Saint Matthew United Methodist Church

  • Kids’ News

    Sue Kelcey

    Jesus was walking along the shore of the Galilean Sea when he saw two brothers, Peter and Andrew, fishing with nets. Jesus called to them: “Come, follow me! I will teach you how to fish for people.”

    They dropped everything and followed Jesus. Further along the shore, Jesus saw two brothers, James and John, fishing with their father. He called out to them the same invitation and they left their father to follow Jesus.

    The phase “to fish for people” is Jesus’ invitation for us to truly follow him. This is a calling for everyone. When we accept this calling, we are invited to be disciples and to share this message with the world. Everyone is called. We can all be a follower of Jesus; we are all included.

    Thanks for being in church with us to learn more about this invitation.

    Blessings

  • Saint Matthew Today for January 24th, 2024

    Jason Hardy
    2024-01-24-St-Matthew-TodayDownload

  • 2403 – The Source of Power

    Jason Hardy
    YouTube player

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

    https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/saintmatthewumc/episodes/The-Source-of-Power-e2g2hfc
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    Romans 7:14-25 New International Version

    14 We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. 15 I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. 16 And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. 17 As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. 18 For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature.[a]For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.

    21 So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22 For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; 23 but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. 24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? 25 Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!

    So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature[b] a slave to the law of sin.

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  • Friday’s Word

    Max Brennan

    The Book of Revelation

    The final decision at the Council of Hippo in 397 was to include the Book of Revelation in the canon of the Bible.

    It was a mistake.

    After that, it has been hard to get Christians to listen to the teachings of Jesus in the Gospels.

    Our natural inclination is toward revenge, and the Book of Revelation is a book of vengeance. In it, both God and his Son are rough customers.

    God pours out bowls of wrath on the earth and sends fire and earthquakes.

    And Jesus rides in on a white horse with a sword in his mouth and cuts off the heads of his enemies.

    And that’s it.

    That’s the undoing of the image of God we have in the Gospels.

    That wipes out the essential teaching of Jesus—that God loves us, even if we are the worst of sinners. For God loves God’s enemies.

    Jesus says God is “kind to the ungrateful and to the wicked.”

    So, Christians face a choice: They must choose bowls of wrath or grace.

    They must choose a Jesus who cuts off heads or dies for us on the cross.

    They can’t have both.

    And many Christians, particularly evangelicals, choose the image of God from Revelation.

    That tells us why a political figure who is all about vengeance has the support of so many people who claim to follow Jesus Christ.

    That politician was once asked to name his favorite verse of scripture.

    He said, “An eye for and eye and a tooth for a tooth.” Yes, the very verse Jesus quoted to say that it was wrong.

    And so is that “book of vengeance” in the Bible.

    It is wrong about God.

  • Max’s Corner

    Max Brennan

    What a Good—COLD—Sunday!

    Well—I lied—inadvertently—in last week’s newsletter. I said—jokingly–the heat would be working on the cold upcoming Sunday. Of course, it
    would. It always has been.

    But not last Sunday. It wasn’t working properly. It got up to 55 degrees in the sanctuary. Everybody kept their coats on and we had a great time.

    The heat is being fixed this week.

    (Fortunately, the rest of the church was warm.)

    This Sunday

    I always wind my old grandfather clock in my living room every Sunday. I was doing so last Sunday evening and was suddenly fascinated by the thing that provides the power that keeps it running. And I decided what I want to preach on this Sunday. My scripture is the story of Jesus casting out an “unclean spirit” (Luke 4:31-37). My sermon title is “The Source of Power.”

    Mary is gone one more Sunday.

    Kristi will be back.

    The heat WILL be on.

    Expect a time of joyful worship.

    God bless—MB

    Do NOT forget the great breakfast Winston prepares for us every week—10:30 before worship. It has become a great time f fellowship.

    See you at breakfast.