Worship at St. Matthew
“Empowered by the Holy Spirit, We share our Faith, by Loving and Serving our Neighbor.”
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Important News
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In - person worship resumes February 7th. we will follow all CDC guidelines so if you are planning to join us, please remember to wear your mask.
If you are experiencing any symptoms, have been in contact with someone exposed to COVID-19, or feel uncomfortable attending in person, we ask that you join us via Facebook. The link will be posted on Facebook every week.
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You can find weekly Sunday bulletins on the home page.
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Prayer for Coronavirus
God of compassion,
Be close to those who are ill, afraid or in isolation. In their loneliness, be their consolation; in their anxiety, be their hope; in their darkness, be there light; through him who suffered alone on the cross, but reigns with you in glory, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
St. Matthew Holiday Worship Services
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Ash Wednesday: Drive-by service: 12:30-1:30 - February 17 Maundy Thursday: 7:00PM Good Friday: 12:00PM Easter Sunday: 9:00AM Thanksgiving Eve: 7:00PM Christmas Eve: 7:00PM Lenten Soup Supper: 6:30PM - During Lent |
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Holy Communion
The Lord Jesus welcomes everyone to share in his real presence with us in Holy Communion. The method of communion is intinction ( the action of dipping the bread in the wine at a Eucharist so that a communicant receives both together.) Holy Communion is served every Sunday.
*** Coronavirus: Act of Spiritual Communion My Jesus, I believe that you are in the Blessed Sacrament. I love you above all things, and I long for you in my soul. Since I cannot now receive you sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart. As though you have already come, I embrace you and unite myself entirely to you; never permit me to be separated from you. Amen |
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This week's Gospel Message
GOSPEL MESSAGE
April 4, 2021
RESURRECTION OF OUR LORD:
EASTER DAY
Middle of the Story
Literarily and theologically, Mark’s gospel ends awkwardly at 16:8. The women are astonished and afraid, and what most scholars consider the original ending of Mark seems more like the middle of the story than its end. What about appearances of the risen Christ? What about the joyful proclamation that death has not had the last word? Mark’s gospel is problematic for those anticipating the more complete story of resurrection recounted by other gospels. For some circumstances, however, Mark’s ending hits just the right note—especially for those who aren’t sure about resurrection themselves, or whose own lives are in an awkward, unresolved limbo.
In Mark’s version, all we have to depend on are Jesus’ earlier words, the realization that the women must have shared their experience eventually, and the intriguing possibility of the empty tomb. Somehow the women’s fear must have eventually become courage, but Mark leaves it up to his readers to wonder how. Still, Mark’s “ending” contains hope: even in times of uncertainty and fear, we can live the story of resurrection, depending on Jesus’ words, the church’s testimony, and the intriguing possibility of new life in Christ.
As we too are still in the middle of our life stories, Mark’s gospel is a good companion. Most of the time we live with an awkward, unresolved mix of fears and possibilities, in which resurrection is hinted at rather than completed. This is true for the church as well; this story may appear to be the end, but it’s really just the middle. The story of the risen Jesus continues in the mission of the church, Christ’s body. The possibility of resurrection draws us into a community that lives out the middle of its story in the hope and witness of Christ’s new life.
Thought to Ponder
The grass withers and the flowers fade, but the word of our God stands forever,
- Isaiah 40: 8
April 4, 2021
RESURRECTION OF OUR LORD:
EASTER DAY
Middle of the Story
Literarily and theologically, Mark’s gospel ends awkwardly at 16:8. The women are astonished and afraid, and what most scholars consider the original ending of Mark seems more like the middle of the story than its end. What about appearances of the risen Christ? What about the joyful proclamation that death has not had the last word? Mark’s gospel is problematic for those anticipating the more complete story of resurrection recounted by other gospels. For some circumstances, however, Mark’s ending hits just the right note—especially for those who aren’t sure about resurrection themselves, or whose own lives are in an awkward, unresolved limbo.
In Mark’s version, all we have to depend on are Jesus’ earlier words, the realization that the women must have shared their experience eventually, and the intriguing possibility of the empty tomb. Somehow the women’s fear must have eventually become courage, but Mark leaves it up to his readers to wonder how. Still, Mark’s “ending” contains hope: even in times of uncertainty and fear, we can live the story of resurrection, depending on Jesus’ words, the church’s testimony, and the intriguing possibility of new life in Christ.
As we too are still in the middle of our life stories, Mark’s gospel is a good companion. Most of the time we live with an awkward, unresolved mix of fears and possibilities, in which resurrection is hinted at rather than completed. This is true for the church as well; this story may appear to be the end, but it’s really just the middle. The story of the risen Jesus continues in the mission of the church, Christ’s body. The possibility of resurrection draws us into a community that lives out the middle of its story in the hope and witness of Christ’s new life.
Thought to Ponder
The grass withers and the flowers fade, but the word of our God stands forever,
- Isaiah 40: 8
