Many years after King David lived, a boy named Josiah became king of Judah. He was only eight years old, far younger than anyone expected a king to be, and the throne felt much bigger than he was. Still, Josiah wanted to lead in a way that honored God.

As Josiah grew older, he noticed that God’s temple had fallen into disrepair. The stones were cracked, and dust covered the floors. Wanting to restore the place where people worshiped, Josiah ordered the workers to begin repairing it.

During the renovations, something remarkable happened. The high priest discovered a forgotten scroll tucked away in an old room. It was the Book of the Law—God’s instructions for how the people were meant to live. When the scroll was read aloud, Josiah felt a deep sadness. He realized the people had drifted far from the path God had set for them.

Instead of ignoring what he heard, Josiah listened. He let God’s words shape his heart. Then he gathered the people and renewed their covenant with God, promising to follow God’s commandments and encouraging the nation to return to faithfulness. Even though he was young, Josiah led with courage, humility, and a deep desire to do what was right.

What We Learned

• You’re never too young for God to use you in important ways.
• Listening to God helps us find our way, even when the path feels unfamiliar.
• Good leaders choose what is right, not what is easy.
• When we return to God, God always welcomes us back.

Kids’ Christmas Program Update

Christmas is coming soon, and our kids are excited to share this year’s special program, “Our Magi Mission.” They’ve already begun learning their parts, and we will have a Saturday rehearsal to get costumes ready and practice the story. And yes—Julie Anne still remembers that pizza was promised for lunch!

If you have a young person who would like to participate in telling the story of Jesus’ birth, we would love for them to join us.

See you Sunday! Blessings…

THE BIG DINNER!

Don’t forget it, especially if you are bringing food! We are celebrating both Thanksgiving and Christ the King Sunday.

I’ll be brief here. It is late, and I (of course) have a doctor’s appointment tomorrow morning. (One every day this week but Monday. I had one that day—the dentist—but I canceled it to eat out with Jim Bailey and nephew Chris Bailey. I can get cleaned later.)

My life will get easier after the knee surgery on Dec. 3. Fewer doctors for a while (I hope).

I have two more Sundays at the church before surgery. Only one more when I will preach. I’ll be in church on the first Sunday of Advent, but Mary will begin her Advent series.

(Someone—remember to get out the Advent wreath.)

I hope I get back to church soon after surgery. But I will not preach again until Christmas Eve.

Pastor’s Class

We continue to discuss where we are theologically after this journey we have been on. Some old beliefs have gone by the wayside—like the idea of an angry God. Join us at 9:45.

NO!!! Breakfast This Sunday

We will not have breakfast this Sunday. No place to put the food.

This Sunday

Sermon: Jesus Is Lord

We proclaim who Jesus is—and why we believe it.

A day of celebration. We will sing “Majesty,” “O Worship the King,” and “He Is Lord.”

Blake will share a solo.

We—shall—rejoice!

(And eat.)

God Bless — MB

REMEMBER: Blake’s school choir concert will be on Friday evening—Dec. 5—at 6:30. Mark your calendar!

Greetings, dear friends and family of Saint Matthew UMC!

Our services on Sunday were just lovely and made even more special by the breakfast food and fellowship before they started. My only regret is that I did not get time to talk to all of you. Choir practice and pre-service duties, plus my addiction to Mark and Winston’s breakfast, kept me running before the service. I always want to make certain that I get your prayer requests before the service so that I can announce them during prayer time. It is extremely helpful if I have a written prayer request to refer to during the services. To help with this, there are small pieces of paper on the music stand that sits at the back of the auditorium. Just fill out the paper with the name of the person and the words “prayer request.”

We had some electronic gremlins with us on Sunday, as well as all of you. The lights in the Sanctuary stopped working in the middle of choir practice, and then during the live stream, YouTube crashed, and Facebook became very sluggish. If you are looking for the service to watch, please be patient as we work to get the recording added to these two internet services.

We have collected over 50 bags of food for the Thanksgiving collection with Eastside Community Assistance. Thanks to all of you who participated. It is not too late to take part. We will be collecting food through Christmas for the same type of giveaway. Your support of ECA is always appreciated. While you are out shopping in the coming weeks, please consider donating new packages of men’s socks and underwear. And if you see any larger men’s shoes lying about, there is always a need for those as well. Gently used men’s clothing, and all sizes of coats are also appreciated.

Please join me daily in prayer for our upcoming Advent season. This year has gone by quickly, and the Advent season is only days away. Prepare our hearts, Lord, for the birth of God made flesh. Prepare our hearts for quiet and the chaos, for the fellowship and the loneliness. Make us ready to welcome a new season of possibilities for hope, peace, joy, and love. And all the people said, AMEN.

Love to all, Mary

First of all, some good news—Winston Dietrick-Kirkpatrick’s mom is doing better. Her car was sideswiped by another vehicle. She’s badly bruised on her left side, but nothing is broken. We give thanks that things are moving in the right direction.

The days are getting shorter—and somehow, the weeks are too. We’re moving up on Thanksgiving, just a week from this coming Sunday. Remember our big Thanksgiving dinner after worship. We started sign-ups last Sunday and will do so again this Sunday if needed. Mostly, remember to come to worship and bring family and friends with you. It’s a joyful day!

Not this Sunday—but the next—will be my last time preaching for a while. My knee replacement surgery is scheduled for December 3. I plan to be in church on the first Sunday of Advent, but may be out for much of December while I recover. Mary will preach during that time, and I’ll return to the pulpit for Christmas Eve.

Pastor’s Class

We continue to discuss where we are theologically after this journey we’ve been on. Some old beliefs have gone by the wayside—like the idea of an angry God. Join us at 9:45 a.m., followed by breakfast.

Breakfast This Sunday

It’s a “We-bring Sunday.” Help bring! We need food to share—breakfast begins at 10:30 a.m.

This Sunday

Sermon: “What If There Are No End Times?”

I’m going to preach this someday—it may as well be now. I’m not an “End Times” person. You won’t find me selling my house, putting on a white robe, and sitting on a mountaintop waiting for Jesus to return. Count me out.

The choir will sing an arrangement of the stirring hymn “Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise.”

God Bless,

MB

Remember: Blake’s school choir concert will be on Friday evening, December 5, at 6:30 p.m. Mark your calendar!