Happy 2024 to all. May each day be filled with the peace of Christ and the knowledge that you are God’s beloved child. We had another amazing service this past Sunday capped off by a great sermon from our senior pastor, Max Brennan. We are blessed beyond belief to have such a gifted and insightful person to shepherd our congregation. Thank you for making my mother feel so welcome on Sunday.

Many folks in the community are coming down with flu/COVID/RSV or a variety of other upper respiratory and some stomach issues. Please be careful. We have made many advances in the treatment of all of these illnesses; however, we are not free of any of them. Wash your hands frequently, stay away from folks who are sick, stay home if you are one of the sick folks, and avoid large gatherings.

I look forward to 2024 with you. My ordination interviews are coming quickly and then, with God’s grace, I will be ordained a provisional elder in June at Annual Conference. Details to come! I could not be in this position without your love and support. 

IF YOU ARE AN ADMIN BOARD, FINANCE COMMITTEE, PASTOR/PARISH RELATIONS COMMITTEE, or ANY OTHER COMMITTEE MEMBER AT SAINT MATTHEW, WE MEET THIS SUNDAY AFTER CHURCH. We will be discussing some very important plans for 2024 so you don’t want to miss this meeting or others will be making your decisions for you. Love to all, Mary

We have been exploring many aspects of the birth of baby Jesus. This week, we met the Magi. The Magi were wise men who studied the stars. They saw an unusual star in the sky one night and knew from their studies that a king was born. We don’t know the number of Magi for sure; but because we hear of them bringing gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh, we usually refer to them as the three Magi.

Like the shepherds, the Magi were unexpected people who visited the Holy Family. The Magi brought gifts to share with Jesus and we also have gifts to share. We need to remember that gifts can be something that we do for other people or things we can share with the world. Jesus was born so all people would know that God loved them.

The Magi are considered the first people to worship Jesus, and they were not Jewish. This is one of the first signs that God’s love is open and free for everyone, no matter who they are.

We had a visitor in class, Mr. Brian McCosky. Mr. McCosky told the kids about his visit to Jerusalem and Bethlehem. He visited the birthplace of the baby Jesus and described the hill where the cross was placed. The kids had many questions for him because they wanted to know where he had visited and what it looked like. Hopefully we see you in church this Sunday so we can continue our journey with Jesus.

Blessings

A Great St. Matthew Christmas

What a glorious Christmas we have had at St. Matthew. There are sorrows in the world. There are sorrows in our own lives. But God spoke his love for us in our Christmas services and we give thanks.

We had 97 on Christmas Eve—and remarkable music. We must thank Blake Glass, our phenomenal choir director, who makes our great music possible, along with Kristi, Shannon, and our choir. Our small choir sounds better than most large ones. We were slightly augmented on Christmas Eve with guest singers. I’ve never heard such beauty in any church.

Shannon’s voice in the solo Sunday morning was a complete surprise. We had not heard the “operatic” Shannon. It was truly remarkable.

And when Blake hit the high notes on “O Holy Night” on Christmas Eve—it gave us goosebumps.

I could go on and on.

I thank God for our Christmas services.

And we had an excellent offering which will help us close out the year successfully.

May our Lord be praised for his loving kindness among us.

New Year’s Day Communion

We will have communion the next two weeks—the last Sunday of the old year and the first Sunday of the new. We celebrate the passing year and our future in Jesus Christ. It seems somehow a blessing to gather at the Lord’s table on the eve of a new year. We can make a new commitment to love the Lord more deeply in the year ahead.

May your life be filled with thanksgiving.

I hope you can be with us this Sunday.

God bless—MB

Remember—Suzanne Brennan’s hospitalization and Tracy Maxwell’s surgery this Thursday.

It is almost 2024! If you are like me, you are probably thinking of a bunch of things to do differently next year: eat better, exercise, save more, etc. Let’s pick one thing to do well next year. Just one thing for the first day. Then add or take away something when you feel like you have done the first thing well. Pray every day to just do the next right thing. Let your successes be your successes and your failures be your lessons. The best thing is we don’t have to do it all alone. God is always with us in our struggles. I pray for each of us a fulfilling and life-changing 2024. See you Sunday! Love, Mary

Everyone is so busy this time of year with shopping, baking lots of cookies and preparing wonderful meals for the family to gather. But let’s not forget the shepherds in the fields quietly going about their night keeping watch over their sheep, when suddenly an angel appeared to them.

The angel said, “Don’t be afraid! I bring good news to you, wonderful, joyful news for all people!” The shepherds were terrified. Instead of running away in terror, they listened to the message and decided to go to Bethlehem to confirm that the message that the angel brought was true. When they got there, they confirmed that it was true. After seeing this, they left and told others, praising God, and expressing joy about the birth of the Savior.

Shepherds were the first to hear of Jesus’ birth. Some think that the shepherds were first to hear of Jesus’ birth because they were low on the social rung, and God wanted it known that Jesus was for everyone. We do know that the shepherds went to Bethlehem and found Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus. Then the shepherds returned home and shared the news of Jesus’ birth.

From the angels to the shepherds to the world, the good news of Jesus is for all people. Joy is meant to be shared, as joy is for all. See you in church Sunday so you can tell us of your joy!

Blessings, Miss Sue and Miss Vickie.