"What Have You Done for Me Lately?"

There's a thread of history in the Bible that's easy to miss unless you're looking for it. It begins with a young man named Joseph, the favorite son of Jacob. His jealous brothers threw him into a well and sold him into slavery in Egypt. But God was at work in Joseph's life. After years of hardship, Joseph rose to power, becoming second only to Pharaoh himself. When famine hit the land, it was Joseph who saved not only Egypt but also his own family—the very brothers who had betrayed him.

That's how Jacob's family, the Israelites, ended up in Egypt. And over generations, they grew from a small family to a large population. But then, Scripture says, "a new king arose over Egypt, who did not know Joseph" (Exodus 1:8). The people who had once been honored guests became enslaved. The impact of Joseph's leadership and faithfulness was forgotten.

It's a cautionary tale. Even the greatest stories of faith and service can fade from memory if they are not lived out in the present. It raises a tough question for today's churches and for all of us who seek to do good: What have we done lately?

Churches often take pride in their history. And rightly so. Many have deep roots of service, worship, and outreach. But if we're not careful, we can spend so much time looking back that we forget to look around. Are we still feeding the hungry? Are we still speaking up for justice? Are we still showing love to the outsider?

And to those who’ve drifted away from church—or perhaps never felt connected in the first place—this story may still speak. Maybe you haven’t seen the church at work lately, and wondered, What difference does it make anymore?  That’s a valid question. But maybe—just maybe--you are part of the answer.  What lives might be changed if you found a faith community and joined your efforts with theirs?

The Israelites weren’t forgotten forever. God called Moses—a reluctant leader with a checkered past—and used him to bring the Israelites to freedom. But it started when someone showed up. Someone listened. Someone said yes.  Maybe today, that person is you.

Whether you're a longtime church member or someone searching for meaning, you don’t have to have all the answers. But your compassion, your voice, your willingness to serve—those might be exactly what’s missing right now. You could be the one who reminds the world what the church can be.

Because no matter how powerful the story of the past may be, the real question is always: What are we doing now?