Monthly Archives: January 2025

Mary’s Corner

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Greetings to all,

The Women’s Luncheon on Thursday and the speaker from the Alzheimer’s Association have been rescheduled to Thursday, January 16th at 11:30 AM.
Still a potluck! Still open to everyone.

I pray this newsletter finds you warm and well. By the time you read this, we may or may not be surrounded by snow and ice. Our friends at Under the Bridge Ministries have an urgent need for coats, blankets, sleeping bags, hand warmers, and other cold-weather essentials. They’ve shared that shelters are often filled with women and children, leaving many men outside in the freezing cold.

If you’d like to purchase one, Walmart offers reasonably priced Arctic sleeping bags. I’m happy to deliver any items brought to the church. If ordering and shipping directly to me is easier, just text or speak with me for the address. This cold weather is expected to last a while, and anything you can contribute will be deeply appreciated.

My prayer for you this week is that you have an intense and undeniable experience with God. May God’s presence fill your quiet moments, especially if the weather keeps you indoors. If your schedule feels too full for quiet time, I urge you to carve out a few moments just for God.

This week’s sermon reminded us to be kind to one another, to live humbly, and to remain open to the needs of others, along with tending to our own. I encourage you to pray for guidance on what it looks like to live as God’s beloved children—growing in love and knowledge of God.

On Sunday, I mentioned the opportunity to start Wesleyan classes, but no one reached out to express interest. I pray that was simply due to timing. Please consider if God is calling you to be a leader or participant in a small group. Imagine the joy of welcoming a visitor to Saint Matthew and inviting them to join a small group in their neighborhood. What a blessing that could be to someone feeling isolated! Let’s pray together for God’s guidance for our church family.

Special prayer requests:

  • Keith Butterfield
  • Brian McCosky’s brother, Bill McCosky
  • Our friends without access to warm, dry shelter
  • Our neighbors living without adequate resources or services

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayers.

I invite you to join me in prayer every day at 3 PM. I set an alarm on my phone as a reminder to pause and pray.

Finally, this Sunday, immediately after church, the Admin Board and all committees will meet in the fellowship hall. If you’re not currently on a committee, please consider joining one.

Love and blessings to all,
Mary

Kids’ News

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We were so happy to see all our kids in church this week! Our lesson focused on courage and the amazing story of the shepherds who were the first to hear the good news of Jesus’ birth.

The shepherds lived humble and challenging lives, spending most of their time outside caring for their sheep and protecting them from wild animals and thieves. One night, as they were watching over their flocks, an angel of the Lord appeared to them with an incredible message: “Today in the town of David, a Savior has been born to you; He is the Messiah, the Lord.” (Luke 2:11)

God chose these ordinary shepherds to hear the extraordinary news, showing that Jesus came for everyone, not just the rich or powerful. The shepherds had the courage to leave their sheep and share what they had seen and heard, spreading the message of Jesus’ birth to others.

This week, we learned that we too can have courage like the shepherds—to share God’s love and good news, no matter our circumstances.

Join us next Sunday as we explore stories of people who seek God.

Blessings,

Living Humbly

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

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Philippians 2:1-11 (NIV)

Imitating Christ’s Humility

2 Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:

6 Who, being in very nature[a] God,
    did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
7 rather, he made himself nothing
    by taking the very nature[b] of a servant,
    being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man,
    he humbled himself
    by becoming obedient to death—
        even death on a cross!

9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
    and gave him the name that is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
    in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
    to the glory of God the Father.

Friday’s Word – First Sunday of a New Year

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Some time back I asked you to let me know you were still reading this little box each Friday.

It’s an expensive project. I don’t want to keep talking if no one is there.

I got a big response—too many e-mails to answer, but I read them all. We have signed the contract with the Star-Telegram for 2025.

Thanks for your support.

The church in America is in trouble. It is time for honesty. The lies Christians tell turn thinking people away from faith.

The biggest lie is that the Bible is infallible. It isn’t. And anyone who can read knows this.

The value of the Bible is not in its perfection. The value is in the truth of its message. And the Bible is not all equally true.

Let’s stop pretending that the Book of Revelation has anything to do with Jesus. It doesn’t.

It is a book filled with blood and vengeance. It undermines Jesus at every turn. Preachers need to stop piously defending this vengeful work in defense of “the canon.”

“Oh, it’s in the canon. We must be true to the canon!”

No! It is time to be true to the teachings of Jesus—the unique teachings of Jesus.

And it is time for preachers to proclaim that uniqueness. I was in theology school for years. Not one of my teachers mentioned the uniqueness of the message of Jesus.

Jesus was the first person in all the world to tell us to love our enemies because God loves his enemies.

Jesus was the first person ever to get God right.

And you are in for another year of me pushing a God of unconditional love for all people.

Happy New Year!