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I don’t believe I have ever addressed the issue of old age in a sermon in my 23 years of ministry. Maybe it’s because I’ve been on the younger side of the age curve. But now that I am approaching 50 I am thinking about it more often. And some of the old folks jokes are not all that funny. For example, you know you’re growing old when: you feel like the night before, and you haven’t been anywhere. You know you’re growing old when you join a health club and don’t go. Or when you look forward to a dull evening. Or when you walk with your head held high, trying to get used to your trifocals. Or when you stop looking forward to your next birthday. Or when you burn the midnight oil after 9 pm. Or when your back goes out more than you do. You know you’re growing old when you sink your teeth into a steak and they stay there. Or how about the one about the elderly woman who had just returned to her home from an evening church service when she was startled by an intruder. As she caught the man in the act of robbing her home of its valuables, she yelled, "Stop! Acts 2:38!" (Repent, and be baptized... in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven.) The burglar stopped in his tracks. The woman calmly called the police and explained what she had done. As the officer cuffed the man to take him in, he asked the burglar, Why did you just stand there? All the old lady did was yell a Scripture to you. "Scripture?" replied the burglar, "She said she had an axe and two 38s!" I knew I didn’t want to simply share a bunch of pithy sayings and jokes about old people in this sermon. I wondered what the Bible had to say about aging. After all, many of the biblical saints were well into their golden years when God used them in great ways. That’s when I found Psalm 92. The psalmist is talking about the righteous, how they flourish like a palm tree and grow like a cedar. Verse 14 is the best. "In old age they still produce fruit; they are always green and full of sap." In nature we are used to plants and trees getting old and withery, and eventually dying. In some churches I have heard older people say, "It’s time to let the young people do the work of the church." Now I appreciate the dedicated work many people have given to the church for many years. And it makes some sense to give younger folks a chance to lead the church. But I’m not sure we can retire from being a disciple of Christ. I’m not sure that all the leadership of the church should be handed over to younger people. The reason is because those of you who are older are still producing fruit! You’re green and still full of sap! In a woody plant the sap is the juice, the vital circulating fluid that sustains the life of the plant. Without our older disciples the church would lose much of its juice, its life. There is a kind of age discrimination in our country. Airline pilots have to retire at age 60. Most models in the fashion industry are young. Many of the signs in our culture point to the fact that we are obsessed with youth! Americans spend billions of dollars every year on products that promise to help us look and feel younger. How does this make people feel when they are no longer young? Do you think they are made to feel less valuable than the young? Not all cultures revere youth the way ours does. In most native American cultures older people are given a place of honor and esteem in the community. When I visited the village of Anvik many years ago I was struck by how the children respected the elders. At a community meal they would always wait until the elders were served before they got in line. As soon as the grace is said at most church suppers I have attended, the children and youth rush to be first in line! What are we doing to teach our children that elders are to be respected and valued? One of the great aspects about living in a young state like Alaska is the opportunity to adopt older people to be a kind of grandparent presence for younger families. I know that many families here at St. John have this kind of relationship. Seeing that children are in a relationship with someone of an older generation is one of the best ways to foster respect for our elders. When I was young I looked at old people and noticed that some were kind and sweet while others were cranky and bitter. Why the difference? It did not take long to figure it out. It was really very simple. If people were crabby in old age, they were crabby in middle age! And if they were kind in old age, they probably were kind in middle age. All of us under 55 need to learn how to deal with our hurts and anger now, how to strengthen our faith now, so that we can be the gracious and wise elder in our later years that children look up to. Humorist, John Chase said in his 85th year, "The reason why I'm not doing so well at being old is that I don't have any practice." Being in relationship with elders gives us this chance to practice being old. And children need to be in relationship with elders so they can create positive images in their minds about old age. If our focus remains on outward beauty we may never appreciate the inner beauty of an old, sweet saint. It appears that in our society we have allowed our physical bodies to determine how we feel about who we are on the inside. There is a story floating around about then-President Bush a many years ago. He was supposedly visiting a nursing home, where he took the hand of an elderly man walking the halls and asked kindly, Sir, do you know who I am? The man replied, "No, but if you ask the nurses they can tell you." If you lay on others the responsibility for your identity, you might be shocked at what identity they give to you. One way we can grow old gracefully is to refuse to participate in this silly notion that our value and worth as a person depends on how good we look on the outside. We know our bodies age. Do we truly think our inner self ages as well? When I was a seminary student I remember visiting Mr. Johnson at the county home. I sat in his room for one hour and maybe said ten words. Mostly I just nodded my head and said, "Uh-huh," as he described to me in detail the inner workings of an industrial machine he designed. Contrast this with Mildred, a 91-year-old woman in a retirement home. Mildred’s faith was alive and moving towards the future. She talked with me about my youth ministry and the needs of our church. She had a ministry of caring with the elderly residents of her home, many of whom were younger than her. With a gleam in her eye she once said to me, "You know, Dave, in my mind I’m not 91. In my mind I’m a little girl romping around on my father’s farm." How old are you in your mind’s eye? Robertson McQuilkin, former president of Columbia International University, once drove an elderly friend on an errand. She moved slowly and painfully, being crippled with arthritis. "Robertson," she asked as they drove along, "why does God let us get old and weak? Why must I hurt so?" Robertson replied, "I have a theory. I think God has planned the strength and beauty of youth to be physical. But the strength and beauty of age is spiritual. We gradually lose the strength and beauty that is temporary, so we’ll be sure to concentrate on the strength and beauty which is forever." The psalmist wrote that the righteous still produce fruit in their old age and that they are still full of sap. It doesn’t matter how old you are right now. You can be righteous. You can invite Christ into your life. You can open your heart to the beauty of God’s love. When death comes to knock on our door our physical bodies will be left behind. Our inner self, our soul which knows no age, will live on with God. So I leave you with a poem by Dora Johnson, entitled, "You Tell Me I’m Getting Old." You tell me I am getting old; I tell you that’s not so; The "house" I live in is worn out- And that, of course, I know. It’s been in use a long, long while, It’s weathered many a gale; I’m not really surprised you think It’s getting somewhat frail. The color’s changing on the roof, The window’s getting dim, The walls a bit transparent, And looking rather thin. The foundation’s not so steady As once it used to be; My "house" is getting shaky, But my "house" is not me! My few short years can’t make me old— I feel I’m in my youth; Eternity lies just ahead, A life of joy and truth. The dweller in my little "house" Is young and bright and gay- Just starting on a life to last Throughout eternal day. You only see the outside, Which is all that most folks see. You tell me I’m getting old? You’ve mixed my "house" with me! |
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05.12.02 - Full of Sap (Psalm 92:12-15 Titus 2:2-3)
