Hello friends and family of St. Matthew,

I pray that, along with peace and wisdom, God has blessed you this week with warmth and comfort. My heart has been especially full of prayer for our siblings who are living without access to shelter. Recent news stories have highlighted the number of people who spent this past weekend living in tents during the extreme cold. I am deeply grateful for the efforts of organizations that serve our unsheltered neighbors, including Under the Bridge Ministries, When We Love, and many others. If you are able, please find a way to help.

If you or someone you know needs assistance with utilities, groceries, or transportation, please call the church at 817-451-6980 or email us at [email protected].

I would also like to thank Brian McCosky for securing the church during the cold temperatures this weekend. The inside of the church is warm and dry. At the same time, we continue to monitor the parking lots for safety, as ice remains about five inches deep in some areas. The south parking lot—the larger lot next to the Fellowship Hall—is clearing nicely. The smaller north lot has areas that receive little sunlight during the winter months. If you venture out for worship on Sunday, please use the south parking lot for your safety.

This Sunday is Communion Sunday. Like the remembrance of our baptism two weeks ago, we will recall the last night Jesus spent with His followers in the upper room. Through the symbols of bread and wine, we remember the sacrifice of Jesus’ body and the shedding of His blood. We will acknowledge that we have not always lived as Jesus lived—that we have not always loved one another, offered comfort and healing, or served God as we know we should. We will confess these shortcomings and, covered in grace as we share the table together, remember again that God loves us all equally and unconditionally.

We celebrate communion as a means of God’s grace in our lives, focused on the restoration of our relationship with God. I look forward to seeing you on Sunday. If you are unable to be with us in person, please have a piece of bread and something to drink ready so that you may participate in communion virtually. We are bound together by what these sacraments represent—the overwhelming, never-ending, precious love of God.

Until Sunday, peace be with you.

Mary

When Jesus was grown, he knew it was time to begin the work God had given him to do. Before teaching crowds or healing the sick, Jesus went to the Jordan River. People were coming to John, Jesus’ cousin, to be baptized as a way to turn their hearts back to God and begin again.

Jesus stepped into the water where John was baptizing. John was surprised because he knew Jesus was special. But Jesus asked John to baptize him anyway. When Jesus came up out of the water, something amazing happened. The heavens opened, the Holy Spirit came down like a dove, and a voice from heaven said, “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased” (Luke 3:22).

Before Jesus healed anyone, taught crowds, or performed miracles, God reminded him who he was—beloved. This story shows us that baptism is about belonging. God spoke love over Jesus, and God speaks that same love over us.

What We Learned

• Jesus chose baptism to begin the work God called him to do.
• God named Jesus beloved before he did anything else.
• Baptism reminds us that we belong to God.
• God’s love comes first, even before we do anything special.

Due to the expected severe winter weather, Saint Matthew UMC will cancel in-person activities and worship this Sunday, January 25, to ensure the safety of our congregation, staff, and community. We encourage everyone to stay warm, stay safe, and take care of one another during this time. Please watch for updates on our website and social channels as we continue to monitor conditions and share next steps.

We may not have worship this Sunday because of the weather. There is no good reason to put people at risk.

How will our members know?

Simple. If the roads are dangerous, we will not have church. If there is ice on the roads, we will not
have church. But is there any question?

The weather people on TV sound pretty certain.

Listen—just the cold alone will be enough for folks to stay home. The cold itself is dangerous if the
car stalls or you get stuck.

Even if we got to church in that kind of cold, we would not be happy.

Let’s take a stand!

We will not risk someone getting hurt.

We will NOT meet for worship this Sunday.

NO service at St. Matthew this Sunday.

We can miss one week.

And live to tell about it.

Last Sunday and Coming Events

Hey! We have another soloist in our midst. Lynette’s solo last week was really beautiful. We
resumed the Pastor’s class with all seats full. (It will also skip a week, of course.)

The choir was scheduled to resume rehearsal this Sunday. That will be delayed one week to Feb. 1st.

And on Feb. 1st, all of our worship forces will be back in place for a great service.

See you—but not THIS Sunday.

God Bless
[email protected]

Greetings, friends and family of Saint Matthew,

I bring you peace and love in the name of the baptized Christ. I pray that you found meaning in our worship on Sunday as we remembered our baptisms—or leaned into the promise of baptism still to come. The sacredness of the water, the community of saints gathered together, and the presence of the Holy Spirit made it a deeply meaningful moment for me.

I was baptized multiple times in my previous faith tradition. As a United Methodist, I now understand how unnecessary that was. Still, I remain grateful for the first time I was baptized. I remember, at six years old, feeling the urging of the Holy Spirit on my heart to make Jesus the Lord of my life. The church of my childhood baptized new followers of Jesus, and I remember feeling different afterward—changed in a way I could not fully explain. John Wesley described these moments as having a “heart strangely warmed,” and he taught that baptism is a sign of the promises we make to God: to renounce the spiritual forces of wickedness, reject the evil powers of this world, repent of our sins, live as disciples of Jesus, and participate fully in the life of the church.

I am grateful that we touched those eternal waters together on Sunday. I am grateful for your love, your support, and for the ways you work faithfully to keep this church alive and strong. God never intended us to walk this path alone—without God or without one another. Our baptisms bind us together in God’s divine love.

I also want to share joyful news: Anna is home from the hospital. Thank you so very much for your prayers and support. Once again, God has worked a miracle in our lives. The car was destroyed, but the frame around the interior did not bend. She was kept safe within it, cushioned by the airbags and held in the presence of God. Life can change so quickly, with every breath.

I pray for joy unspeakable to fall upon your lives. I pray for a peace that cannot be explained to fill your hearts. Remember your baptism. Remember that you are God’s beloved.