Words in Preparation

This has been a short week for me. My week began with a gathering of all United Methodist Clergy in the Pacific Northwest Conference in Wenatchee, Washington. We had the opportunity to spend three days together with the cabinet and the bishop to discuss the state of our churches and get a sense of where the future is taking us. Whew! What a conversation! Here's some good news: The United Methodist Church is a church fully engaged with and interested in doing what it takes to bring the message of Jesus Christ into the 21st Century.

This Sunday, at Grays River Church we will be continuing our exploration of the bible and in particular, we will be focusing on the story of the Exodus. This is the story of the how God raises up Moses as a prophet and rescues to the Hebrew peoples from slavery. God brings 10 plagues on Egypt that result in the Pharaoh finally letting the people go. They flee to the Wilderness with Moses as their leader.

This story is central to our faith. By reading this story we see themes that are familiar in our own lives. How many of us have felt oppressed and called to God? How many of us have seen destruction come about due to bad behaviors and unhealthy practices. How many of us have seen those who try to hang on to power no matter what harm results? And how many of us have encountered something in our lives--the death of a loved one, the loss of a job--where we suddenly found ourselves in the wilderness. It's a scary place where all the familiar comforts are gone.

The story of the Exodus and the journey of the Hebrew peoples is a story that takes us from slavery and oppression and shows us how to embrace and live life. We all have that opportunity right here and right now, and we can take that journey in Jesus Christ.

See you Sunday!