Greetings to you in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord,

Sunday was a very tender day for many of us. It was a day of profound grief and immeasurable joy. I have discovered that both emotions bring me to tears and so Sunday was a very, very tender day. I was not alone in shedding tears of sadness over the loss of Julie M. Julie and Tracy have been a major force in our church, always generous with their time and talents. And, I saw many of you with “leaking eyes” when Anna and Tyler stood at the back as evidence of God’s miracles in our lives. Our family is forever grateful to you for your prayers and for those of you able to sit vigil as Anna healed from her illness.

It is strange to be in the “bittersweet” as we were yesterday, but I am wondering if we are not always living there. We never lose the grief that accompanies loss in our lives and we can always find a miracle in our lives if we look close enough. I think that is what being Easter People means. We are able to see the miracle in the presence of great sorrow. We can do so because we are God’s beloved children and we are never alone no matter where the pendulum is swinging. 

I enjoyed Max’s history lesson on Sunday. It is wonderful to belong to a congregation with so much history. And I am thankful that a newspaper article is the beginning for many folks. I also know that even if the newspaper brings people in, it is you, our loving and caring congregation, who keep people coming back. Saint Matthew has been revived several times in its history and we may face the need for a more modern intervention soon. But, the heart of our Lord joined to the heart of all of you keeps this church alive.

I am one of those “newspaper” people who wandered into St. Matthew after seeing the Meadowbrook News. But it isn’t any newspaper that keeps me coming back. It isn’t even my job there as associate pastor. I keep coming back, my family keeps coming back because of you. We love you dearly, Mary.

This week we had a nice lesson about a community of believers who worked together for the good of everyone in their community. They held everything in common—meaning that they shared and looked out for one another.

By doing this, they created a community where no one was needy. They even sold their properties and houses to add to the wealth of the community. Their shared resources were managed by the apostles, who distributed them to those in need. This was not mandatory, but people did this to share and honor God. Sharing was a way of showing love and friendship.

As Christians today, we are called to share what we have with those in need. Sharing is hard sometimes for kids. It can also be hard for adults as we might feel ill-equipped or unable to help those who need the most. We often want to hold close to the things we have worked hard for.

This story reminded me of our very own Mr. Bill Parker, who donates so much time and energy to Eastside Ministries. We all have a chance to help Bill by donating our good used clothing to Eastside. They are always in need of donations of food and clothing.

I learned that they give out sack lunches, lots of bottled water, and boxes of food donated to them by stores to those in need. If you would like to volunteer to help Eastside Ministries, they could use your help — see Mr. Parker at church on Sunday for more information.

Blessings, see you in church Sunday….

Eastside Ministries 40th

It’s at the Botanical Gardens this Friday.

It starts at 6:30. Ticket price is $75 per plate. That’s because this is a fundraiser for the poor on the Eastside of Fort Worth. Raising money is what it is about. But the buffet will be good.

I am the event MC. Blake and Shannon will sing.

You can still get tickets. Just call Bill Parker: 817-296-0065.

Breakfast this Sunday

“Let’s Bring It” Sunday worked well for breakfast. The third Sunday (this Sunday) is a Winston week. Breakfast begins at 10:30.

Sunday’s Sermon

My sermon for Sunday is not the one I announced last week. The new title: Believe It or Not.

Our choir will sing: Jesus Never Failed Me Yet.

Help! Please

We have a temporary problem. But it won’t be a problem if enough people give a special gift on Sunday, May 5. (Or give it earlier—writing “Special gift” on your offering.)

We did not sufficiently prepare for this lag in our finances. I plan for us to do better next year. And we do need to increase our monthly income to avoid this happening again, but this will come with time.

By the way, your giving is entirely private. Only our Treasurer ever sees your gifts. There is never any pressure in giving.

This is God’s business we are in.

“Relax—and trust.”

God always sees us through.

Our love to our members who are ill.

You are in our prayers.

May the Lord hold you in his care.

God bless—MB

By the way—are you aware that in two years—2026—we will celebrate the 130th Anniversary of this congregation? We began life in 1896 in a Victorian clapboard church on Bessie Street. And the best is yet to come.

Greetings to you in the name of the risen Christ, 

I am grateful that our choir will be back this Sunday. We are singing a song, He Never Failed Me Yet. It is a beautiful song, in spite of the fact that God is identified as “HE.” I am looking forward to our spring choir events. I am also grateful to announce that our church concerts are starting back this spring. Max is arranging the first two concerts. In June, we will be blessed with performances by Cassandra Kirby and Nicholas Garza, professional musicians from the DFW area, and good friends of Blake. I will have more details as we get closer but the concert is on June 8th at 7 pm. This will be an event you do not want to miss and one that you will want to bring all your friends to enjoy.

On a serious note, I am requesting a committed and concerted prayer response from the members of our church for Julie and Tracy, Mac and Faith, and Doug and Sue. Also, our sister Suzanne is home but still battling leg issues. The prayer list is kept a private part of our website. If you have questions or concerns about our prayer list, please contact me at [email protected].

Blessings and love to all of you! Mary

This Sunday, we heard one of the amazing stories of Jesus’ wonders and his amazing power to heal.

During biblical times, poor people who needed assistance would sit by the gates of the temple and ask for help from people who passed by. People sometimes would give them money, food, or clothes. Jesus instructed people to give to anyone who asked.

In this story, when a man who is crippled sees Peter and John, he immediately asks them for money. However, Peter tells the man they have no money for him but offers something better. Peter commands the man to rise in the name of Jesus and then pulls him up by the hand. The man is healed by the power of Jesus and begins to walk, leap, and praise God. He even joins Peter and John in the temple. People are amazed to see the man who was unable to move on his own for so long up and able to move freely.

Children also encounter people who need help. They may not know what to do, but we can all help with a small task or assist one person at a time.

This story includes amazement and surprise, common responses to these kinds of healings. When we don’t know what to do, we can pray. Our kids made prayer jars to remind them that they could write prayers and put them in their jars to be taken out when they needed to pray. See you in church.

Blessings