The Feast of St Matthew

Dear Friends,

Greetings on our patronal feast day!  St. Matthew was a man intent on making money and securing his future even if it meant collaborating with the Romans in order to do it.  When Jesus called him from his tax booth he responded to something that could probably only be explained by the fact that who Jesus was resonated with him at a deeper level than his need for security.  What money was, Jesus became, so much so that the gospel associated with Matthew's name has more teaching in it than other New Testament books about the role of anxiety and worry about earthly possessions.  Matthew had a deep attentiveness to the heart's need to find its security in God; the Sermon on the Mount (chapters 5-7) is his theological masterpiece where he presents Jesus as the "higher" Moses, now giving commandments that touch on the very marrow of our inner drives and identity. Pray for us Matthew, for we are in need of the true riches!

Thanks to all who helped out with our St. Matthew Day celebrations this past Sunday; it was great to be with you all on a beautiful day!  

Please pray for our parish council as we meet next week, seeking to plan wisely, prudently, and courageously.  Now is the time for us to begin to take some risks; people are checking out church once again and we should not be shy about inviting folks to come discover the riches of the Anglican faith!  

Book Study:

For those wanting to participate, it's not too late since we're not that far into the book yet.  This week we'll cover chapter 2. 

Topic: Broken Signposts Book Study
Time: Wednesday, Sept 21st, 7 pm

Allen+