I Dare You
It wasn’t always smart—but it was (and still is) an essential part of growing up. You were dared to do something you’d never do on your own because of fear. But then someone pushed you—sometimes literally—and suddenly, you were going where you'd never imagined going.
Jumping off the edge of the pool into a parent’s waiting arms.
Jumping off the high dive for the first time.
Maybe even leaping from a cliff into a lake 30 feet below—between the rocks.
You remember. We all have those stories.
What’s common in all of them is facing the thought, “I’m going to die.” And the exhilaration afterward is that you didn’t. In fact, you felt more alive—vital, energized and exuberant—in a way you never could have without accepting the dare. I think that is the relationship between Good Friday and Easter.
Easter without Good Friday is like easing into the shallow end without ever jumping from the height of sheer terror. The water feels good and everyone is having a good time splashing around—but there’s no real risk or cost for the experience. Maybe that’s why so few churches lean into Good Friday—not for their members, and not for their guests. We’re afraid to face the dark places of our fears. Yet, this is precisely why God came to earth in Jesus: to help us face all of our worst fears (mostly internal) especially the fear of dying, so that we can experience the exhilaration of overcoming them and live a vital, energized and exuberant life.
This year, we’ve tweaked our Good Friday experience. It will feel different—especially at the end. If you’re bold enough to come, you’ll have the chance to sit in silence and face the worst fears you hold onto so tightly. But if you’re brave, you’ll go one step further. You’ll jump past your fears, and trust that our God will catch you and bring you to the surface Easter morning—bubbling, buoyant and alive as you have never experienced before.
So, go ahead.
Friday at 7 p.m.
In the Sanctuary.
I dare you.
Connecting God and Grace to Self and Community,
Matt Gaston
Lead Pastor
The Alignment of Hope This Sunday
As we were planning for our Free to Grow campaign last fall, a good question was raised among the staff about the timing of overlaying a capital campaign on top of Lent and Easter. Our consultant, former UMC pastor Don Smith, said it was actually the best time. I’ve pondered that response and found meaningful parallels between these two journeys toward Jerusalem:
Both begin with the proclamation of good news that a new age is coming.
Both are future-oriented, yet bring hope and excitement now.
Both start with a few believers and grow in numbers as the word of hope spreads.
Both have doubters and dissenters around the whole proposition.
Both unfold in the midst of great uncertainty.
Both persist faithfully in the face of that uncertainty.
Both succeed in the end in ways that amaze and inspire.
This Sunday, our children will process and wave palms as we commemorate Jesus and his small band’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem—an entry that anticipates his glory through the cross and the tomb. At the same time, we will celebrate what a small group of Jesus’ followers have already faithfully committed toward a future hope that will be realized over the next three years and free our church to grow.
Onlookers of this faithful parade will be surprised, inspired, and want to join the movement, and that is worth celebrating—right alongside a donkey carrying Jesus into Jerusalem. It’s an alignment of hope.
So make every effort to be here this Palm Sunday! There will be specialty morning foods and coffee personally served, followed by hot dogs and sliders for everyone—a picnic on the grounds. Bounce houses and games will be available for the kids, and fun for the whole church family.
It begins our Holy Week journey to Easter; it begins the home stretch toward our hope-filled future as First United Methodist Church Plano.
See you there,
Matt Gaston
Lead Pastor, FUMC Plano
Grounded and Open
I have been an evangelist for NBC’s The Americas on Sunday nights at 7:00. It is a mesmerizing blend of my childhood favorites, Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom and The Wonderful World of Walt Disney, both of which also aired on Sunday nights. Narrated by the everyman Tom Hanks, The Americas explores a different ecosystem each week, from the Arctic north to the tip of South America. The technicolor, camera sophistication, and captivating storytelling about our planet’s beauty and its creaturely inhabitants will leave you gaping every week, unable to comprehend, “How did they do that?” At the same time, you’ll find yourself inspired by the detail and beauty of God’s imagination. It is a “wilderness” experience of a completely different kind, yet connected to what we traditionally mean when we talk about being in the wilderness—like the people of Israel, like Jesus, and like us during this Lenten season.
In both The Americas and our individual wilderness experiences, we are given the opportunity to re-ground ourselves in the awe and wonder of God, who is ever-present all around us—dazzling us and beckoning for our attention. In both instances, we are given the opportunity to see a much bigger picture than the small worldview that too often dominates our sight, hearing, and emotions.
In The Americas—as in our prayer time and places, wherever they are—we are given a different vantage point, one that enlarges and inspires us by reminding us that our creating and re-creating God is always our starting point. But how do we attain and sustain that perspective?
St. Ignatius of Loyola, the 15th-century Basque Catholic priest and theologian who helped found the religious order called the Society of Jesus, gives us a tool to center our prayer lives on God rather than ourselves. Known as the “Surrender Prayer” or the “Emptying Prayer,” St. Ignatius invites us to pray:
“Take, Lord, and receive all my liberty, my memory, my understanding, and my entire will.
All I have and call my own, you have given to me. To you, Lord, I return it.
Everything is yours; do with it what you will. Give me only your love and your grace; that is enough for me. Amen.”
As we enter the home stretch of this Lenten journey toward Jerusalem, I pray that you empty what needs to be emptied, ground yourself in God, and open yourself to being filled with God’s technicolor love and peace. Amen.
Yours in Christ,
Matt Gaston, Lead Pastor
Still Maturing? Yes!
Checking in with Cammy, who is on a four-day retreat with her covenant group of 30 years, I paused when I heard her say, “The work we do helps me in my maturity.” I thought that sounded so odd! Cammy is a 60-something, master's-educated, experienced pastor with broad experience as a youth minister, church planter, chaplain, district superintendent, and director of leadership development for an annual conference. I think of her as incredibly mature. Yet here she was, confessing that there is still room to grow in that maturity—and of course, she is right.
Our journey as Christians is one of lifelong sanctification, of growing more and more into the image of Christ, into the image of Love. John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist movement, insisted that we could even become “perfect in love” in this lifetime. That puts “maturity” into perspective.
We often hold a false notion that maturity is marked by a particular age or stage of life in which we have acquired enough education and experience to have attained maturity with the implication that there is little room for additional growth. How egotistical—and how limiting of the possibilities that God so clearly sees for us! “Come on, come on!” God calls to us. “You can do it. You can learn a new way of thinking, a new skill set, a new way of seeing the other person, and a new way of putting yourself in their shoes.”
If we are to mature—as individuals and as a society—we must always be listening for that voice, pushing ourselves beyond our supposed “maturity.” That is what Lent affords us: a built-in spiritual opportunity to be lifelong learners. It’s what the people of Israel experienced for 40 years in the wilderness. It’s what Jesus experienced for 40 days in the wilderness—and he was the Son of God!
Cammy’s remark reminds me of all this and of the intentional discipline required to push ourselves to new levels of maturity—levels we might otherwise never reach because of the law of inertia: things at rest tend to stay at rest. What is true in physics is also true in spirituality.
We have three weeks until Easter—three weeks to push ourselves beyond what we already “know” in order to think, feel, and experience something we have never considered before. It is a question we should always have in the back of our minds: “Am I continuing to mature, continuing to grow?”
Come Easter, may our answer be an excited, “YES!”
Not yet grown up,
Matt Gaston
Led Pastor, FUMC Plano
Singing a Sermon
It is rare that I yield the pulpit when not on vacation, but I am doing just that for the next two weeks.
Mark Miller will be with us this Sunday morning, in addition to a concert on Sunday evening. As creative and outstanding a songwriter as Mark is, he is an even better person—a Christian with something meaningful to say. For these reasons, Mark is in high demand across our United Methodist connection. He has been the featured artist and speaker at dozens of Annual Conferences over the years, including our own, and he performed at General Conference last year. Most UMC choirs have sung his music. Because of our modern worship leader Griffin Shoemaker’s friendship with Mark, we are blessed to have him as our special guest.
Six area UMC choirs have eagerly joined in the opportunity to sing with Mark in our Sanctuary on Sunday night—140 voices in all. When asked if he would also like to preach on March 23, Mark said, “Yes.” He will expound on his song I Dream of a Church. In this Lenten season of prayerful reflection and reformation, I believe this is an excellent topic for all of us. I hope you will make an extra effort to attend in person; you will be blessed.
A Special Note: Because we will have so many people with us, especially on Sunday night, I ask that we all park on the grass in the rows marked with flags so our guests can find spaces closer to the doors. Thank you for this hospitality—it will go well with the warm welcome at the doors and the pie and ice cream after the concert!
Afterward, if you can stay a few extra minutes, your help will be greatly appreciated in moving chairs and furniture so the installation crew can begin work on the new flooring first thing Monday morning. It takes a village … or, in this case, a church family!
Grace and peace,
Where Are You Going?
That’s a question that gets asked a lot this week before spring break for both Plano ISD and Allen ISD. The common assumption is that physically going somewhere—Padre Island, Gulf Shores, Big Bend, the Ozarks, etc.—is what defines a "break." Those destinations certainly make for great getaways, but they are not the only definition or destination of a "break."
A break can also be an interior journey, one that takes us away from the mechanical, extraverted, planned, productive, and sometimes exhausting movement of our lives. A break in this sense means pausing for a moment, being still, and remembering that God is God (Psalm 46:10). This is the gift of daily, focused prayer—perhaps especially in this Lenten season. Breath prayer, Lectio Divina, and contemplative prayer are all methods that allow us to journey with the Holy Spirit alongside still waters. Sometimes, this kind of break can evolve into a new pattern in our spiritual journey.
Member Dorothy Cline shared how she and her late husband, Rick Cline (I miss Rick a lot), came from Church of Christ and Baptist backgrounds early in their relationship. By happenstance, they found themselves at FUMC Plano. It was a break from what they had always known—one that allowed them to experience the grace that is central to our Wesleyan theology and lived out by the people of FUMC Plano. This was a noticeably different Christian experience from what they had always known as “church.” Coming to FUMC Plano on a break ultimately became a new path for their spiritual life together. I told her how surprised I was to hear that because, to know her and Rick was to know nothing but grace and graciousness. That’s what an interior break—an inward journey —can do to a person!
So don’t despair if you’re not physically traveling somewhere for spring break. In the quiet of a favorite outdoor spot or an indoor prayer chair, there is a journey waiting to be taken with an unknown destination, except that it will bring you closer to God, to others, and to yourself.
Where are you going?
Breathe peace,
Matt Gaston
Lead Pastor
My Challenge to You: The Pause that Refreshes
Cammy and I just finished painting our primary bedroom and bathroom, and now we have our sights set on the backyard — it’s looking a little tired. After our Ash Wednesday service last night, I told Cammy how much I looked forward to refreshing that space so that, during Lent, our patio, especially in this springtime, can become our daily “porch time.”
That’s our code phrase for prayer time — an intentional moment to pause for 15-20 minutes, be still, listen to the birds, watch the squirrels, feel the breeze, and see the trees sway. To simply be still and know that God is God.
I take my prayer journal with me for porch time, but I often begin in silent contemplation, soaking in the wonder of God and His creation before reflecting with gratitude in my journal. It can also be a space to practice lectio divina with a passage of Scripture or to recite a silent breath prayer, for example, “Lord Jesus Christ” (while inhaling), “have mercy upon me” (while exhaling).
In all these moments — especially when sitting in your favorite porch-time place — you can feel the tension of the day ease as God’s peace fills your soul and body. “If God is with us, who can be against us?” Paul rhetorically asks. He was right, but we need reminders of that divine presence.
So, I challenge you to make this a holy Lent by setting aside 15-20 minutes each day to retreat to your own porch-time place, whether outdoors or in, and spend time with the God who always longs to spend time with you. You’ll find it is indeed the pause that refreshes — and strengthens — you for the day ahead.
Here’s to a holy Lent.
Breathe peace,
They Are Leaders Now
“Then the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am only a youth,’ for you will go to everyone I send you to and speak whatever I tell you.”
I am so very proud of this year’s Confirmation Class. Sixteen students confirmed their belief in God and their life in the church. More than that, most of them are already actively living that servant’s life in and through FUMC Plano.
They usher.
They bag food for People Who Love People.
They help repair homes for those who cannot.
They sort clothes at the clothes closet.
They sell Valentine goodies to raise money for their mission trip.
They work the AV booth to bring worship to us all in the Sanctuary and at home.
They haul food donations and take them to God’s Pantry.
They help guide children at Vacation Bible Camp.
They assist at the annual Easter egg hunt.
They read well during our Maundy Thursday service.
How many of these are YOU involved in? See what I mean? This is an uncommonly strong group of leaders in our church now, and they will only grow more into leadership roles, just as the prophet Jeremiah grew into his calling. Like Jeremiah, that calling is lifelong and evolves. These students feel empowered because we give them opportunities to grow in their calling. I mentioned Erek Smith, who, only a few years removed from his confirmation, now sings in the Youth Choir, plays in the youth band and adult orchestra, and serves on our Church Council.
Our Minister to Youth and Families, Sarah Henson, and her counselors have done a terrific job of shepherding our students into more and more leadership roles. I thank her, Confirmation Class leaders Jennifer and Tim Hopson, and our mentors for leading this year’s class. You did it so very well, and we will see the fruit of that in the leadership of these young people for years to come. Thank YOU, church, for celebrating and supporting them.
With you in Christ,
Matt
Reading the Signs
“The wind blows where it wishes and you hear its sound, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so it is with everyone who has been born of the Spirit.”
Changing wind, changing momentum – it is hard to see and hard to gauge, but you sense it when you feel it in the early stages. It’s more of an intuition than a hard demonstrable fact. Some signs of late:
New faces coming weekly to worship and online.
Our recently tightened in-house plus at-home worship numbers are at pre-pandemic levels, 500-550.
Finishing 2024 in the black financially when that looked impossible in November.
39 of 40 surveys for our capital campaign saying we are heading in the right direction with this spring’s capital campaign.
The same number saying we have the right staff and layperson leadership to go where we want to go.
Nearly every person interviewed for leadership on the campaign team has said, “Yes.”
18 people jumping into Disciple Bible study to learn a strong overview of the Bible – a record class number for that course.
A strong Feasibility Study Report that says we will raise between $1.7 million and $2.0 million over three years to accomplish our primary goals.
A record number of people are involved in a variety of outreach work, including the Plano Overnight Warming Shelter this week.
16 very bright, eager, and already-involved students will be confirmed this Sunday at the 9 a.m. service – our largest class in several years.
Like the wind, you feel it but cannot yet know how long it will keep blowing or how strongly… but the signs are encouraging. Join us with the Holy Spirit this Sunday – in the Sanctuary or from wherever you are. I thank God for your being part of something bigger and better than any of us apart.
Connecting God and Grace to Self and Community,
Our Church is a Sanctuary for All
This month, we will host another round of citizenship classes for immigrants seeking the same rights and privileges that we enjoy in this country. Some of those students, as well as some of our honored guests who worship with us on Sundays, may feel anxious about stepping through our doors due to the new administration giving immigration agents more leeway to make arrests in houses of worship. The historic tension here is that “religious freedom” includes the church’s ability to minister to all people, including migrants who may be in the United States illegally. As the Most Rev. Sean Rowe, Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, said recently, “We cannot worship freely if some of us are living in fear” (Dallas Morning News, 2/12/25).
This is a serious matter—one that will be taken up by our Church Council next month in order to formulate a response that is representative of FUMC Plano. In the meantime, I have directed our staff, our volunteers, and our Weekday Program staff not to allow any immigration agents into our building, nor to discuss any matters with them over the phone. The odds of this being necessary are small, but preparation, with a clear plan, is essential in the name of love. The church, at its best and from its beginning in the Roman Empire, has been a haven for the oppressed over the centuries: slaves, women, Jews, Black people, Hispanics, and LGBTQ+ individuals. The church has been a sanctuary—a place of unconditional love and safety—for all. FUMC Plano has this stance in its history.
When there was rumor and anxiety in the 1960s that some of Martin Luther King Jr.’s trained peace advocates might show up one Sunday for a sit-in during worship while we were at our 18th Street location, the ushers asked the respected Head Usher and churchman Alex Schell what they should do. Alex told them simply, “You know where I sit; have them come sit with me as our guests.” That was the end of the controversy—our church would be a sanctuary for all. We follow a God and a Christ who always emphasized particular care and regard for the immigrant, sojourner, and alien. “You shall not wrong or oppress a resident alien, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt” (Exodus 22:21, NRSVUE). Christ simply called them “neighbors,” and we know how to welcome them. Thank you for that—in the name of Love