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
But I Don’t Know How to Pray!
Variations on this that I often hear include, “Please don’t ask me to pray,” “I’m not good at prayer,” and “I don’t like to pray in front of people." However, when I ask, “Do you like to talk?” “Do you like to listen to people?” or “Do you talk to people in front of others?” the answer is usually, “Well, yes.” Now, I have them thinking because these are the very elements of prayer—both with God and with others. We listen, we talk, and we talk in the presence of others. Prayer is simply doing this with the person who loves you most, wants to listen to you most, loves you unconditionally, and desires to have an ever-closer relationship with you. That person is God—God the Father, God the Son (Christ), or God the Holy Spirit. Take your pick, as any of them will do, since all three "persons" are the same God.
“But pastor, I don’t know how to pray well.” Good news: prayer is not graded! Better news: there are many ways to pray, each of which can be used depending on personality, disposition, season, or mood. I’ve mentioned several in my sermons during this series: contemplative prayer (which focuses on listening), breath prayer (which focuses on the rhythm and closeness of God), Lectio Divina (“divine reading,” which focuses on receiving a word from God), prayer journaling (which helps us articulate words that are hard to say), sung prayer (for the musically inclined), and more.
I’m delighted that my friend and layperson Jeff Bouis will be preaching this Sunday. You can’t help but like Jeff. An engineer and lifelong learner, Jeff is a keen student of prayer and a member of the Order of St. Luke—an organization with small groups that focus on prayer. He is a member of Grace Avenue UMC in Frisco and will be our guest this Sunday. He will also be in our Chapel during the Sunday School hour to talk more about prayer techniques.
So, if you’ve ever said, “But I don’t know how to pray,” you may find both Jeff’s preaching and teaching to be inspiring and helpful. I hope you will join us—God will be there!
Breathe peace; laugh often,
Matt
You Gave What??
Don was a member of a church that Cammy and I planted. He was nearly retired from his corporate career, and seemingly always around the church, available to help out. Don came to us out of the Quaker tradition where prayer and service to others was simply a part of life. Don ushered, was a teacher in his and Bobbie’s Sunday School class, helped with the annual Tent Garage Sale for Mission, and directed our twice-a-year blood drive. A quiet man with a gentle smile, Don alerted me he would be unable to attend a blood drive he had organized for church. The American Red Cross had invited him to attend a gala in Houston, for what he was unsure. All he knew was he and Bobbie were being flown down and put up at a 5-star hotel for the occasion.
When he returned, Don had his usual quiet and wry smile and a twinkle in his eye. He had something to share.
“Well,” I said, “what was the secret?”
Don said, “At their annual black-tie dinner event, the American Red Cross awarded me a large piece of crystal with my name on it for having passed the 50-gallon mark in blood donations.” I was slack-jawed. “You gave WHAT??”
I was furiously doing the math in my head. Fifty gallons over about a 50-year span of donating is a gallon a year. There are eight pints in a gallon. Don was donating eight units of blood every year. With a job, wife, kids, church, vacations, sickness, Don was donating eight units of blood every year for 50 years. And I was feeling pretty good about my twice a year church donation!
Turns out that only 3% of the American population gives blood. Don reminds me we can do better for those who have no options beyond our donations to sustain their lives. So we have a blood drive this Sunday with openings available around our time receiving the blood of Christ at the prayer rail. Thank you, Don for reminding us of the essential nature of both for our lives and those we serve.
Connecting God and Grace to Self and Community,
One Spirit, One Voice, One Prayer
In 1937-38, the leaders of more than 100 churches from 120 countries voted to create the World Council of Churches (WCC). That body includes Presbyterian, Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican, Reformed, Orthodox, and United Methodist churches to name only a few. Together, the WCC has worked to forge common voice, prayer and work world-wide, united by our convictions around the triune God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and specifically the saving grace of God for all the world through the one Christ.
Like any large family, there are squabbles and disagreements but in the end we remain committed as family to this holy proposition: that in Christ, we are stronger together in our witness. Member WCC churches are called to:
the goal of visible unity in one faith and one eucharistic fellowship;
promote their common witness in work for mission and evangelism;
engage in Christian service by serving human need, breaking down barriers between people, seeking justice and peace, and upholding the integrity of creation;
foster renewal in unity, worship, mission, and service.
This is the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. I am reminded of its importance in a world and a world faith that is so fractured and pained; our witness is diminished to a skeptical but hungry world. Therefore, in this month of prayer emphasis in our worship at FUMC Plano, I share with you the World Council of Churches (WCC) prayer for Day 6 of this designated week:
God of heaven and earth, your Son Jesus Christ has revealed you as our Father and promised us the gift of the Holy Spirit: grant to your Church to overcome the scandal of our divisions, so that we may bear witness to your life of communion, in the unity of our profession of faith and in the love of mutual service. Through Christ our Lord. AMEN
See YOU in prayer and worship this Sunday,
Matt Gaston, Lead Pastor
God Moves in Mysterious Ways!
We say this a lot, but the ways God has been moving at FUMC Plano really have been mysterious.
Sunday I reported that thanks to the generosity of many in the last two months of 2024, we had closed a $164,000 deficit gap to $13,000 by the end of the year – a huge victory for a $1.9 million budget that projected in February a $125,000 deficit. But then over last weekend, we received a letter postmarked Dec. 28, 2024, from a resident in Plano. It had arrived 15 days late. It was a check for $10,000. That one gift of grace enabled us to end with just over a $3,000 deficit against a $1.9 million dollar budget. This clears the way for our Finance, SPRC, and Church Council teams to forge a 2025 Budget without the burden of a carryover deficit.
To be sure, the headwinds remain before us and all churches: the costs of utilities, supplies, cleaning, staffing, repairs and insurance – even at same levels of use, do not go down. But what also is before us are new families and individuals who are coming for the first time and finding the comfort and love of God here – in you. God will provide.
I am not sure what had me more excited Monday – that surprise news from our Finance Manager, Lori Kimbrell, or the fact that during our First Impressions Gathering, 38 out of 39 persons returned a survey said that we are going in the right direction with our spring capital campaign and that they were excited to pay off our mortgage, fully fund our endowment to make it a revenue generator, and attend to capital upgrades needed in our 22-year-old church home. That is a remarkable level of alignment among diverse people in a church around any issue, especially one regarding money. Yet here we are – a two-week late check that nearly balances a $1.9 million dollar budget and near unanimity in a major initiative that will positively affect our church and its outreach to people for decades.
God is indeed mysterious; thanks be to God … and to you!