This Past Sunday at St. Thomas— Feast of St. Matthew
Believers of St. Thomas Evangelical Lutheran Church,
This past Sunday was...
+ The Feast of St. Matthew +
The Sunday About Confessing Christ Before Men No Matter the Cost
Join us this Sunday for the Divine Service at 9:00am and Family Catechesis at 10:30am
If you couldn’t be with us this past Sunday, click here for a recording of Divine Service from another congregation of the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod
RESOURCES FOR HOUSEHOLD PRAYERS THIS WEEK
Our Around the Word Devotions and Family Catechesis Sheet are always available during Family Catechesis. Digital copies of these as well as more notes from Family Catechesis can be found by clicking here!
The Readings for this past Sunday: Ezekiel 2:8—3:11; Ephesians 4:7–13; Matthew 9:9–13
Our Hymn of the Day for this past Sunday: Lord Jesus, Refuge of Mankind, WH 164
St. Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist
Our ascended Lord gives “gifts” to His Church. In particular, He gave apostles and evangelists like St. Matthew, prophets like Ezekiel, and still gives pastors and teachers (Eph. 4:8, 11). All are “for the common good … empowered by one and the same Spirit” (1 Cor. 12:7, 11). They speak Christ’s “truth in love” to wind- and wave-tossed children so that the saints may be equipped, served and built up as the Body of Christ (Eph. 4:12–15). Christ is not only the head of this body, He is her Good Physician (Matt. 9:9–13). He has come not for the well but for the sick, not for “the righteous, but sinners” (Matt. 9:13) — even notorious tax collectors like Matthew. Christ’s team of spiritual physicians must serve faithfully. Their instrument is “thus says the Lord GOD,” to be spoken “whether they hear or refuse to hear” (Ezek. 3:11). To those stubborn, rebellious patients who believe they need no physician, the word “of lamentation and mourning and woe” must be fearlessly spoken: God’s Law calls to repentance (Ezek. 2:10). To those who recognize their trouble and sickness, the salve of the Gospel is to be applied. So Christ works to save us, as Matthew’s Gospel records.
Prayer for the Feast of St. Matthew
Lord Jesus Christ, You did not resist sitting at table in the house of Matthew and eating with sinners. Therefore, we heartily bid You today to also stop by our abodes with Your saving Word, poor, needy, and miserable as we are. Since our body, life, honor, goods, and possessions are all from Your hand, we ask that You, according to Your holy will by which You do and ordain what it pleasing to You, would remain the only comfort and treasure of our hearts. Grant that we, unto Your honor and according to Your will, would willingly abandon all that is temporal, should You desire us to do so, and would cling only to what is eternal. Grant us also a heart rich in love towards all those who are poor and miserable, that, for Your sake, we would show them love and faithfulness, suffer with them, bear them, and pray for them, and that we would behave in a kindly and reconciling manner toward all people, foe and friend. Amen.
—Esaias Heidenreich, Betbüchlein (translation from Treasures from the Lutheran Church)
STEWARDSHIP THOUGHTS | From LCMS Stewardship Ministry
Matthew 9:9 – “As Jesus passed on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, ‘Follow Me.’ So he arose and followed Him.” Matthew left behind his old life of wealth and security to follow Jesus. This is the call of discipleship: to place Christ above earthly treasures. Our stewardship, too, flows from this call—leaving behind selfish gain to follow Christ in faith, generosity, and service.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
MEMBER INFORMATION UPDATE If you are on our email list, you should have received a link from the church office to submit your membership information via Google Forms this past week. Please fill that out as soon as possible so we can update our church records! If you did not receive the email, please reach out to the church office (contact info to the left) to get added to the email list.
BREAKFAST TACOS are back on the menu each week for the school year! Tacos are $2 each, with proceeds going to our youth’s Higher Things trip. Thank you for all your support!
YOUTH NIGHT this week is for the senior youth (ages 13-college). We will be meeting at the Sander home on TUESDAY this week at 6:00 PM for supper, Bible study, and fellowship. 1407 Spring Forest Way, Tomball, 77375. See Lynea Sander with any questions!
BIBLE STUDY SERIES Join us during the Family Catechesis hour for our current adult Bible study series on St. Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. Children are welcome to the front of the chapel at 10:30 for a brief opening with Pastor, after which they will go to the west side of the funeral home for Beginning Catechesis for ages 2-12. Ages 13 and up are encouraged to attend the adult class.
SEPTEMBER CALENDAR A fridge-worthy monthly calendar is available on the table at the back of the chapel – pick one up to keep up with this month’s events!
EVENTS
SATURDAYS IN THE PARK All ages are welcome to join us for Saturdays in the Park on the fourth Sunday of every month! This month we will meet on Saturday, September 27 at 10:00 AM at Jerry Matheson Park in Tomball – 1240 Ulrich Rd, Tomball, TX 77375.
Blessings,
Pastor Lacey
For more about who we are and what we believe, visit the St. Thomas homepage.
