Author Archives: Max Brennan

Friday’s Word

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Jesus Got God Right

We can know God.

Millions of people have actually met God.

They have encountered God in experience.

Consider this from Bill Wilson, founder of AA. In a moment of desperation, he cried out to God to show himself:

Suddenly the room was filled with a bright white light. I felt an ecstasy beyond words. All about me and through me was a wonderful presence. I thought, so this is the God preachers talk about.

Here God answered a prayer both obviously and immediately.

I’ve had this happen to me a couple of times.

Every encounter with God gives us information about God. Every mystical event, every NDE, tells us something about God’s nature.

So, I began to wonder:

What kind of God would we come up with if we looked only at information from experiences?

I began work on my book, Discovering God. (Not yet published.)

I would set the Bible aside, set aside my own theology, and be entirely open to the God we meet in experience.

My book examines over 100 profound stories of personal encounters with God.

And what kind of God did I discover? A God of infinite love—the God we know in Christ. I even ended up at the Cross and the Resurrection.

I did not discover the rough and vindictive God of Revelation and some Old Testament passages.

That God does not exist.

In experience, we meet the God revealed in The Sermon on the Mount.

Experience tells us Jesus got God exactly right.

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Sunday, May 5, is Special Giving Day at St. Matthew. I invite your gift.

Max’s Corner

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Eastside Ministries 40th

It’s at the Botanical Gardens this Friday.

It starts at 6:30. Ticket price is $75 per plate. That’s because this is a fundraiser for the poor on the Eastside of Fort Worth. Raising money is what it is about. But the buffet will be good.

I am the event MC. Blake and Shannon will sing.

You can still get tickets. Just call Bill Parker: 817-296-0065.

Breakfast this Sunday

“Let’s Bring It” Sunday worked well for breakfast. The third Sunday (this Sunday) is a Winston week. Breakfast begins at 10:30.

Sunday’s Sermon

My sermon for Sunday is not the one I announced last week. The new title: Believe It or Not.

Our choir will sing: Jesus Never Failed Me Yet.

Help! Please

We have a temporary problem. But it won’t be a problem if enough people give a special gift on Sunday, May 5. (Or give it earlier—writing “Special gift” on your offering.)

We did not sufficiently prepare for this lag in our finances. I plan for us to do better next year. And we do need to increase our monthly income to avoid this happening again, but this will come with time.

By the way, your giving is entirely private. Only our Treasurer ever sees your gifts. There is never any pressure in giving.

This is God’s business we are in.

“Relax—and trust.”

God always sees us through.

Our love to our members who are ill.

You are in our prayers.

May the Lord hold you in his care.

God bless—MB

By the way—are you aware that in two years—2026—we will celebrate the 130th Anniversary of this congregation? We began life in 1896 in a Victorian clapboard church on Bessie Street. And the best is yet to come.

Friday’s Word

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The Body of Christ

I was unable to serve Communion Sunday due to a hip problem (now gone). The assistant pastor and our lay leader served.

This allowed me to sit and watch as people knelt (and stood) at the rail to receive the sacrament. And I was struck by the spiritual beauty of the congregation.

“This is truly the Body of Christ,” I thought.

We received a new member who lives in Idaho. He was in town for the big eclipse show on Monday.

Obviously, Chris will not be driving in each Sunday for worship. He watches online and sends his offering by mail.

He is one of our faithful people, part of our church family. Now an official long-distance member.

A woman, Barbara, visited on Good Friday. She came with a clutch of these little articles in her purse. She had waited for an evening service.

Family matters make it hard for her to come on Sundays. She watches our services and will be reading this.

She loves St. Matthew.

A couple told me after worship recently, “Without Friday’s Word and this church, I don’t think we would have a church right now.”

Someone who joined recently said, “I was looking for a church that preaches a loving God.”

The people of St. Matthew know they are in a church that stands for something.

In reading the Bible, we put Jesus first. He sets the agenda as we read the rest of the Bible.

Everyone at St. Matthew is smart enough to know that gay people are just people who happen to be gay. God doesn’t care.

Give us a visit.

I’d like to meet you.

Worship–11:00 a.m.

Max’s Corner

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A Good Sunday

The Sunday after Easter can sometimes feel like a let-down. This year, not at all. Mary had a fine sermon. Julien Rodriquez got a standing ovation for his rendering of Impossible Dream. And Kristi’s opening organ number from Handel rattled the window—several blocks down the street.

It was a spiritual morning.

Even with my hip hurting (gout), I felt good!

Breakfast this Sunday

This is “Let’s Bring It” Sunday.

Winston does weeks one and three.

Week two is up to us eaters.

I am bringing pigs-in-a-blanket.

You bring something. We’ll eat.

(Someone needs to set the serving table.)

Breakfast begins at 10:30.

Working on the Classroom

At the moment, the room where my sister will teach a course on near-death experiences is a junk room. It will take a couple of weeks to get it in shape as a really nice classroom. Sorry for the delay.

Eastside Ministries 40th

It’s at Botanical Gardens on Friday the 19th.

We will sell tickets this Sunday–$75 per plate dinner. That’s because this is a fundraiser for the poor on the Eastside of Fort Worth. Raising money is what it is about. But the buffet will be good.

I am the event MC. Blake and Shannon will sing.

More about it Sunday.

Sunday’s Sermon

Sermon: The Same—but Different.

Personal to Kristi: We open with Lift High the Cross.

Help! Please.

Yes, I can beg. We are entering a two-month period when we have a cash-flow problem until our investment income comes in in June. Please be faithful. Any additional giving will help.

God will get us through. Always has. Always will.

God bless—MB

Friday’s Word

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God Hears Us

Elaine had been a member of a church youth group I worked with. I had not heard from her in 18 years. Then I got her letter.

She said she felt “compelled” by God to share her experience with me. Here’s a brief excerpt.

I wanted a closer walk with God. I prayed every day for that. And one day, driving home from church, I demanded to know why I was unworthy to know Him better.

And God came, very literally, right into my car. I was suddenly viewing specific moments of my life replayed in my mind with every tiny detail.

God replayed all my prayers of recent weeks, word for word. I was hearing them and knowing them instantly.

Then I saw and felt this overwhelming light, the most amazing light I had ever seen—a mixture of amber and rose and gold.

And it was alive. I felt an awesome power and love.

God let Elaine know her prayers were heard.

All of them.

Elaine called—and God responded.

God is accessible.

God is forthcoming.

I have known this since my own prayer experience at fourteen. I prayed and received an audible reply.

I said to myself after my prayer, “Nobody heard me.” A voice replied clearly, “I heard you.”

No, prayer does not work this way most of the time. But these events tell us that all prayers are heard.

And God will always respond in some way.

These events also tell us that God is real, God is personal, and God cares about us.

How often have I said this to you? God is an experienced reality.

A recommendation:

Worship somewhere this Sunday. For the joy of it.