Saint Matthew United Methodist Church

  • Kids’ News

    Sue Kelcey

    It appears that Spring Break from school has taken our kids out of town! We missed you this Sunday as we were studying the Passover meal.

    The Passover meal is celebrated each year to mark the Israelites’ escape from slavery in Egypt. The Passover meal with Jesus would be different, but they did not know that. During the meal, Jesus gave thanks for the bread and broke it and then took the cup and blessed it. Jesus used the bread and the cup, everyday items, to remind the disciples of His Body (the bread) and His Blood (the cup) given for them and for us. They have become symbols in our church today. Symbols of God’s love in Christian churches.

    During Communion, we recite the familiar words, “Do this in remembrance of Me”, and share the bread and cup to remember the life and death of Jesus. We all might practice and participate communion differently; however, we can remember Jesus and His example by simply sharing a meal. Whether we share a meal with friends and family or come forward to receive the elements in worship, we have the opportunity to remember.

    On Easter Sunday, we have a big celebration in the way of an Easter egg hunt right before church! Be sure to remind Dad and Mom to get you to church early!! When I arrived home from church last
    Sunday, I found a big box filled with eggs that contained monster trucks, dinosaurs, puppies, army men, teddy bears, puppies, bugs, bubbles and Mom’s favorite, slime!! Of course these will also be filled with candy for your hunt!! Last year, the kids took the plastic eggs home, so we need donations of plastic eggs and small individually wrapped candy to fill all our eggs with sweets!

    Can you help us by donating plastic eggs or candy we can use for our kids? Just drop it off in our room any time before Easter!

    Thanks for your help… Blessings!

  • Saint Matthew Today for March 13, 2024

    Jason Hardy
    2024-03-13-St-Matthew-TodayDownload

  • 2411 – The Road Goes On

    Jason Hardy
    YouTube player

    Watch the full service on our YouTube channel by clicking here.

    https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/saintmatthewumc/episodes/Episode-2411—The-Road-Goes-On-e2h0ii1
    Register your attendance

  • Friday’s Word

    Max Brennan

    A Good Lunch Wouldn’t Do It

    Scientists have tried a new peer-reviewed test on the Shroud of Turin. It’s called a Wide-angle X-ray Scattering test.

    It dated the cloth to the time of Christ—as have 210 other tests, including one other dating test.

    Only the Carbon 14 tests of 1988 came up with a date in the Middle Ages.

    It is scientists who keep the Shroud conversation going. Many of them who have studied the Shroud are convinced by it.

    I’m not a scientist.

    But I’m smarter than I look. And I am convinced.

    And have been for 40 years.

    I did a mean thing once, back in theology school. Just for fun, I asked one of my professors what he thought of the Shroud.

    Apoplectic. I think that’s the word for his response.

    “That old rag!” he said.

    He didn’t want it to be real. His idea of the resurrection is something like this: Jesus died.

    The disciples were sad.

    They had a good lunch.

    Felt better.

    “Hey!” they said. “It almost feels like Jesus is still with us.”

    Let’s go tell the world!

    Was there something in the meatloaf that set them on fire?

    Or was the grave empty?

    And did Jesus appear to them?

    I would guess the latter.

    A filmmaker in England has offered one million dollars to anyone who can reproduce the Shroud.

    No takers yet.

    But here’s how you do it.

    To reproduce the image on the Shroud, you would have to crucify somebody.

    That’s the easy part.

    (Except for the poor guy who gets crucified.)

    Next step: You wrap the poor chap in linen and persuade God to raise him from the dead.

    That’s it!

    You’re a millionaire!

  • Max’s Corner

    Max Brennan

    One More Year

    Mary has been asked by the Ordination Board to wait one more year for her commissioning. I think they are afraid to do anything before getting beyond the vote at the upcoming General Conference. They know it will not make a difference in Mary’s ministry—which continues as it is. Which is, of course, a continual blessing to us.

    After that vote, there may be no commissioning.

    I would hope Mary would go straight to ordination and this long journey of preparation would be over for her. But she is as much “in ministry” now as she will ever be. We can all wait.

    No Breakfast This Sunday

    It is Winston’s birthday and he will be away celebrating. We do still need someone to take over breakfast preparation one Sunday a month. Winston can’t continue to do it every week.

    This Sunday

    Sermon: “The Cross Is an X-Ray”

    We will open this Sunday with an old hymn that is fun to sing but which has some bad theology in it.

    We will be talking about the Atonement.

    How does the Cross of Christ save us?

    If I asked you that question—how would you answer it?

    Expect great music this Sunday.

    Why? Because we always have great music.

    Two Sundays Till Palm Sunday

    And Palm Sunday dinner and then Holy Week. And then—you guessed it—Easter.

    See you in worship.

    God bless—MB