A mother writes: “My
five year old daughter Jennifer just loves her grandmother. My mother likes to talk about God with my daughter. For
example she asked Jennifer: “Honey, who made the trees?" "Who made
the sun?" "Who made you?” “God
did,” Jennifer answered. They were
having so much fun I decided to go for a walk and left my daughter with her
grandmother. When I returned, I asked
how things went. My mother said: “Fine. I walked into the living room to find toys
scattered everywhere. I asked Jennifer,
"Who made this mess?" Looking
at me with those big beautiful eyes, Jennifer said, "God did!"
Today we reflect upon the
celebration of life. I want to thank
Pam Powell for helping us today to recognize the 22 members of PBPC who have reached
the exceptional age of 90 or older. They have been on life’s journey just a little
longer than the rest of us. But keep breathing, keep moving, we will be
happy to recognize you when you reach ninety.
The so called graying of America United States United States
Life. We value it.
We cherish it. We celebrate
it. We try to extend it as long as possible. Pharmaceutical companies are producing drugs
to enhance longevity. Some researchers claim
that red wine has been found to lengthen the human lifespan. Our lifespan
is of course dependent upon a variety of factors like genetics, which we can’t
do anything about to social and environmental factors, which we can do
something about, such as having access to adequate health care, positive social
relationships, maintaining a healthy lifestyle, exercising, getting an adequate
amount of rest, eating a balanced diet, coping with stress, and having a
positive outlook. Studies also clearly point
out the significant role that religious faith and prayer and worship play in
our journey of life.
We gain wisdom about the
celebration of life from modern psychology.
Erik Erickson, the noted 20th century American developmental
psychologist constructed the classic theory of the Eight Stages of Psychosocial
Development. It ranges from the first
stage of - birth to 18 months to the eighth stage of - maturity to death. Each stage faces 4 tasks - a psychosocial
conflict, a major question, a basic virtue and an important event.
In the eighth and final stage,
which occurs during adulthood from age 65 through the end of life, the Psychosocial
conflict is - Integrity versus despair, the Major question is - Did I live a
meaningful life, the Basic virtue is - Wisdom and the Important event is Reflecting
back on life.
He writes: “Older adults need to look back
on life and come away with a sense of fulfillment. Success at this stage leads to feelings of
satisfaction and wisdom and the reassurance that they lived a meaningful life,
while failure results in having many regrets and feelings of bitterness and
despair over a life misspent and wasted.
Those who feel proud of their accomplishments will feel a sense of
integrity. These individuals will attain wisdom, even when confronting death.”
Now let us turn to the scripture
for some biblical insights about life’s journey? What truths do we learn from the scriptures
from a theological perspective? The
Bible declares that human life is a gift from God. Human life is an expression of God’s grace. We didn’t create ourselves. Human beings are created by the design of
another. “God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created
them, male and female God created them. Your life is unique, inimitable,
irreplaceable, incomparable, matchless; there is no one else in the universe
exactly like you.
The Bible portrays life as transitory.
We are mortal Our
lives have a beginning and an end. Our
lives are fleeting, swiftly passing by. The
days and years seem to fly by faster and faster. Is that your experience as well? Nancy and I can hardly believe that we are
now grandparents. We were married at
such a young age. The psalmist writes: “O God,
we are like a dream, like grass which grows up, that in the morning is fresh
and flourishing, and in the evening fades and withers.”
The Bible declares that
suffering, pain, and disappointment are part of life’s journey. Because of human sin and evil life is not
always fair and not always just. The
scriptures look at life realistically. Take Ecclesiastes for example. “Vanity
of vanities, all is vanity. What do
people gain from all the toil at which they toil under the sun? A generation goes and a generation comes, but
the earth remains forever. All things
are wearisome, more than one can express, the eye is not satisfied with seeing
or the ear filled with hearing.”
The Bible declares that we were
created for relationships and friendships, with God and one another. The role of the family and the faith
community is crucial along the journey. We
read inspiring stories about Ruth and Naomi, about Esther and Mordecai, about
Abraham, Sarah, and Isaac, about Jacob and Rachael. The
psalmists say: “Sing to the Lord a new song;
sing God’s praise in the assembly of his faithful people. Worship the Lord with gladness. For the Lord takes pleasure in his people.”
Recall Jesus’ poignant words on
the cross, just before his death, when he spoke to his mother Mary: “Woman, here is your son.” Then Jesus said to a disciple: “Here is your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her
into his own home.” God didn’t
intend your life or mine to be lived alone or in isolation from other people.
The Bible declares that life has seasons. We need to be aware of them, to grow in them and
learn from them, to be patient in them, to persevere in them, to maintain
courage and a positive outlook in them, and to trust in God and God’s guidance
in each of those seasons. We consider for
instance the years spent in school, seasons of joy and seasons of grief, the
season of marriage, the season of pregnancy and birth, the season of
parenthood, seasons of success and seasons of failure, seasons of moving to new
communities, seasons of spiritual or health crises, seasons of becoming empty
nesters and retirement.
Solomon writes in Ecclesiastes: “For everything there is a season and a
time for every matter under heaven.” God establishes seasons or special times in
our lives. We need to seek to understand
God’s timing, God’s lessons, God’s moment, God’s purposes and plans in the
seasons of our lives.
The Bible declares that life is
to be treasured. Do you treasure
life? I love the sentiment expressed in
Genesis 25:7: “This is the length of
Abraham’s life, 175 years. Abraham
breathed his last and died in a good old age, an old man, full of years, and
was gathered to his people.” There
is a distinct note of completion and fulfillment in these words.
The Bible speaks of the
importance of a positive and hopeful attitude.
“I Thessalonians says: “Rejoice
always, pray constantly, and give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the
will of God in Jesus Christ for you.” Life is to be lived in thankfulness and hope
and gratitude for God’s grace and mercy.
It is to be lived with a sense of
appreciation for one’s blessings and gifts.
Do you have an appreciation for life?
God wants to use us for His glory
and purpose at all stages of life. God
is not finished with us when we grow older.
Yes, there is social security I
am told and retirement in life, but there is no retirement in the Kingdom of God
Regardless of our age, God calls
us to be his hands and feet and voice and servants in this world. Remember when the angels told Sarah, whom by
the way we would have honored today that she would give birth to a son. What was Sarah’s reaction? Sarah laughed and said: “Shall
I indeed bear a child now that I am old?”
God’s plans will not be denied.
Sarah was 90 and Abraham was 100 when Isaac was born.
Yes, God has created us in His
image in such a way that our creative energies still flow as we grow
older: Tennyson was 83 when he wrote
“Crossing the Bar;” Verdi was 74 when he produced Othello; Lawrence Welk was
89, when he stopped leading the band; Lucille Ball was 77, when she concluded
her brilliant comedic career; Jack LaLanne celebrated his 70th birthday by
towing 70 boats across the Long Beach Harbor by holding a rope in his teeth,
while handcuffed and wearing leg shackles.
That gives me something to shoot for when I turn 70. Mother Teresa was in her mid- 80’s and still
ministering to the poorest of the poor on the streets of Calcutta and sportscaster
and Padre’s baseball announcer Dick Enberg is still going strong at 78.
I think of people I’ve known over
the years, like Bob, who started a prison ministry at 65, Katherine who was
visiting Alzheimer’s patients in her eighties, Jan who in her nineties was
writing letters to church visitors, and Virginia who in her nineties was active
on the church prayer chain. Such people
are an inspiration.
Yes, we know that our heath plays
a major part in our ability to get involved and use our talents as we age. That is true.
But so does attitude, and so does
faith, and our desire to serve God and please God and praise God and obey
God.
I think of older members of our
congregation at PBPC who serve God effectively with dedication and enthusiasm
and are active in Christ’s ministry in the church and community. Each of us has been given gifts and talents
that God calls us to use at different ages.
Volunteer opportunities in the church or in the community are
endless. No, God is not finished with us
quite yet.
God wants us to gain wisdom in
this life. An unexamined life is
contrary to the will of God. In psalm 90:12 we read: “Teach us to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” The
book of Proverbs says: “The fear of the
Lord is the beginning of wisdom and the awareness of the Holy is insight.” Fear of the Lord in the Hebrew sense means having
a sense of awe about God, deference for God, respect for God, and reverence for
God. Wisdom begins with acknowledging deep
in our being that we belong to God and are to glorify God with every fiber of
our being rather than our seeking self-glorification. So the days and years spent and how you spend
them count, they matter to God. The late
Norman Cousins wrote: “Death is not the
greatest tragedy which can befall a person; rather, the tragedy is in what dies
in a person, while he or she is alive.”
An examined life means striving to live wisely.
As you celebrate life are you
gaining wisdom? I hope I am. I truly hope so. Knowing that our days are numbered should
cause us to ask questions like: “What is God’s purpose for my life and am I
fulfilling it?” “What do I want to
accomplish before I die?” “Am I going to
use my God given talents or let them lie dormant?” “Am I going to serve and care for others or
expect others to serve and care for me?”
“Am I going to be a generous?” “How
can I be a good brother or sister, nephew or niece, wife or husband, or father
or mother, uncle or aunt, grandfather or grandmother, great-grand father or
great-grandmother or friend or neighbor?”
I close with the words from this poem by William
Courtenay: “I expect to pass through this world but once;
any good thing therefore that I can do, or any kindness that I can show to any
fellow-creature, let me do it now; let me not defer or neglect it, for I shall
not pass this way again.”
Let us truly celebrate life’s
journey in light of the one who is our dwelling place in all generations, from
everlasting to everlasting. Amen!
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