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God Is Not Just – The Parable of the Older Brother
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Friday’s Word – “A Rotten Apple”
As our democracy slips away, we continue to wonder how this could happen. A new study sheds light.
Poland also is tending to elect authoritarian leaders. A new study there of 2,000 voters revealed people do not all agree on what democracy is.
The word “democracy” is popular, but many people have no interest in the elements of democracy, like protecting the rights of minorities and freedom of the press.
Turns out Jesus was right again. He divided the world into two groups: those who love humanity as God does, and those who love only their own group.
“If you love those who love you, what reward do you get?” he asks.
He tells us anyone can do that. It comes naturally.
Jesus says we must love beyond the bounds of our own friends and family.
Jesus ministered to the outcast, the marginalized.
We know some who put us in our present danger were simply uninformed. All they knew was the price of eggs.
But many, as the study shows, simply do not love or even care about the neighbor who is different.
They have no interest in the rights and needs of those Jesus called “the least among us,” those who are vulnerable, powerless.
They don’t care who gets hurt if it’s not them.
But there may be a change coming. It looks like everyone will get hurt except the billionaires.
The evil now loosed seems all-consuming.
Again, Jesus warned us, “Do not expect good fruit from a bad tree.”
Most people may come to see it: This rotten apple will hurt all of us.
Yes, worship is at 11:00.
Max’s Corner
I thought we had a very good class last week. And this week we move on to a tantalizing subject—After-Death Communications—loved ones who speak to us after they are gone.
Class at 9:45. Breakfast after.
Breakfast this Sunday
This is a “We Bring Sunday.” Don’t forget that. Feel free to help. Breakfast is at 10:30.
Last Sunday and This
Mary will be out this Sunday visiting her grandmother in (I believe) New Mexico. And Kristi will be gone (along with Steven). So, Blake will do the piano thing. And Julian will sing the beautiful Above All. (The choral anthem last Sunday was very powerful.)
And—OK—since I talked last week about the younger brother in Jesus’s great Prodigal Son parable, I’ll talk about the older brother this Sunday.
My sermon title is: God Is Not Just.
And let me add—you don’t want him to be.
We Will Not Ask
Two dear friends of mine—former members of this church—died last year in Oklahoma. They have left some money to St. Matthew, and it will cover the very expensive work we are about to do on our sound and light system. We could not, in fact, do this work without the loving gift of Fred Stearns and Eileen Engleson Stearns.
When they moved to Oklahoma, they never found a church like St. Matthew. Their membership remained here, and they continued to watch our services online.
So, my request is that we continue to be faithful in our regular giving. Help us pay our bills from week to week. Let us keep the work of St. Matthew going. God knows that we are here.
I believe God wants this church living and serving.
I believe God will help us meet our needs.
Thanks be to God.
See you Sunday.
God bless—MB
Mary’s Corner
Peace and love to all of you in the name of Jesus Christ,
The Saint Matthew UMC newsletter happens every week, 52 weeks a year. I have had a “corner” in the newsletter for longer than I can remember, but my newsletter articles are usually late getting submitted to Jason. I wish it were not true, but my organizational skills paired with a calendar that looks like mine create problems with meeting this Tuesday at 4 p.m. deadline. Today (Monday), I have set an intention to get my newsletter article written and submitted for editing on Sunday after church or Monday by 3 p.m. at the latest. I am sharing this with you because that reinforces my commitment to do this. Jason is very patient with me every week, but he also has a calendar that looks like a hurricane, and so I want to be respectful of his responsibilities and time. By setting an intention and not just a reminder, I am making a promise to myself to do better.
I wonder what other intentions I need to set in my life? My intention this season of Lent has been to draw closer to God. Reading, praying, meditating, and physical movement have all been centered around this intention since Ash Wednesday. Jesus “steadfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem,” knowing the fate that awaited (Luke 9:51). To be more like Jesus, we must also “set our face” toward whatever is in front of us. Pick one thing when you read this newsletter. Write one word about the subject toward which you will set an intention. Share your word with someone you trust, and then tell God. And if you want to share it with me, please email me: mary.teague@saintmatthewumc.com.
My love to all of you!
Mary
P.S. We raised $3,675 toward payroll at Eastside Ministries! Thank you for your continuously generous spirit. I will keep you posted about their future and our part in keeping this vital ministry open in East Fort Worth.
Kids’ News – “The Woman at the Well”
This week, we learned about a surprising conversation Jesus had at a well—and how it teaches us about kindness, courage, and God’s love for everyone.
Jesus and his disciples had been walking for a long time and were hot and tired. Around noon, they stopped near a well in Samaria. While the disciples went to find food, Jesus sat by the well to rest (John 4:6–8). That’s when a Samaritan woman came to get water.
Jesus surprised her by saying, “Will you give me a drink?” (John 4:7). This might sound simple, but back then, Jewish people didn’t usually speak to Samaritans, and men didn’t talk to women they didn’t know. The woman was shocked and asked, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (John 4:9).
But Jesus didn’t care about those social rules—He cared about her heart. He replied, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water” (John 4:10).
They talked more, and Jesus explained that the water from the well would only quench thirst for a little while, but “whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life” (John 4:13–14).
Jesus showed the woman that she mattered—that God saw, knew, and loved her. He even told her something He hadn’t revealed to many others: “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.” (John 4:26), meaning He is the promised Savior.
This story reminds us that Jesus welcomed everyone. He didn’t follow unfair rules that kept people apart—He broke through those walls with compassion. And He calls us to do the same.
What We Learned:
• Jesus showed kindness and respect to someone others ignored.
• God’s “living water” is His love and grace—and it never runs out.
• Jesus teaches us to love others the way He does: fully and without limits.
Hope to see you in church this Sunday! Everyone is welcome—just like the woman at the well.