Author Archives: Max Brennan

Max’s Corner

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IT’S CHRISTMAS

I am filled with expectation.
I have been deprived for weeks!
I get to come back to church tonight.
Christmas Eve!

Yes, I’m doing OK after my knee replacement surgery.
I pulled a muscle in my groin area, which has set me back a little. I’ll be moving slowly.
But I get to return!
What joy!

Usual time: 6:00 p.m.
Usual beautiful service—perhaps a bit more beautiful than usual.

The choir is doing a Handel piece from The Messiah:
“And the Glory of the Lord.”

I hope to see you at the Christmas Eve worship.
And our love to those who are unable to come due to health, or for any other reason.

And this coming Sunday—Dec. 28—
it is called “The First Sunday after Christmas Day.”
It is still the season. We will sing some carols we don’t usually sing.

My sermon will refer to the rather unusual Christmas I have had.
No breakfast.

I watched last Sunday from home and enjoyed it so much.
Thanks to Mary for her beautiful work over these last weeks.
(Mary is a gracious presence.)

And the next Sunday, on January 5th, we will celebrate the beginning of a New Year.

Life can be rough.
But we will not be discouraged.
With Jesus Christ, the best is always yet to come.

God bless.

Congratulations to Julian and Josh.
May God be with them as they build their lives together.

Friday’s Word

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I began my working life as an English teacher. In 1982, at the age of 39, I entered Perkins School of Theology at SMU to prepare for ministry.

I was immediately eligible to serve a church as a student pastor. I was sent to Saint Matthew, a small church in East Fort Worth, with little hope of survival.

I was overjoyed to be in ministry. And against all odds, the church began to grow, mainly from members who returned and friends of those still in the pews. Before long, we exhausted that pool of potential growth, and I knew we had to find a way to reach a wider world.

In 1987, I started Pastor’s Corner in The Meadowbrook News, a local Eastside shopping paper. It did the job. Growth soon accelerated. By 1988, we had grown from about 30 in attendance to more than 150 on some Sundays.

We needed more room, so we decided to build. We hired a rising young architect, Greg Wyatt, to transform our rather dreary sanctuary into the beautiful Victorian Gothic building we worship in today.

In the early 2000s, The Meadowbrook News closed down. That is when we shifted to The Star-Telegram and Friday’s Word. But with changes in how people get their news, we can no longer reach the audience we once did. So once again, we change.

This is our next-to-last appearance here. We will be turning to social media and other online forums to reach a larger audience. Please keep up with us. Subscribe to our weekly online newsletter. The address is below. Just click the subscribe button.

In 2026, Saint Matthew will celebrate its 135th anniversary. We will celebrate.

Join us for our Christmas Eve service at 6:00 p.m.

“The most beautiful service of the year”

saintmatthewumc.com
revmaxb@tx.rr.com

Max’s Corner

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The loss of Carolyn Bell feels like the end of an era to me. But most of our present members did not know her. She has been with her family in Flower Mound since 2014. That family is largely Church of Christ, so Carolyn’s family brought their minister to conduct a Church of Christ service in our church, with my eulogy in the middle of it.

Robbie, Carolyn’s daughter, knew her mom would want her service at Saint Matthew. And the family was happy with the service. That, of course, is what is important with a memorial service.

With my knee replacement only 10 days before, I was definitely in no shape to participate in the service. I did anyway, and I am so glad I did.

Danny and Leslie Detrick, the former choir director and his wife, were present, along with beloved former members. An era closes. Life goes on.

After My Surgery

I am making slow progress. It is harder and more painful than I thought it would be. The church has made a big difference. My sister and I are so grateful for the food that has come in. Thank you.

I hope to see you on Christmas Eve. Do not expect miracles. My movement will be limited. But what a time of rejoicing it will be.

We will have a great Christmas Eve service, and I will arrive hungry for worship.

Fourth Sunday of Advent

And a big Christmas dinner, with Santa for the kids.

Mary finishes her beautiful Advent sermon series this Sunday. The choir sings a glorious anthem. And then Christmas dinner.

Come prepare your hearts for the Babe in the manger.

God bless.

All that some of you must bring to the dinner this Sunday is desserts. Wish I could be there. I like desserts.

Friday’s Word

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For forty years, this little box has appeared in two different newspapers—twenty of them in the Star-Telegram. The world has changed in those decades, and this newspaper has changed with it. What once reached thousands now reaches far fewer, and the time has come to bring this long chapter to a close.

This decision is significant. This little box played a part in saving a church. Without this outreach, St. Matthew might not have survived. Through it, God gathered a community of people who longed for grace, who weren’t drawn to fundamentalism, and who believed in the wideness of God’s love.

From this space, we have proclaimed the Gospel truth that God loves all of us equally—gay or straight, male or female, Black or white, immigrant or native-born. We have spoken against the harm caused by power misused. And through it all, I have simply shared the truth I know through Jesus Christ.

And let me be clear—I’m not going anywhere.

I’ll still be preaching.

This box, under a new name, will soon appear on several online platforms. I will also begin a weekly podcast of my Discovering God class. And in 2026, I intend to complete the book I have been working on for many years and send it out into the world.

I hope you’ll stay connected.

You can read these articles every week through the church’s online newsletter—just visit the link below and subscribe.

But you don’t have to remain anonymous.

You are always welcome to join us for worship.

If St. Matthew, or anything in my ministry, has mattered to you, come sit with us. Let me see your face. Let us thank God together.

saintmatthewumc.com
revmaxb@tx.rr.com

Max’s Corner

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I want to share my full support for the Administrative Board’s decision to conclude our long relationship with the Star-Telegram at the end of this year. I am grateful to Brian McCosky for the thoughtful work he put into exploring new online platforms for sharing “the little articles.” Brian is a brilliant guy, and I appreciate his dedication.

I am hopeful that the church might consider a one-time expense to equip my classroom so I can begin recording my class each week as a podcast. So much of our future ministry together depends on finishing and sharing the book I’ve been working on for the past 20 years, and this would help us move in that direction.

Be encouraged, dear friends—we are moving forward.

I miss all of you. I am in considerable pain unless I am sitting still, but I am sleeping well, and for that I’m grateful. There is a hard road ahead, yet I know God walks with me.

I was delighted by the concert attendance—95 people! What a gift.

Please hold these dear ones in prayer:

• Charlotte Holder, whose surgery is scheduled for next Monday. Charlotte, our love is with you.

• Linda Anderson, after her fall. Linda, we love you and are praying for healing and comfort.

Pastor’s Class remains on hold until January.

As for breakfast this Sunday, if everything stays on schedule, it should be a “We-bring” Sunday at 9:30 AM. And thank you, Mary, for all your wonderful work.

Has anyone arranged a Christmas dinner so that Santa can visit? And I’m assuming we may not have a Christmas concert this year, though we’ll see how things unfold.

I look forward to being with you again.

For now—

God bless you all.

I’m taking my poor knee to bed tonight. One of my knees had a birthday on Monday, and the other is still new—and crying like a baby.

—Pastor Max