Reflections From Sunday Evening

I was listening to a message by Len Sweet and he told the story of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. being invited back to Morehouse College, his alma mater, to teach a class.  It was 1961.  8 people enrolled in the class.  Years later they would meet and remember their time with Dr. King. 
In the course each student was required to write two papers.  Dr. King graded the papers and wrote comments on each.  Those papers would be practically priceless today.  Just a receipt signed by Martin Luther King, Jr. might sell for thousands of dollars or at the very least you would have it framed under glass.  But none of the students kept the papers.  None of them kept their class notes.  Their only record was they were registered for the class in 1961.  But they do have great memories.
Charles Wesley wrote the hymn, A Charge to Keep I Have.  It was published in 1762.  Verse two goes this way:  "To serve the present age, My calling to fulfill: Oh, may it all my pow'rs engage To do my Master's will!"
To serve the present age...
It is good to remember past experiences.  We grow from them.  It is good to have a vision for the future.  We grow into them.  But we serve the present age. 
This month we have been talking about "reaching out to others as God has (first) reached out to us, inviting people (real people; with names, faces, and personalities) to join us in following Jesus.
This is our call in the present age.  This is our mission in the present age.  This is our opportunity in the present age.
Fulfill your call.
It's been a good day.  I hope you've had a good day too.
steve