Worship Recap | “Things Are Not The Way They’re Supposed To Be”

This past Sunday, we looked at Revelation 7:9-17. In this sermon, I named the painful truth many are experiencing: things are not the way they’re supposed to be. In a world where asylum seekers are turned away, where Black communities grieve injustice, where trans youth are targeted, and where DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) language itself is under attack, the church is still called to act in harmony with God’s action in the world.

Drawing from the vision of a diverse multitude in Revelation, I reminded us that God has always been about diversity, equity, and inclusion. From Hagar in Genesis to the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts, from Pentecost’s many languages to Jesus’ embrace of the marginalized, the story of Scripture is a story of radical welcome. Diversity, equity, and inclusion is what it looks like when heaven touches earth. Jesus didn’t align with the empire but stood with the wounded and the weary, the outcast and the oppressed.

Revelation offers a glimpse of a future where justice reigns, God’s deliverance isn’t just coming—it’s happening now. The text says the multitude is “coming out” of the great ordeal, present tense. God is still gathering, still saving, still delivering people from oppression.

Even in today’s grief and struggle, we are not alone. Jesus walks with us, holds us, and stands with us. Resurrection is louder than injustice. The Lamb’s promise still stands: every tear will be wiped away.

So, Church, don’t give up. Keep rising. Keep witnessing. Because God is still writing the story, and the kin-dom of heaven is breaking in. We are coming out—and we are coming together. Amen.

Watch the video of the May 11, 2025 service
(Pastor Mat’s sermon begins at 35:15)

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Pastor Mat

Pastor Mat (he/him) came to Bethel in the Fall of 2003 to serve as the youth pastor. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Religion from Eastern Nazarene College in 2005 and a Master of Arts in Pastoral Ministry from Northwest Nazarene University in 2010. Currently, Mat is a Doctor of Ministry candidate at Nazarene Theological Seminary in the Black Leadership and Ministry track. Mat married the love of his life, I’Esha, on July 11, 2009. They have three wonderful children. Mat is ordained as an elder in the Church of the Nazarene. Mat has been serving as Bethel Church of the Nazarene’s lead pastor since 2015. Mat served as an instructor of philosophical ethics, church history, and theology in the Religion and Culture program at Eastern Nazarene College for over ten years prior to the school’s closing. Currently, Mat teaches religious studies as an adjunct at Regis College in Weston, MA and theology as an adjunct at Northwest Nazarene University. In addition, Mat volunteers on several non-profit boards and is a co-leader for Quincy4Justice, Quincy Interfaith Network, and Quincy for Transformative Change. He enjoys reading, riding his bicycle, traveling, swimming, stimulating theological discussions, and cold brew coffee. Mat is passionate about the intersections of theology and justice. He is committed to dismantling white supremacy and patriarchy in the church and society. Mat’s specific areas of ministry at Bethel include church leadership, worship coordination, staff development, and pastoral care.