Hello friends and family of St. Matthew,

I pray that, along with peace and wisdom, God has blessed you this week with warmth and comfort. My heart has been especially full of prayer for our siblings who are living without access to shelter. Recent news stories have highlighted the number of people who spent this past weekend living in tents during the extreme cold. I am deeply grateful for the efforts of organizations that serve our unsheltered neighbors, including Under the Bridge Ministries, When We Love, and many others. If you are able, please find a way to help.

If you or someone you know needs assistance with utilities, groceries, or transportation, please call the church at 817-451-6980 or email us at pastor@saintmatthewumc.com.

I would also like to thank Brian McCosky for securing the church during the cold temperatures this weekend. The inside of the church is warm and dry. At the same time, we continue to monitor the parking lots for safety, as ice remains about five inches deep in some areas. The south parking lot—the larger lot next to the Fellowship Hall—is clearing nicely. The smaller north lot has areas that receive little sunlight during the winter months. If you venture out for worship on Sunday, please use the south parking lot for your safety.

This Sunday is Communion Sunday. Like the remembrance of our baptism two weeks ago, we will recall the last night Jesus spent with His followers in the upper room. Through the symbols of bread and wine, we remember the sacrifice of Jesus’ body and the shedding of His blood. We will acknowledge that we have not always lived as Jesus lived—that we have not always loved one another, offered comfort and healing, or served God as we know we should. We will confess these shortcomings and, covered in grace as we share the table together, remember again that God loves us all equally and unconditionally.

We celebrate communion as a means of God’s grace in our lives, focused on the restoration of our relationship with God. I look forward to seeing you on Sunday. If you are unable to be with us in person, please have a piece of bread and something to drink ready so that you may participate in communion virtually. We are bound together by what these sacraments represent—the overwhelming, never-ending, precious love of God.

Until Sunday, peace be with you.

Mary

Greetings, friends and family of Saint Matthew,

I bring you peace and love in the name of the baptized Christ. I pray that you found meaning in our worship on Sunday as we remembered our baptisms—or leaned into the promise of baptism still to come. The sacredness of the water, the community of saints gathered together, and the presence of the Holy Spirit made it a deeply meaningful moment for me.

I was baptized multiple times in my previous faith tradition. As a United Methodist, I now understand how unnecessary that was. Still, I remain grateful for the first time I was baptized. I remember, at six years old, feeling the urging of the Holy Spirit on my heart to make Jesus the Lord of my life. The church of my childhood baptized new followers of Jesus, and I remember feeling different afterward—changed in a way I could not fully explain. John Wesley described these moments as having a “heart strangely warmed,” and he taught that baptism is a sign of the promises we make to God: to renounce the spiritual forces of wickedness, reject the evil powers of this world, repent of our sins, live as disciples of Jesus, and participate fully in the life of the church.

I am grateful that we touched those eternal waters together on Sunday. I am grateful for your love, your support, and for the ways you work faithfully to keep this church alive and strong. God never intended us to walk this path alone—without God or without one another. Our baptisms bind us together in God’s divine love.

I also want to share joyful news: Anna is home from the hospital. Thank you so very much for your prayers and support. Once again, God has worked a miracle in our lives. The car was destroyed, but the frame around the interior did not bend. She was kept safe within it, cushioned by the airbags and held in the presence of God. Life can change so quickly, with every breath.

I pray for joy unspeakable to fall upon your lives. I pray for a peace that cannot be explained to fill your hearts. Remember your baptism. Remember that you are God’s beloved.

Greetings, family and friends. I bring you peace and love in the name of God made flesh!

Sunday morning was a difficult morning for all of us. No one was prepared to hear the news that Max had for the church. I know that I am not alone in feeling a bit confused and worried. I wish I could tell you what was happening and where we are going from here as a church. The upcoming days and weeks will answer whatever questions we have and calm our concerns.

What I can tell you is that God is always present with us. God does not leave any of us alone, even when we sometimes feel anxious and overwhelmed. In Matthew 18 and Luke 15, Jesus tells the story of the shepherd leaving the 99 sheep to find the one lost sheep. Jesus wants them to know and wants us to know now that we are God’s beloved, and God will pursue us relentlessly to shower us in God’s love. Jesus was comparing the actions of the shepherd with the actions of God when one of us is “lost.” The interpretation of this parable clearly lets us know that individually, there is nothing God will not do to be in relationship with us. What we forget is that a shepherd watching over a flock of sheep is not God. While the shepherd cannot be in two places at once, God never leaves the 99 alone. God is all-powerful, always present, all-knowing, and all-loving. God can be with the many while seeking us all out individually. We read in Psalm 139, “You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue, you, Lord, know it completely. You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain. Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, ‘Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,’ even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.”

I have a note on my computer at the hospital. Just a small visual reminder of the good news of Jesus Christ. The note says, “do not let darkness have the final word!” No matter what we face, we are never alone. No matter how great the suffering, how scary the situation, or how sad our hearts become, God made flesh is more powerful than all of it. The Almighty creator of the universes and of things seen and not seen watches over us and walks beside us continuously. We cannot go away from God; we cannot flee God’s presence. God knows where we are, even when we feel lost.

My love to all of you,
Mary

Happy New Year! I pray that you are all warm and getting caught up on your rest.

Santa’s helpers, the McCoskys, spent Monday afternoon at the church working (again!!). Brian and Nan were able to get all of the Christmas decorations taken down, including the ornaments from the trees! What a blessing these two are at St. Matthew. What that means for you, if you are of a mind to help, is that the ornaments and decorations need boxing up and the large tree in the sanctuary disassembled. We can take care of the sanctuary tree on Saturday morning, January 3rd at 9:30, as I announced this last Sunday. Thank you again, Nan and Brian, for getting the meticulous and slow part of this work done. We will have everything boxed up and put away for another year before services on Sunday.

I also announced that on January 11, 2026, we would be honoring Courtney Moore for her work with St. Matthew and installing our new business administrator, Amber Hartwell. We will be rescheduling that event to January 18, 2026. On January 11th, we will still have our “Multiplication Masterclass” after church. The webinar starts at 1:00 pm. We will eat lunch at the church before the class. Please let me know if you plan to attend. Seating will be limited, as will the food available, if I do not know you are coming. The purpose of these classes is to build the membership of the church by making our ministries relevant to our neighborhood. Our sanctuary holds 100+ folks comfortably and 180 if we squeeze together. Let’s all work together in 2026 to sustain the life of Saint Matthew by ministering to our Fort Worth neighbors.

Greetings to our neighbors on the World Wide Web!! I am grateful to all of you who continue to be a part of the life of Saint Matthew from afar. We would be struggling without your prayers and support. Please let us know when you are online. There is a link on the broadcast to report your attendance.

Stay warm, my friends. We have a new year coming, a new chance to bring the good news of the gospel to folks who are starving for a bit of good news. As Max said on Sunday, be at peace knowing that you are loved by God eternally.

Blessings,

Mary

I bring you peace and greetings in the name of the newborn Christ. As we bring our Advent season to a close, we have come to realize that this season has called us into a deeper understanding of the birth of Christ. I ask that you remember these things.

First, we have experienced Christ’s light breaking open our world from the inside out through an encounter with a humble king who chose gentleness over force. Second, we encountered the peace of a servant king who chose to leave the splendor of heaven to be with us. Third, we discovered an unexpected sense of peace in the midst of a world that feels on fire. And finally, remember this above all else: for all of eternity, you are loved.

I wish you good tidings of great joy this season.

Mary