Author Archives: Max Brennan

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.

Max’s Corner

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A Glorious Celebration Easter 2024

I’ll admit, it was the hardest Holy week and Easter for this pastor. I was dysfunctional when it was over.

But it may have been the best.

Mary had a sweet and moving Thursday service. Steven Moore said Good Friday was his favorite (and he has seen every Good Friday services we have ever had).

And Sunday—for me—was the joy we want Easter to be. The music from Blake, Kristi, and our great choir, augmented with guest musicians, was over the top.

Powerful.

We had 120 in worship.

And how fun it was to hear the laughing and hollering of children during the big egg hunt!

And thanks to Mark Detrick-Kirkpatrick, we had an Easter with flair. His solid pink suit was a hit at church and on Facebook.

Thanks to all who worked to fix meals, get the Good Friday display together, place the lilies, make the music—and those who gathered to sing God’s praise on Resurrection Day.

Sunday’s Sermon

The heart of the sermon may have been the story from Betty Ware, mother of Cindy Wheeler and Sheila Taylor—the “sister act” that sits on pew 2 every week.

Betty passed many years ago, but her story of an encounter with a Risen Christ lives on to remind us that our Lord is still working, still appearing, and still watching over our lives.

Now–life slows down a little.

That’s OK. Preacher here can’t take two Easters in a row! Mary will preach for us this Sunday.

The joy of Easter continues.

He IS risen.

See you Sunday.

Friday’s Word

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Two Momentous Days

Good Friday and Easter.

Today is Good Friday—for those reading Friday’s Word on Friday. And this Sunday is Easter.

Two momentous days.

One no more important than the other.

On Friday evening, our great choir will sing, Without His Cross, there Is No Crown.

Without Good Friday, there is no Easter.

The “prop” for the Good Friday service tonight is a life-sized image of the burial shroud of Jesus.

The “Shroud of Turin,” as it is called.

(The radio-carbon dating was wrong. Two more recent dating tests are right. It comes from the time of Jesus.)

The Shroud image will be referenced as we follow the story of Jesus’ last hours from John’s gospel.

John’s gospel carries the close-to-first-hand account provided by “the beloved disciple.”

It is powerful.

Standing at the foot of the cross were four Marys: Jesus’ mother, Mary the wife of Clopas. And Mary Magdalene.

Jesus’ aunt, his mother’s sister, was also there.

And “the beloved disciple.”

That is the only way he is named in the Gospel of John. I do not believe he was John. He was not one of the twelve. We do not know his name. But his witness takes us close to both the death and the resurrection of
Jesus.

I turn to that witness again on Easter Sunday morning.

Please consider this your personal invitation to both of these services.

Tonight, we have a light supper at 6:30 before worship. The service starts at 7:00.

On Sunday the kids hunt Easter eggs at 10:00.

Easter worship starts at 11:00. Let us, too, gather at the foot of the cross.

Max’s Corner

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Last Sunday—Palm Sunday

It was a memorable Sunday.

What a great lunch! Thanks to Bill and Linda Parker and all who brought food.

Folks called me to comment on the choral anthem, the great piece by G. F. Handel. It had all of us rejoicing. We thank the Lord for the blessings of the day.

Holy Thursday—7:00 p.m.

I don’t mention it is Friday’s Word, which comes out the day after. I hope you can come on Thursday evening. (Light supper at 6:30 before worship.)

Mary will lead this service.

What’s it all about? It is about celebrating our Lord on the yearly anniversary of the Last Supper.

“Do this,” he said, “in remembrance of me.”

Good Friday—7:00 p.m.

Light supper at 6:30.

The crucifixion narrative from John (and “the beloved disciple”) will be illustrated with a life-sized image of the Shroud. The image will be mounted on a 7-foot piece of plexiglass. I am working on how I will get
this large piece of plexiglass to the church from Oak Cliff Glass and Mirror in Dallas. Then, how do I make it stand up at the front of the church?

Is it worth all this effort?

The Good Friday service is—for me—the most important service of the year. I consider it a privilege to be part of it.

It is always a hard service to prepare for.

And this year, it will be different from all previous years. Come, if you can.

Easter Sunday

Egg hunt for the kids at 10:00.

The great Hallelujah of Easter begins at 11:00.

Our great choir. A brass quintet. Lilies fill the sanctuary. Joy abounds.

You know how it is.

And I can hardly wait.

God bless—MB

Friday’s Word

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Can We Be Certain?

Jeffrey Long, a radiation oncologist, was fascinated by near-death experiences.

And for 30 years he has studied them as a scientist and a doctor. He has also written extensively about them. He now says he is certain there is life after death.

Being “certain” about life after death may seem strange to you. But you can also be certain.

All you have to do is what Dr. Long has done:

Look at the evidence.

I once heard a teacher at Perkins, our Methodist seminary at SMU, deride certainty—and people who claimed to be certain.

He said, “The opposite of faith is not doubt, it is certainty.”

He would define faith as trusting things we can’t be certain about. Trusting things that may turn out to be wrong.


That means he teaches future ministers of the Gospel things that he feels are only possibly true.

But they may be wrong.

In other words, faith is a guessing game.

I don’t believe that.

I’m with Jeffrey Long.

If you look at the evidence long enough, you can come to conclusions.

You can reach certainty.

I am certain about the Resurrection.

I have found that, when God does a work among us, God will always give us sufficient evidence to believe it.

The evidence for the Resurrection is more than sufficient.

When I stand in the pulpit on Easter Sunday morning, I will tell a story I know to be true.

Join us.

But remember—the only way to Easter is through the Cross. Good Friday worship is at 7:00 p.m.

A week away.

Easter is 11:00 a.m.

Come. Behold what God has done for love of us.