Sunday
“Let’s Bring It” Sunday worked well for breakfast. The third Sunday (this Sunday) is a Winston week. Breakfast begins at 10:30.
Sunday’s Sermon
My sermon for Sunday is not the one I announced last week. The new title: Believe It or Not.
Our choir will sing: Jesus Never Failed Me Yet.
Help! Please
We have a temporary problem. But it won’t be a problem if enough people give a special gift on Sunday, May 5. (Or give it earlier—writing “Special gift” on your offering.)
We did not sufficiently prepare for this lag in our finances. I plan for us to do better next year. And we do need to increase our monthly income to avoid this happening again, but this will come with time.
By the way, your giving is entirely private. Only our Treasurer ever sees your gifts. There is never any pressure in giving.
This is God’s business we are in.
“Relax—and trust.”
God always sees us through.
Our love to our members who are ill.
You are in our prayers.
May the Lord hold you in his care.
God bless—MB
By the way—are you aware that in two years—2026—we will celebrate the 130th Anniversary of this congregation? We began life in 1896 in a Victorian clapboard church on Bessie Street. And the best is yet to come.
Mary’s Corner
Greetings to you in the name of the risen Christ,
I am grateful that our choir will be back this Sunday. We are singing a song, He Never Failed Me Yet. It is a beautiful song, in spite of the fact that God is identified as “HE.” I am looking forward to our spring choir events. I am also grateful to announce that our church concerts are starting back this spring. Max is arranging the first two concerts. In June, we will be blessed with performances by Cassandra Kirby and Nicholas Garza, professional musicians from the DFW area, and good friends of Blake. I will have more details as we get closer but the concert is on June 8th at 7 pm. This will be an event you do not want to miss and one that you will want to bring all your friends to enjoy.
On a serious note, I am requesting a committed and concerted prayer response from the members of our church for Julie and Tracy, Mac and Faith, and Doug and Sue. Also, our sister Suzanne is home but still battling leg issues. The prayer list is kept a private part of our website. If you have questions or concerns about our prayer list, please contact me at mary.teague@saintmatthewumc.com.
Blessings and love to all of you! Mary