Saint Matthew United Methodist Church

  • Max’s Corner

    Max Brennan

    FOR SUNDAY, JULY 16

    SERMON: A Word from the Lord

    SCRIPTURE: Galatians 1:9-11

    As we have said before, so now I repeat, if anyone proclaims to you a gospel contrary to what you received, let that one be accursed…For the gospel that was proclaimed by me is not of human origin. I did not receive it from a human source, nor was I taught it. I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.

    THE BIG EVENT

    You know what it is.

    When Blake and Shannon sing for us, it’s a big event. And we’ve never heard them sing Broadway stuff. This should be terrific!

    The “Broadway Night Concert” begins at 6:00pm this Saturday. Supper follows. It’s free, but we will take an offering.

    The food is potluck. If we luck out, the food will be good. (I am bringing tuna sandwiches.) The fellowship will be great.

    DON’T FORGET TO COME!

    This Saturday at 6:00 pm.

    MY SERMON LAST WEEK

    Back after my illness. Still wasn’t feeling great. The sermon was long and tedious. But I’m feeling better. Don’t plan to do that to you again.

    I do hope to see you Sunday (after I see you Saturday!).

    GOD BLESS—MB

  • Mary’s Corner

    Mary Teague

    Hello to everyone! I hope you are all staying cool and dry in this heat and humidity. A little bit of rain is helpful, I think. Or it may just contribute to the humidity. Summer in Texas must be the closest thing to Hell we can imagine without actually being there. I look forward to the 3 days of mild fall weather we will probably have in November. 🙂 Yvonne Lee let me know today that her niece Cindy is being discharged this week from rehab and will return home. And Julie Maxwell tells me that Tracy still has serious pain and is scheduled for an MRI and several office visits this week. Charlotte Holder has had some relief from the procedure she had on her back, but she still asks for prayers from you. Keep these and all our folks with health issues in your prayers this week.

    We have some exciting things coming up: July 15th at 6 pm is our “Night at the Theater” featuring Shannon and Blake with a Potluck Dinner to follow. August 4th is our “Back to School Bash” for the kids in our congregation. A sign-up list will be available this Sunday to help with the event. We will have hot dogs and a movie night. This event begins at 5:30 with food and fellowship. The movie will start at 6:30. Everyone is invited, even if you aren’t going back to school. We will not need to purchase school supplies for the elementary school kids, but I think new backpacks would be good for all of them. Or perhaps gift cards so that they can pick out their own. We will discuss.

    Finally, the Admin Board meets this Sunday after church. If you have anything you would like to be added to the agenda, please let me or Winston know.

    Blessings to all, Mary

  • Kids’ News

    Sue Kelcey

    This week we had another very interesting lesson. We had a problem though—No kids! They must all be out of town on vacation. We may have to go over this lesson again next week. The Lord came to Jonah and asked him to go to Nineveh and warn the inhabitants to repent. Nineveh was the capital city of Assyria, an enemy of the Israelites. The Assyrians attacked Israel in 772 BC and destroyed many of the Israelites and their homes. Jonah does not want to preach to Israel’s enemy. So, Jonah runs away.

    Jonah gets on a boat heading away from Nineveh. God sends a storm. The sailors throw Jonah overboard to save themselves. God sends a big fish to swallow Jonah. Jonah prays to God and apologizes from the belly of the fish. Jonah was in the belly of the fish for 3 days and 3 nights. God had the big fish vomit Jonah onto dry land, now we are back to where we started. God told Noah to go to Nineveh and warn the people to repent. Jonah was still not happy to go to Nineveh, so he didn’t put much energy into it. He walked through the streets for 3 days hollering that in 40 days God is going to destroy the city. Despite his poor efforts, the Ninevites did repent, and God spares them. Whether this story is true or not, it is important to follow God’s call. God is merciful and allows second chances. These people experienced God’s mercifulness. See you next Sunday to share another lesson on God’s love.

    Blessings, Mrs. Sue, Mrs. Vickie

  • 2330 – “Did God Create a Mess?”

    Jason Hardy
    YouTube player

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

    Register your attendance

    Genesis 2:18-24 New International Version

    18 The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”

    19 Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. 20 So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals.

    But for Adam[a] no suitable helper was found. 21 So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs[b] and then closed up the place with flesh. 22 Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib[c] he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.

    23 The man said,

    “This is now bone of my bones
        and flesh of my flesh;
    she shall be called ‘woman,’
        for she was taken out of man.”

    24 That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.

    Tags:

  • Friday’s Word

    Max Brennan

    Back in the pulpit this Sunday after a two-weeks absence due to illness.

    Remember the classic novelty song from the late 50s: Yakety Yak?

    Take out the papers
    and the trash—
    Yakety yak, yakety yak.

    Ah, they don’t write them like that anymore.

    But that’s what we will be doing in a series of sermons over the next few weeks: taking out the trash.

    Trash theology, that is.

    In visiting old churches in England, I noticed the ground beneath the east window often rises up on the church. That’s because so many people wanted to be buried there—close to the altar inside the church.

    If you had money (like Mr. Shakespeare) you could be buried in front of the altar inside.

    It was believed that those closest to the altar would be the first to rise on Resurrection Day.

    Silly—including the idea of a Resurrection Day.

    It’s trash theology.

    We are “raised” the moment we die. Life continues uninterrupted.

    In a spiritual world, we will have no use for those bones in the ground.

    (Or that powder after a cremation.)

    Paul said, “To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.” And every NDE tells us the soul, the true self, our consciousness, lives on.

    Yet, surprisingly, many people still believe that, at death, we enter some “great sleep,” to be awakened at the “General Resurrection.”

    Even the theologian John Pokingham says, “God will remember us back into existence.” Great minds can come up with dumb ideas–and bad theology.

    This Sunday we will take more bad theology out with the trash.

    Join us at 11:00.

    In-person, if you can.