
All your works praise you, O Lord,
and your faithful servants bless you.
They make known the glory of your kingdom
and speak of your power;
-Psalm 145: 10,11
Today we remember Charles Simeon, teacher and promoter of missionary work, who died in 1836. According to Anglican hagiographer, James Kiefer, when Simeon enrolled at Cambridge, students were required to attend church services regularly and to take Holy Communion at least once per year. Kiefer wrote that the latter requirement often led to hypocrisy and irreverent reception of the sacraments. When Charles Simeon learned of the Provost's insistence that each student take the Lord's Supper, his conscience dictated that he repent and turn to God. He did, and his commitment led him to a life of teaching and the promotion of mission work, which had far reaching implications for England, and the world. Among his students was William Wilberforce, future member of Parliament and noted philanthropist, whose 18-year effort in making anti-slavery motions, eventually ended with the abolition of slavery in the British Empire, some thirty years before its abolition in the United States.
I need to be more mindful of what God can do through the youngsters who cross my path or come into my orbit. Am I teaching them properly? Am I setting a good example? Or would it be better that a millstone be tied around my neck, and you know the rest of that scripture. It is easy to become so self-absorbed that I forget who may be watching me and my actions. May we endeavor to teach our children well.
Musical Reflection- Teach Your Children Well - Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young
O loving God, who orders all things by your unerring wisdom and unbounded love: Grant us in all things to see your hand; that, following the example and teaching of your servant Charles Simeon, we may walk with Christ in all simplicity, and serve you with a quiet and contented mind; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen


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