Greetings St. Matthew friends, family, and members,

Today is traditionally known as “Fat Tuesday” or Mardi Gras. From The Britannica (the online version of the Encyclopedia Britannica), “the French name Mardi Gras means Fat Tuesday, from the custom of using all the fats in the home before Lent in preparation for fasting and abstinence.” The actual season of celebration is called Carnival, and in New Orleans, “citywide revelry and elaborate parades both day and night are celebrated. Beads of green, gold, and purple (representing power, faith, and justice) are commonly distributed, and the eating of king cake is an iconic part of the celebration.”

Carnival is a traditional Roman Catholic observance of using up all of the meat (carnem levare) before a season of fasting and other ascetic practices. An ascetic practice is one of strict self-denial, serving as a form of personal and spiritual discipline. First-century Christians modeled this behavior, following the example of Jesus in the wilderness for forty days, as told in Matthew 4:1-11. The idea is to use up the “extravagant” food around the house to keep it from going bad during the season of Lent. As the celebration of excess ends, the season of reflection and sacrifice begins.

Lent is a time for preparation—a time to shift our focus away from the extravagances of life and instead focus on making ourselves ready for the events of Easter. You cannot get to the resurrection without going through those torturous days in the garden, in the upper room, at Calvary, and in the tomb. God, made flesh in the body of Jesus of Nazareth, battled sin and death for us because we are the beloved children of the Creator. This is a profoundly humbling time for me.

On Wednesday evening, I will stand at the front of the church, make the sign of the cross on your forehead with ashes and olive oil, and tell you that you are loved and forgiven. I am only able to do this because I am also loved and forgiven. It is not me that does the loving or the forgiving—it is the grace of God, poured out on us all, that draws us deeper into relationship.

I am not the best at giving things up for Lent. I always begin the season with a promise that I will give up something that isn’t good for me (candy, scotch, fried food, etc.), yet I have never made it the entire forty days. However, God has given me the strength to add something that is good for me (a Lenten study, walking one mile every day for forty days, writing in a journal, etc.).

There are many ways to observe Lent, and none of them involve looking at our neighbors in judgment or condemnation. Lent is the time to turn our eyes upon Jesus. Look full in His wonderful face. And let the things of earth grow dim in the light of His glory and grace.

I hope you will join me in adding something to your life that is good—something holy and sacred. I’d love to hear what you choose and how it impacts your life—please share your experience with me!

My love to all,
Mary

Ash Wednesday—Next Week

It is not this Wednesday, but I am working on the service today. Wednesday, March 5—6:00 pm for a sandwich supper and 6:30 pm for the service.

It’s a hard world we live in right now. Our spirits need nourishment. Come to this service, which begins Lent—our journey to the Cross.

The Anthem

Every Time I Feel the Spirit. Again, a major impact within the sanctuary—and it also sounded great online.

Remember, we have several hundred who worship with us each week from their homes. And our new equipment will improve those online services.

New Audio/Video Equipment

The Church Council took the plunge Sunday and voted to revamp our audio/video equipment. There wasn’t much choice in it, since our old soundboard died, and we needed to move Jason and Robert out of the hot, cramped attic booth.

But we are going further than we have to—getting three new cameras and possibly four. We love for people to be in church, but many of our people can’t be physically present. We want to do our best for them.

Discovering God Class

This week—what people see when they are dying.

For most people, heaven starts before they leave this earth.

Our class begins at 9:45 am. Join anytime. Breakfast after.

Breakfast This Sunday

This is a “Winston Sunday.” You can still help. Breakfast is at 10:30.

Transfiguration Sunday

It may not be big in your book—but it is in mine.

The Transfiguration story is one of the most important in the Bible. Sermon title: “When God Speaks—Listen!”

We had 70 last Sunday. We will close this week with Victory in Jesus. And yes—we gather at the Lord’s Table. Communion Sunday.

God Bless — MB

HEAR THIS! Check elsewhere in these pages for the time of Julian’s performance this Saturday.

Trust, Commit, Be Still, Refrain

Hello, dear church

These four instructions sound easy on paper. I am writing this article on Tuesday at 3:45 PM, and I can tell you that since Sunday at 12:30, when I left the church, I have trusted God implicitly. But I’m still working on the other three.

Many distractions in life keep us from spending quality time with God. I understand that, and I recognize it as an area for improvement in my life. Being still and refraining—also known as thinking before I speak—have never been my strong suit, and I know there is still much work to do. I guess the point of starting your newsletter like this is to let you know that we are all a work in progress for God, walking the path to holiness and sanctification together.

The great thing about this journey is that God, through His grace, is the one who makes us holy and sanctified. Our part is to invest in the acts of worship that create space in our hearts for His work. By the way, to be sanctified means to be set apart for God. I’m sure many of you already know that, but I wanted to share what it means to me. We are all set apart by God—set apart as His beloved children to share His love in this world.

I hope you all enjoyed our music Sunday morning and appreciated the experience of learning the background of these vitally important hymns. The history of Methodism and the United Methodist Church in the Black community is not a pretty one. The church has been involved in systems of oppression against Black people since before slavery was even a reality in the United States, and many of those actions were carried out in the name of Jesus Christ. I am grateful to be in a church where I can bring these truths into the open and where we can discuss ways to repair the trauma caused by our ancestors.

What a glorious thing to look out at our congregation and see so many willing to do so much for the Lord. You make my heart sing!

Three members of our congregation recently completed Faith Community Health Promoter training. Carlene Wheeler, Lynette Coleman, and Kathy Callahan are taking the lead in reviving our Faith Community Nursing program at Saint Matthew. We will be starting very soon with a class called Matter of Balance. I look forward to working with these three enthusiastic nurses.

One way to prevent falls in your life is to attend our Chair Yoga class on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays at 10:00 AM.

Blessings and the peace of Christ to you all,

Mary