Saint Matthew United Methodist Church

  • A Gift Outright

    Jason Hardy
    YouTube player

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

    https://spotifycreators-web.app.link/e/dFGKEwkwYVb

    Matthew 20:1-16 (New International Version)

    The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard

    20 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. 2 He agreed to pay them a denarius[a] for the day and sent them into his vineyard.

    3 “About nine in the morning he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. 4 He told them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ 5 So they went.

    “He went out again about noon and about three in the afternoon and did the same thing. 6 About five in the afternoon he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’

    7 “‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered.

    “He said to them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard.’

    8 “When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.’

    9 “The workers who were hired about five in the afternoon came and each received a denarius. 10 So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. 11 When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. 12 ‘These who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said, ‘and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.’

    13 “But he answered one of them, ‘I am not being unfair to you, friend. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? 14 Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you. 15 Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’

    16 “So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”

    Tags:

  • It’s All About Love

    Jason Hardy

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

  • Friday’s Word

    Max Brennan

    Life just goes on for most of us, even as our
    country changes around us.

    The horrors hardly touch us.

    We have a secret police force now, extravagantly
    funded and growing.

    The ICE police wear masks. And they disappear
    people.

    They pick our neighbors up, carry them off, and
    no one knows where they take them.

    They are Imprisoned, somewhere, often in a
    foreign country.

    As far as their families are concerned, just gone.
    We used to hear about this in other countries. It
    was inconceivable in America. Now, it is our everyday
    reality.

    The 21 year-old daughter of a New York
    Episcopal priest of Korean heritage was recently
    disappeared in this way. Gone.

    Some are detained in this country before being
    shipped off.

    In one detention center, the ICE police make
    migrants eat like dogs from dishes placed on the floor.
    Authoritarians are good at this: dehumanization.

    Look at Hitler’s bunch.

    They found endless ways to dehumanize the Jews.
    And when you have corruption at the very top, it
    works its way down.

    When the leader is an amoral bully, those below
    have permission to do as they wish.

    Sending a person to a prison in Libya is not the
    same as sending him to the gas chamber.

    But for the man’s wife and children, this loved one
    is just as gone.

    Still, for most of us, life goes on. But it’s not
    the same. Because we know.

    Under our government, people like you and me
    are being fed like dogs.

    Lord, hear our prayer.

    saintmatthewumc.com
    [email protected]

  • Max’s Corner

    Max Brennan

    The Passing of Morton H. Meyerson

    Mr. Morton H. Meyerson, businessman and philanthropist and partner of Ross Perot, has died at age 87 following a two-year battle with cancer.

    What does that have to do with St. Matthew?
    Mr. Meyerson, who was Jewish, has sent several thousand dollars in gifts to St. Matthew over the last few years.
    He sometimes read Friday’s Word and appreciated my stand against some of the political forces of our time.
    He even came to the church to meet me three years ago. We had a great time together.

    His name lives on in the Dallas Symphony Center named after him, and in my memory as a gracious man with a warm heart and a sense of humor.
    He also lives on in the same heaven we will all be going to. May God be praised.

    Watching Online

    Jason is on vacation and, at this writing, I am not able to find our service online, but it may be there later.
    We did the microphones a little differently last Sunday. I want to see if it worked.
    I am uncertain when the audio/video work will be completed. I am sure it will be finished by the time Jason gets back on the 17th.

    My Class

    We continue with the chapter on suffering from my as-yet-unpublished book, Discovering God. We have some exciting accounts to consider.
    You are welcome to this class.
    At 9:45—followed by breakfast.

    Breakfast This Sunday

    It’s a “We-bring” Sunday.
    Help, if you can.
    At 10:30.

    Concert Confusion

    We have two concerts coming up.
    One is our great MSB Gospel Choir concert on Saturday, Sept. 20, for which we are selling tickets.
    The other one is a Sunday morning concert on Oct. 31—moved to this date to make sure our new audio/video equipment is in and working.

    This Sunday

    Sermon: It’s All About Love.
    The scripture will be the 13th chapter of Corinthians.
    I look forward to gathering with you this Sunday in the house of the Lord!

    Come, let us be uplifted, encouraged, through worship and thanksgiving.

    God bless—MB

  • Mary’s Corner

    Mary Teague

    Greetings, dear church family and friends,

    I missed you all so much this past weekend. Family obligations are sometimes unavoidable—even for church staff. Your continued prayers are appreciated as we still have some family matters to tend to. Thank you for your understanding, and I apologize for missing Communion Sunday with you.

    We’ve already had more than 50 concert tickets sold—or picked up by members who are helping us sell them. If you haven’t gotten yours yet, now’s the time! We’ll be offering online ticket sales soon, and I anticipate this concert will sell out quickly. Please also remember: this is an all-hands-on-deck event. Your help is needed as we welcome the community and raise support for Eastside Community Assistance. Dinner will be served after the concert, both in the Fellowship Hall and on the playground.

    We also have a special opportunity to serve our neighborhood school. Bill J. Elliott Elementary, a Title I school, needs our help with school supplies. This year, FWISD is no longer providing bundled supply kits for Title I schools, which puts an extra burden on families. School starts August 12th, and we’ve received a list of supplies for grades K–5. You can purchase individual items or sponsor an entire class.

    Common items needed include:

    • No. 2 pencils (12 per student)
    • 24-count crayons
    • Glue sticks
    • Blunt-tip scissors
    • Composition notebooks (100 pages, 9¾” x 7½”)
    • Hand sanitizer
    • Facial tissues
    • Washable broad-tip markers (8 count)
    • Plastic pocket folders with brads (6 per student)
    • A supply box or bag
    • (Optional) Wired earbud headphones

    Please bring what you can this Sunday morning. The church will also be purchasing supplies, and donations are welcome if you’d like us to shop on your behalf.

    Now, I’m off to buy some school supplies myself.

    Love to all,

    Mary