This Sunday we learned about one of my very favorite ladies in the Bible!  Maybe you have heard of her. Tabitha was her name.  She was one of the poorest ladies in the town of Joppa.  In Bible times, women were completely dependent on men for their survival. If a woman’s husband died, the woman’s life took a drastic turn for the worst.  Women were not allowed to own property, so if the husband died, they would be at the mercy of others to be able to live.  Tabitha somehow had the resources to sew for others who were less fortunate. 

Unfortunately, Tabitha became very sick and died.  When the other disciples heard about Tabitha’s death, they sent for Peter. Peter went right over and went upstairs where Tabitha’s body lay. Many community members were there, crying and showing one another tunics and other clothing Tabitha had made. The presence of the community showed how dedicated Tabitha was to loving and serving others.

Peter asked the people to leave the room, and he knelt down and prayed. Peter commanded Tabitha to get up, and she opened her eyes and sat up.  Her friends were astounded and overjoyed at the same time. Through this story, we can learn that the exchange of loving gestures is part of being in the community of believers. See you in church. Blessings

Help from a Great Preacher

We had a problem.

Mary was preaching elsewhere and I was in the hospital. Mary called my dear friend Rev. Eric McKinney, retired, and he drove up from Georgetown to fill the pulpit. And what a great sermon!

Our deepest thanks to Eric.

We would love for him to preach again—when he is already in town!

My Hospital Stay

When my leg began to swell on Friday, I knew what was happening. I was hospitalized “in screaming pain” last year with blood clots after COVID. It took surgery to remove the clots.

I went to emergency on Saturday, was placed on intravenous blood thinner and prepped for surgery on Monday. A CT scan showed the clot did not extend far enough up to require surgery. I’m back on Eliquis.

I was released late Monday. It is now Tuesday.

Swelling almost gone. A bit weak but feeling fine.

Will be back Sunday.

Mary preaches.

And we gather at the Lord’s table.

Breakfast this Sunday

A “Winston Sunday.”

Let’s have breakfast together—10:30 a.m.

Special Giving Sunday

This is it—May 5—Special Giving Sunday.

You may give extra if you are able. Our church needs extra help in May. If you are not able, do not give extra. The Lord will provide.

God Bless—MB

Administrative Board members, be prepared for a called Board meeting this Sunday after worship. We will discuss it with Board Chair Winston (and others) this Sunday to see if a brief meeting is necessary.

Greetings to all,

The great news is that Max is feeling better and will be back with us this Sunday! I am thankful for Eric McKinney and for his message on Sunday. I enjoyed my time at Good Shepherd. They are a loving and affirming congregation, active in their community and with each other. We should invite them to a picnic sometime at St. Matthew.

I am preaching this Sunday and from the way things are going in North Carolina, I will have good news to share from the UMC General Conference. Through the grace of God, this United Methodist Church is moving past meddling in the private lives of its members and clergy. The same grace will get this church back into a place of relevance in the world, sharing the unconditional love of God, and being the hands and feet of the embodied Christ. Thankfully, we will be able to finally do as we have been instructed by Christ, Love the Lord with all our hearts, minds and bodies. And, love our neighbors AND ourselves.” Love to all! I hope to see you Sunday.

Our story begins with a conflict between two groups in the early church. The issue involves the case of some widows not receiving enough food during the daily distribution of food.

The twelve call a meeting of all the disciples. They realize they need to focus on prayer and proclaiming God’s word rather than serving food, so they ask the community to select seven disciples from among them to serve.

They specify that the “new disciples” must be wise and filled with the Holy Spirit. This proposal pleases the whole community. The community selects seven people and presents them to the twelve, who pray for them and lay hands on them. God’s word continues to spread, and the number of disciples in Jerusalem increases.

Children may wonder why the disciples needed more help or why they couldn’t do it on their own. We might have this problem too. Sometimes children say “Don’t help me, I can do it myself!” But sometimes we need the help. It is okay to ask for help and work together to spread God’s love.

This shows that the disciples were paying attention; they wanted to provide more help for the community and then moved forward to organize that work.

We are all called to find ways to unite and act in love for one another, each sharing our gifts and talents to benefit the larger goals of the faith. We use our talents at church for the benefit of everyone.

A Tour Through History

Connie (Owensby) Eley reminds me I left out a lot of the joy in my run through the history of our congregation’s 128 years. That youth group in the late 60s and early 70s filled two rows in church every week. Her brother, our beloved Hubert Owensby, who passed last year, was a youth leader.

I also neglected to tell you that the folks still here in the early 80s when I came as pastor were fiercely loyal to this church—and very proud of St. Matthew.

This church has survived on love.

But I also wanted you to know that love alone won’t do it if we have no way to reach out to the world with that love.

Friday’s Word (or something like it) is still absolutely essential to the ongoing life of this church. We have lost a lot of people through death in the last three years. If you omit from our congregation the people we have gained through Friday’s Word during that time, we would have to be considered a dying church.

Why?—because we would be.

As long as we think of this as “Max’s project,” we are missing the point. This is our project.

Many once-large churches are gone from the East Side. We are still here. Let us give thanks.

Breakfast this Sunday

A “Bring It Sunday.” I’ll bring something.

Let’s have breakfast together—10:30 a.m.

Sunday’s Sermon

Sermon Sunday: That Great Getting’ Up Mornin’

I may sing a solo—if no one stops me.

Special Giving Sunday

You may give extra this Sunday if you are able. If you are not able, do not do so. The Lord will provide.

God Bless—MB

Prayer for our members who are ill. We miss you and think of you often. Our love to Tracy Maxwell.