Monthly Archives: August 2025

Mary’s Corner

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Blessings to you in the name of the Vineyard Keeper!

If you do not know the identity of the Vineyard Keeper, please watch the service from August 17th at Saint Matthew: https://www.youtube.com/live/zXLzlAfTeUQ?si=11U1-iI24JJ7zkJu

Max preached an amazing sermon about the breadth and depth of God’s love for creation. He used the parable of the vineyard from Matthew 20:1-16. The parable is a beautiful reminder that God loves us so completely that we are welcomed into the family of God no matter who we are. God’s blessings are freely given, not earned.

We “work out our salvation” by working for God because we love God. And what does that work entail? Everything listed in Matthew 25—feeding, clothing, and sheltering those who lack the basic necessities of life. It looks like visiting the sick, the shut-in, and those who are incarcerated.

Jesus commands us to “love God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:30-31). The commandment is not complicated or difficult to understand. Living out this commandment is proof of our belief in God and our salvation through Jesus Christ. If we live like this, we rarely have to utter a word about what we believe—people will see it in our lives.

As I write this, Leslieann Griffith is in the recovery room. She has done well throughout her treatment today and anticipates being discharged later today or early tomorrow. Our dear friend Karen Goodwin has been by her side all day—thanks be to God for Karen. Please continue to pray for Leslieann’s quick recovery.

I also want to thank you for your loving participation in our prayers yesterday. I was overwhelmed by the beautiful flowers from the Standefer family. I am so grateful for the chance to help where I can, and thankful that God has given me this opportunity—and that you still put up with me! 😊

My love to all,

Mary

Kids’ News – Saul’s Big Surprise on the Road to Damascus

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This week, we met a man named Paul—but when we first met him, he was known as Saul. Saul was a Pharisee, a religious leader who thought he was doing the right thing by stopping the followers of Jesus. He was full of determination—but it was the wrong kind. Saul was harsh and unkind to Christians, and he had permission to arrest them in faraway cities.

One day, Saul was walking the road to Damascus with a mission to cause trouble. But then something incredible happened.

Suddenly, a bright light from heaven flashed all around him, and he fell to the ground. He heard a voice say, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”

Saul was stunned. “Who are you, Lord?” he asked.

The voice replied, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.” (Acts 9:4–5)

When Saul got up, he couldn’t see. He had been struck blind! His traveling companions had to take him by the hand and lead him the rest of the way to Damascus. For three days, Saul didn’t eat or drink anything. He waited. He prayed. And in that waiting, something began to change deep inside of him.

Then God sent a man named Ananias to find Saul. Ananias was nervous—he had heard all the terrible things Saul had done. But God said, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name.” (Acts 9:15)

Ananias placed his hands on Saul and said, “Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus who appeared to you on the road—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 9:17)

Right then, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes. He could see again—and he saw everything differently. His heart was changed. Saul was baptized, and he became Paul, one of the most important messengers of Jesus the world has ever known.

But here’s something important: Paul wasn’t changed all at once. Even after his powerful encounter, it took time. He had to grow, to learn, and to be guided by others. Big changes don’t always happen in a flash—even when God is involved. Sometimes, God works in us slowly, steadily, beautifully.

What We Learned:

  • God can change anyone—even someone who was once an enemy.
  • Jesus meets us where we are, even when we’re headed the wrong way.
  • Real transformation takes time and sometimes help from others.
  • God’s love is patient, powerful, and always at work.

A Gift Outright

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

https://spotifycreators-web.app.link/e/dFGKEwkwYVb

Matthew 20:1-16 (New International Version)

The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard

20 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. 2 He agreed to pay them a denarius[a] for the day and sent them into his vineyard.

3 “About nine in the morning he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. 4 He told them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ 5 So they went.

“He went out again about noon and about three in the afternoon and did the same thing. 6 About five in the afternoon he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’

7 “‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered.

“He said to them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard.’

8 “When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.’

9 “The workers who were hired about five in the afternoon came and each received a denarius. 10 So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. 11 When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. 12 ‘These who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said, ‘and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.’

13 “But he answered one of them, ‘I am not being unfair to you, friend. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? 14 Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you. 15 Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’

16 “So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”