Saint Matthew United Methodist Church

Year: 2024

  • Kids’ News

    Sue Kelcey
    Categories:

    This week we discussed Zacchaeus. Vickie and I started the lesson by singing the song we learned when we were young, maybe you remember …

    Zaccheus was a wee, little man,
    And a wee, little man was he.
    He climbed up in a sycamore tree,
    For the Lord he wanted to see.

    And as the Savior came that way,
    He looked up in the tree,

    And he said,”Zaccheus, you come down from there,”

    For I’m going to your house today.
    For I’m going to your house today.

    … I will spare you the rest, but we sang as much as we remembered! The kids must have thought we lost our minds, but they listened quietly, and I know they will remember this lesson!

    Zacchaeus was a tax collector; they were not liked because they would collect more money than the Roman government asked for and put the balance in their pocket. Zacchaeus was a chief tax collector, which meant that he was one of the best and probably very rich.

    Jesus was passing through Jericho, and because he was so short, Zacchaeus climbed up a tree so he could see Jesus. Jesus saw him in the tree and told him to come down because he was going to his house today.

    Why did Jesus choose to go to the home of a sinner to have a meal? Zacchaeus wanted to change his ways and asked to be forgiven.

    How do you handle someone who has done you wrong and asked to be forgiven? Do you believe in second chances? With the help and guidance of Jesus, we can all learn that there is opportunity for second chances.

    We all moved outside for our project. We made bird feeders out of pine cones. We found that birds love peanut butter with their seeds. It was a beautiful day and sitting at the picnic table and enjoying the sunshine made for a perfect day.

    See you in church…

  • Saint Matthew Today for February 28, 2024

    Jason Hardy
    Categories:
    2024-02-28-St-Matthew-TodayDownload

  • Update on the Choir Shoes

    Mary Teague
    Categories:

    I am so grateful to the 16 people who promised to sponsor at least one pair of shoes for the Western Hills choir. We so far have received enough pledges to buy 35 pairs of shoes. What we can do now is get the 30 pairs plus buy new socks plus have a little bit left over for the expenses of the choir concert and the travel and the meals. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Your generosity overwhelms me. We are so blessed to live in this community of believers at this time in our lives. My love to you all Mary.

  • 2409 – Does God Meddle?

    Jason Hardy
    Categories:
    YouTube player

    Watch the full service on our YouTube channel by clicking here.

    https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/saintmatthewumc/episodes/Episode-2409—Does-God-Meddle-e2gcbag
    Register your attendance

    Acts 12:6-12 New International Version

    6 The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries stood guard at the entrance. 7 Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. “Quick, get up!” he said, and the chains fell off Peter’s wrists.

    8 Then the angel said to him, “Put on your clothes and sandals.” And Peter did so. “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me,” the angel told him. 9 Peter followed him out of the prison, but he had no idea that what the angel was doing was really happening; he thought he was seeing a vision. 10 They passed the first and second guards and came to the iron gate leading to the city. It opened for them by itself, and they went through it. When they had walked the length of one street, suddenly the angel left him.

    11 Then Peter came to himself and said, “Now I know without a doubt that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from Herod’s clutches and from everything the Jewish people were hoping would happen.”

    12 When this had dawned on him, he went to the house of Mary the mother of John, also called Mark, where many people had gathered and were praying.

  • Friday’s Word

    Max Brennan
    Categories:

    The Truth Can Be Hard to Believe

    a man riding a bike down a street with two children

    I look at the evidence.

    I look at what’s there and try to figure out what it means.

    Take the story below—much like the one I told last week. Joel Harper is a well-known personal trainer who has appeared on Oprah, ABC News and PBS specials.

    He rides a bicycle in New York everywhere he goes. One day he was late for a meeting and biking as fast as he could.

    He saw, some 60 ft. in front of him, a father and a little girl. She looked about three. They were playing beside the bike path.

    Let Joel tell his story:

    “At the exact moment I reached them, the child darted in front of me. I could not stop or even slow down. I knew I would hit her.

    But now—I don’t know how to say this.

    I didn’t hit her.

    My bike and I went through her body.

    Just sailed through her body.

    I felt I was floating. She went right through me. No one was hurt.

    It was a physical thing, but it seemed spiritual.

    I stopped to look back. The dad seemed in shock, as was I.

    And I was too confused to go back and talk to him.

    I know it sounds crazy. I hate to put it into words.

    It is beyond words.”

    Joel harper

    I have other similar accounts. This is God working, but through the laws of nature.

    Science tells us all matter exists as both particle and wave. In the wave state, matter is not solid.

    Something like this took place in the resurrection. The dead body of Jesus dematerialized.

    The burial cloth fell through the body.

    The cloth lay flat on the burial slab. That’s the way the disciples found it.

    The truth can be hard to believe.

    It is still the truth.