“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ “- Matthew 25:40

Question for the day:  What are we, as a church, doing for the least of these?

I have spent the last 3 days at the North Alabama United Methodist Annual Conference.  This is a gathering that happens each year, in which representatives from all 736 North Alabama churches gather.  At this conference, we catch up on what has happened in ministry over the past year and what is planned by the churches for the next.

See, we are a connectional church, that is, we function as part of a greater body.  Liberty Crossings does not stand alone, we have 735 sister churches in our general vicinity that make up The United Methodist Church.  This is one of the things that makes us distinctive as a denomination.  We not only support all the others, we are held accountable to them as well.

So, as I sat listening to speakers, the major theme that emerged from this conference was Outreach.  Reaching people for Christ, caring for people in the midst of disaster, helping the least in the kingdom of God.  This is the main purpose of our church.

You can’t imagine how wonderful I felt sitting there as I began contemplating all the mission and outreach activities that Liberty Crossings undertakes.  I get so busy sometimes, I forget how much we really do to follow this commission and bring glory to God.  So this month, as we embark on several mission opportunities, we will take each day and pray for those that we serve, as well as our brothers and sisters that are actually serving and leading these efforts.  I hope you will take the time to, not only pray for those efforts, but also to consider where God is leading you to carry out works of grace and mercy in the world.

Heavenly Father,

Your grace and mercy abound all around us.  And in Your wisdom, You have created a system in which every person on earth can witness Your greatness and hear the Good News of eternal salvation through Jesus Christ.  This system, which commands all believers to do their part, to be witnesses in this world, is perfect.  For it brings the family of God together in miraculous ways.

Teach us, Lord, what it means to be a witness.  Lead us, by Your Holy Spirit, to those that we need to serve and to share the Gospel with.  And create in us hearts that are filled with compassion and burning desire to tell the world about the sweet salvation found in Jesus Christ.

In the name of the Savior we pray,

Amen