We are on the eve of our Methodist conferencing once again. Gathering in Annual Conferences around the world some 10 million still under the Methodist “umbrella!” 54,212 pastors and 42,195 congregations in the USA, Africa, Europe, and Asia.

Each conference will worship, ordain, send forth in service both lay and clergy, memorialize the saints triumphant, celebrate missions and outreach, and pray a lot!

However…..our common Lectionary scriptures for Sunday worship before conference remind us how BAD we can be, how fallen we are, and how great a salvation we have received! King Ahab, Jezebel, and us! Paul included! And a sinful woman in the house of a hypocritical Pharisee who invited Jesus for a meal!

The Bible stories and teaching are really about us only a few thousand years or so removed. Maybe we are not THAT bad but we do need to look In the mirror after every reading of scripture!

And so we will look in the mirror, so to speak, while at Brentwood UMC, this coming week for Annual Conference . We will see Saint and sinner, forgiven and freed people all together because of God in Christ!

Thanks be to God! See you in church being the church throughout the week!

Pastor Barry