Daily Archives: April 9, 2025

Friday’s Word – “Looks Like It’s True”

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I don’t want to offend anyone. People of all faiths have a chance at heaven.

There is truth in all the great religions. We all belong to God, and God loves all of us equally.

But evidence suggests that the essentials of Christianity are true.

However hard some may fight it, it looks like the Shroud of Turin is the real thing. A new cutting-edge X-ray dating technique sets the Shroud at the time of Christ.

The argument may be over. For the image on the Shroud tells the complete story of the crucifixion and the resurrection of Jesus.

It is like a snapshot of the body of Jesus at the very moment of the body’s transformation.

The Shroud tells us that the body de-materialized. As the Shroud fell through the body, it recorded the bones in the hands and the bony sockets of the teeth. These are visible on the Shroud image.

The image is over the blood, which means the blood went on first. And we know it is human blood.

Someone died and was raised 2,000 years ago. The only candidate is Jesus.

If I were not a believer, I would hate to face all the evidence that Jesus is, in fact, Lord. Just His appearance to people of many faiths in religious experiences and NDEs would shake my unbelief.

I want to live reality.

I want the truth and nothing but the truth.

And all the evidence I am aware of points to the truth of the primary claims of Christianity.

The primary claims. Not the nonsense claim that people of other faiths go to hell.

Sunday is Palm Sunday.

Choose reality in your life.

Max’s Corner

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Concerns for our Church Family

Dan Mitchell, a faithful member along with Joyce, has passed. Dan had been ill for some time, making it impossible for them to attend worship in person. But we always knew they were watching.

Carol Bennett’s brother has passed after a long illness. Carol has known this time was near.

Patsy Reaves has passed. Her life had been harder these last years due to Alzheimer’s.

Jim Goodwin’s mom passed last week. (Graveside at 11:00 Thursday at Rose Hill cemetery.)

Dewayne and Sheila Taylor face the serious illness of their daughter-in-law—only in her 40s with pancreatic cancer.

John Reynolds continues in recovery. Danny Eades saw him last week.

Things are not always easy for Mac Salfen, but he is getting better. Chemo has worked, but it can cause some problems.

Keith Butterfield is doing well in his care facility—for someone 97. He is more himself.

Carolyn Bell is in a care facility, and that alone means her life has greatly changed.

Others in our church family face difficulties. We give thanks that we have a Lord who cares. And our prayers continue.

Discovering God Class

Finally—we face the story of Mrs. Schwartz this Sunday. Be prepared for a challenge.

Breakfast this Sunday

NO BIG BREAKFAST this Sunday. (Bring donuts. I will, too.) We have Palm Sunday lunch after worship.

Last Sunday and This

Great service last week with the baptism of three of our children. And listen!—our sound has improved! The new sound board gives us much better sound.

PALM SUNDAY!

And Palm Sunday dinner after. A big day. Holy Week begins.
Holy Thursday and Good Friday worship next week:
6:00 for light supper—6:30 for worship.

God Bless—MB

Mary’s Corner

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Good Monday, Church!

The sun is shining, the temperature is climbing, and it feels like spring is finally on its way. Let’s enjoy the pleasant days ahead—and maybe the wind will settle down before the summer heat arrives.

Sunday’s baptism was a deeply spiritual moment for me. There’s something sacred about placing my hand into the water and becoming a vessel of the Holy Spirit. I often find myself wavering between awe and overwhelming joy. If you know me well, you know my joy tends to leak out through my eyes! What a thrilling experience to baptize three young people this week—and Ian back in January. It’s clear: we’re seeing the beginnings of a youth group, and I’m excited to plan some outings for our kids and their friends. I’ll need your help, so stay tuned.

At the same time, I’m preparing funerals—living in the tension between grief and grace. Funerals are bittersweet. What breaks our hearts is the same sacred moment that frees our loved ones into the tangible presence of God. While we mourn, I believe they hear our tears… and God’s voice saying, “Welcome home, good and faithful servant.”

Grief doesn’t leave us—it becomes part of us, and processing it is essential to our well-being. If you or someone you know is struggling with loss, please reach out. I have many resources and am always available to listen or walk alongside you.

And always—pray for one another. Our church family carries joys and sorrows side by side, and the prayers of a faithful, loving community do so much to lighten the burden. God hears us—especially when we lift each other up.

Blessings and love,
In the name of the risen Christ,
Mary

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Funeral for Eleanor Goodwin April 9, 2025 at 11am in the chapel at Shannon Rose Hill Funeral Home, 7301 E. Lancaster Ave. Fort Worth, TX 76112. There will be a viewing on Tuesday April, 8, 2025 from 5-7pm in the funeral chapel. All are welcome. 

The St. Matthew Women’s Group will meet Thursday April 10th@ 12noon. Everyone is welcome.

Funeral for Patsy Reeves will be May 3rd at 11am at Saint Matthew. More details to come, but we will need a meal prepared for the family to follow the service.

Palm Sunday service @ 11am with Potluck lunch to follow. Please stay for our family meal, the food will be amazing and the company will be grand!

Maundy Thursday light meal at 6pm on Thursday April 17, 2025 followed by Maundy Thursday service at 6:30 pm.

Good Friday light meal at 6pm on Friday April 18, 2025 followed by Good Friday service at 6:30 pm.

Easter Sunday: 10am Easter Egg hunt for the children. Be there at 0950. The hunt starts precisely at 10am. Easter Services at 11am.

Mother’s Day is May 11, 2025.

Kids’ News – “A Night In The Garden”

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This Sunday, we talked about prayer—and the story we heard was full of emotion, honesty, and love. It took place in one of the most important places in Jesus’s life: the Garden of Gethsemane.

After sharing the Last Supper with His disciples, Jesus knew that His time on earth was almost over. He went to the garden to pray, and He took Peter, James, and John with Him. Jesus didn’t try to hide His feelings—He told His friends that He was sad and troubled, and He asked them to stay awake and pray with Him.

But something surprising happened. Even though Jesus was full of emotion and needed their support, the disciples kept falling asleep. Not once, not twice, but three times. Every time Jesus returned, they were sleeping.

Still, Jesus didn’t get angry. He just kept doing what He came to do: He prayed. He asked God to take away the suffering He was about to face, but in the end, He said something really powerful:

“Not what I want, but what You want.” (Luke 22:42)

This story shows us a lot about who Jesus is. He didn’t pretend to be okay. He didn’t pretend not to be scared. But He still turned to God and trusted that He wouldn’t be alone.

What We Learned

✔ Jesus prayed even when He was scared or sad—He showed us that it’s okay to bring all our feelings to God.

✔ His prayer wasn’t answered the way He asked—but He still trusted God’s plan.

✔ We may not always feel strong, but we can always choose to pray and trust that God hears us.

✔ We want to be like Jesus—honest in our emotions, but faithful in our trust.

This week, we had 10 amazing kids in class, and we celebrated something beautiful—the baptisms of Jade, Remy, and Erik! What a meaningful moment as we prepare for Easter.

Julie Ann helped sort and match eggs from last year (we now have a full basket of empty eggs!). Nan and I went shopping, and thanks to some generous helpers, we’ve got plenty of treats to fill them. And yes—the Easter Bunny confirms there will be lots of eggs and two golden eggs!

Don’t forget—our Easter Egg Hunt is this Sunday at 10:00 AM sharp, so be sure to arrive a little early! All of the eggs will have a treat inside—not just candy—and we’ll have two golden eggs hidden with special surprises. After the hunt, the kids will enjoy a fun Easter movie with popcorn and drinks while parents head into worship. We can’t wait to celebrate with you!