Tag: Matthew
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Love Boldly: Growing with God
Categories: Video
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Love Boldly: Seeds
Categories: Video
As we continue our journey through Love Boldly, Jesus reminds us that a fruitful life begins with a prepared heart. In the Parable of the Sower, the seed remains the same, but the condition of the soil determines whether it takes root and bears fruit. The invitation is not simply to hear God’s Word, but to receive it in ways that shape our lives.
Rev. Mary Teague encouraged us to think about the “soil” of our own hearts. Distractions, worry, and shallow faith can keep God’s Word from growing, but intentional spiritual practices help us become good soil. Spending time in Scripture, praying with openness, and seeking to understand God’s voice are not tasks to complete. They are ways we deepen our relationship with Christ and prepare ourselves to love God and others more fully.
As a church family, we are called to love boldly through lives that are rooted in God’s grace. When we make space for God to work within us, our faith naturally bears fruit through compassion, generosity, service, and love. Preparing our hearts today allows God to grow something lasting for tomorrow.
Take Time to Reflect
- What distractions might be keeping God’s Word from taking deeper root in your life?
- What spiritual habit could help you become more attentive to God’s voice this week?
- How is God preparing you to bear fruit through love, service, and faith?
Matthew 13:1-9 NIV
The Parable of the Sower
13 That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. 2 Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. 3 Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. 9 Whoever has ears, let them hear.”Matthew 13:18-23 NIV
18 “Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: 19 When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path. 20 The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. 21 But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. 22 The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. 23 But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”
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Your Huddled Masses
Categories: Video
Watch the full service online by clicking here.
Jesus’ invitation is simple and powerful: “Come to me, all you who are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” In this week’s message, Rev. Mary Teague reminded us that these words were first spoken to ordinary people living under heavy burdens, people weighed down by religious expectations, political oppression, and the struggles of daily life. Christ’s invitation was not reserved for the powerful or the successful. It was offered to everyone who longed for hope, healing, and peace.
Drawing on the familiar words engraved at the base of the Statue of Liberty, “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,” Mary reflected on how those words echo the heart of Jesus. Christ welcomes those the world often overlooks. Our worth is not found in our nationality, status, accomplishments, or failures. We are welcomed because we are God’s beloved children, created in God’s image and invited into a life of grace.
As followers of Jesus, we are called to extend that same welcome to others. The church becomes a place where burdens are shared, strangers become neighbors, and every person is invited to experience the love of Christ. Together, we continue learning to open our hearts, offer hospitality, and live as a community where all can find rest, belonging, and hope.
Take Time to Reflect
- Where have you experienced Christ’s invitation to find rest in the middle of life’s burdens?
- How can you help Saint Matthew become a place where others experience welcome, belonging, and hope?
- Who might God be calling you to notice, welcome, or encourage this week?
Matthew 11:28
28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
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Love Boldly: Who Will Help Us?
Categories: Video
Watch the full service online here.
As Jesus traveled from town to town, teaching, healing, and proclaiming the good news, he looked upon the crowds with compassion. He saw people who were weary, searching, and in need of care. In response, Jesus told his disciples that the harvest was plentiful, but the workers were few. His words remind us that God’s work in the world continues, and that Christ calls ordinary people to participate in sharing hope, love, and grace with others.
Rev. Mary Teague reflected on how often we assume ministry is for someone else, someone more experienced, more gifted, or more qualified. Yet throughout Scripture, God repeatedly calls ordinary people to serve. The disciples were not chosen because they had all the answers. They were chosen because they were willing to follow. God continues to work through people who offer their gifts, their time, their prayers, and their presence in service to others.
As a church family, we are invited to consider how God may be calling us to love boldly beyond these walls. Whether through prayer, hospitality, service, encouragement, generosity, or simply showing up for someone in need, each of us has a role to play in God’s mission. When we trust that God will equip us for what lies ahead, we can respond with faith and confidence, saying, “Here I am, Lord. Send me.”
Matthew 9:35-38 NIV
The Workers Are Few
35 Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. 38 Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”
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Who is This?
Categories: Video
As we gathered on Palm Sunday, we were invited into a familiar story, yet one that still asks something new of us each time we hear it. As Jesus enters Jerusalem, the crowd asks a simple but powerful question: “Who is this?” It is a question that echoes beyond the streets of that city and into our own lives today. In moments of uncertainty and change, we find ourselves asking the same thing, seeking to understand who Jesus truly is for us.
In the midst of a world that often feels unsettled, we are reminded that Jesus does not come with power as we expect it. He comes in humility, riding on a donkey, offering not domination but peace, not force but presence. Through the story of a father’s love and sacrifice, we are given a glimpse of what it means to say that Christ comes for us. His life, his journey, and even this moment in Jerusalem are not distant events, but expressions of God’s care for each of us.
This is a time to move through life with honesty about the turmoil around us, while also holding onto the hope that Christ is present within it. As we continue toward Easter, we are invited to reflect on who Jesus is in our own lives and how we are called to respond. We may not have every answer, but we are not without guidance. Christ is with us, leading us forward with grace and purpose.
✨ Take Time to Reflect
- Where do you see Christ present in the midst of uncertainty or change in your life?
- When you ask, “Who is this?” what answer is beginning to take shape for you?
- How might you respond to Christ’s presence with trust and openness this week?
Matthew 21:1-11 (New International Version)
Jesus Comes to Jerusalem as King
21 As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.”
4 This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:
5 “Say to Daughter Zion,
‘See, your king comes to you,
gentle and riding on a donkey,
and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’”[a]6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on. 8 A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,
“Hosanna[b] to the Son of David!”
“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”[c]
“Hosanna[d] in the highest heaven!”
10 When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?”
11 The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”
Zechariah 9:9 New International Version
The Coming of Zion’s King
9 Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion!
Shout, Daughter Jerusalem!
See, your king comes to you,
righteous and victorious,
lowly and riding on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey.