Rev. David Holwick H Ecclesiastes Series First Baptist Church Ledgewood, New Jersey February 23, 1997 Ecclesiastes 12:1-8 THE SILVER CORD =============== I. How long do you want to live? A. I've always wanted to live to be 100. With real candles. 1) Most do not. 2) Old age has lots of problems. B. But we're not too crazy about the alternative, either. 1) Only after months of illness are most ready to die. 2) Our natural desire is to hang on to this life. C. Facing facts. 1) None of us is getting any younger. 2) Death is coming. 3) Will you grow old gracefully - with God on your side? II. What it is like to grow old. A. An experiment. Ted Engstrom tells the story of Pat Moore. One day in May, 1979, Moore, who looked like she must be 85-years-old, opened the door of her New York apartment and stepped nervously into the hall. She put her cane out in front of her and hesitantly felt for the first step on the stairs. Her legs moved gingerly, awkwardly. One step... two... three... all the way to the twelfth step. So far so good. When she arrived at the bottom of the stairs, she saw her landlady who exclaimed, "Oh, I'm sorry, I was expecting somebody else." "Don't you recognize me?" asked Pat, her voice strained and cracked. "No, ma'am, I don't," said the landlady, staring at the frail woman. "I'm Pat Moore," she said laughing. As she saw her landlady's mouth widen in disbelief, Pat knew in that flash of a moment she passed the test. -2- You see, Pat Moore was not eighty-five years old at all. Not even close. She was an attractive twenty-six-year-old specialist in industrial design. She was also concerned about the needs of the aged. At least once each week for the next three years, Pat put on her masquerade of facial latex foam, a heavy fabric that bound her body, and a convincing gray wig. She visited fourteen states as an old woman. She met hundreds of people who never once discovered her true identity. Pat Moore wanted to have a first hand experience of what it was to be elderly in America. What do you think she found? #1663 B. An allegory of decrepitude. 1) Differences in interpretation. a) Some see mixed metaphors of storms, and houses, and death. 1> Others see a funeral coming from a home. b) Still others see an allegory of old age.* 2) All agree it is a beautiful, if melancholy, poem. III. What we have to look forward to. A. Days of trouble. 11:1 1) No feeling of pleasure. 2) "Clouds after rain" - depression? 11:2 B. Keepers of house tremble = hands. C. Strong men stoop = major muscle groups. 11:3 D. Grinders few = teeth. 1) Neat thing about my grandma - took her teeth out! E. Windows dim = eyes fail. 1) Darkness of sun, moon may be related to eyesight. 11:2 2) No glasses or cataract surgery back then. F. Shut doors = ears (grinding sound fades). 11:4 1) (Some see as frail and homebound) -3- G. Rising up = insomnia. H. Fears. 11:5 1) Elderly often speak of fear of crime, illness, loss of independence, high taxes. I. Almond blossoms = white hair. J. Grasshopper = (obscure) bad joints. K. No desire. 1) (Paraphrase of Hebrew) 2) Romance sputters out. IV. Going to the eternal home. 11:5 A. Grave in view, not heavenly mansion here. 1) Silver cord, golden bowl; pitcher and wheel. 11:6 2) Cord holds up bowl, which is a lamp. 3) Picture of cistern from which one draws the water of life. B. The dust of death. 11:7 1) "Dust" alludes to Gen 2:7 and 3:19. 2) Result of our disobedience. 3) God alone gives life, and he can give it eternally. C. Death should filter our passions. 11:6 1) Remember God before it is too late. The seventeenth-century French mathematician Blaise Pascal wrote a spiritual diary in which he says, "To render passion harmless let us behave as though we had only a week to live." All of us are captive to various passions; some good, some bad. Which ones will we follow? William Law suggests we pick and choose according to how we will feel upon our death. What man or woman in their right mind would continue an affair if they really believed they might not wake up in the morning? -4- What person would risk entering eternity in a drunken stupor? What fool would ignore his loved ones and God for one last night so that he could make another quick ten thousand bucks just before he died? #3621 D. It's all meaningless - apart from faith. V. The conclusion of the matter. 12:13-14 A. To obey God is to be truly human. 1) Some see this as a later editor "improving" the book. 2) Misses the point. B. The secret is not in morality or knowledge but in trust in God. 1) Meaninglessness of life does not have to lead to despair, but can lead to faith and true piety. 2) Keep his commandments - don't presume upon his kindness. ======================== Study Notes ============================ I. Kidner. A. Fading physical and mental powers. B. Desolation of old age. C. Lights go out - 1) Old friends taken. 2) Familiar customs change. 3) Long-held hopes abandoned. D. Best to confront death in youth, not old age. E. Metaphors. 1) Anatomical allegory. 2) Impression of winter, storm, nightfall. 3) Household going into mourning. 4) *Combination. F. Grasshopper = stiff walk, ungainly. G. Almond tree = white hair. H. Eternal home = finality, not heaven. I. Silver cord - captures beauty and fragility of the human frame. 1) As delicate as any work of art. a) Cord, bowl - probably refers to lamp held by silver chain, in which one broken link sends to ground. 2) Breakable as a piece of earthenware. 3) As useless in the end as a broken wheel. J. Tragedy behind the sequence - you are dust, will return to it. 1) Allusion to the fall of man. cf. 7:29 2) Spirit returns to God - means less to him than it does to us. a) Life is not at our command. cf. Psalm 104:29 K. Creator - we are invited to respond to him, beyond anything "under the sun." II. Garrett. A. Not a unified allegory but a series of metaphors. 1) Remember Creator before days of age and death set in. 2) Perverse to limit metaphors to decline of one's estate. a) Darkness, silence gives surreal, even apocalyptic, atmosphere. B. Metaphors of aging. 1) Keepers of house tremble = hands. 2) Strong men stoop = major muscle groups. 11:3 3) Grinders few = teeth. 4) Windows dim = eyes fail. a) Darkness of sun, moon may be related to eyesight. 11:2 b) No glasses or cataract surgery back then. 5) Shut doors = ears (grinding sound fades). 11:4 a) (Some see as frail and homebound) 6) Rising up = insomnia. 7) Fears. 11:5 a) Elderly often speak of fear of crime, illness, loss of independence, high taxes. 8) Almond blossoms = white hair. 9) Grasshopper = (obscure) bad joints. 10) No desire. Paraphrase of Hebrew. 11) Going to the eternal home. 11:5 a) Grave in view, not heavenly mansion here. b) Picture of cistern from which one draws the water of life. c) "Dust" alludes to Gen 2:7 and 3:19. C. Conclusion. 12:13-14 1) To obey God is to be truly human. 2) Surprisingly, he affirms that the whole of humanity consists not in its morality or ignorance but in its dependence on God. a) Flows naturally from all that has gone before. b) Book's final look at Gen 2-3. 1> Binds all themes together. 2> Meaninglessness of life does not have to lead to despair, but can lead to faith and true piety. A> Obedient trust, not empty vows. c) Keep his commandments - don't behave with self-satisfied arrogance of religious presumption. III. Ryken. A. Decay of old age serves adds urgency to the command to remember God. 1) 12:1-8 is most amazing poetic performance in whole work. 2) Genre known as the character. B. Generalized description of old age as "evil days." 1) Sun, moon, stars: weak eyesight or loss of sensitivity to flow of life. 2) Clouds: tears from eyestrain or inability to rally after setbacks. C. Physiological description. 1) Keepers of house = hands and arms. 2) Strong men = stooped shoulders. 3) Grinders = teeth. a) [grandma took her out] 4) Windows = weak eyes. 5) Doors shut = weak hearing. 6) ..grinding..rise..bird = loss of appetite, sleep and speech. 7) High = fear of high places. 8) Almond = white hair. 9) Grasshopper = probably loss of sprightly walking. D. Death itself pictured. 1) Concrete symbols of cessation of activity and dissolution. 2) Cord = cord holding up a lamp. IV. Hubbard. A. Funeral motif. 1) Death, not old age, in view. B. Christians face death with confidence. ************<<<<< CATEGORY: Aging, Old Age, Suffering, Death, Meaning Of Life, Weakness, Fear, Abandoned, Hope ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ TEXT: Rom 14:8, Isa 40:6-8, 1 Pet 1:24-25, Ps 71:9 Number: 920 Hard copy: SOURCE: Christianity Today TITLE: The Riddle Of Aging AUTHOR: Arthur Becker PAGE: 18 DATE: 11/6/87 Typist: ENTERED: 6/10/89 DATE_USED: ILLUSTRATION__________________________________________________________________ : [For hard copy, see #903.] Anxieties of growing old. It often involves suffering but hope can result. Fundamental realities of human existence: 1. Our essential loneliness as humans - we need love and companionship. 2. Our freedom to choose. 3. Our limit as creatures. 4. Our anxiety of awareness. #920 * CATEGORY: Aging, Old Age, Young People, Youth, Eternal Life, Death, Food, Lifestyle ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ TEXT: Eccl 12:1-7, 2 Sam 19:31-38, Heb 9:27 Number: 1346 Hard copy: y SOURCE: Newsweek TITLE: The Search For The Fountain Of Youth AUTHOR: Sharon Begley PAGE: 44 DATE: 3/5/90 Typist: ENTERED: 11/6/90 DATE_USED: ILLUSTRATION__________________________________________________________________ : Article on the physical effects of aging. Some scientists believe our bodies have built-in mechanisms to self-destruct, while others think they are reversible. Diminishing physical capabilities by age are given. Effects of diet and exercise are discussed. #1346 * CATEGORY: Old Age, Elderly, Barzillai ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ TEXT: 2 Sam 17:27-29, 2 Sam 19:31-39, Eccl 12:1-7 Number: 1789 Hard copy: SOURCE: Sermon TITLE: "The Faith Of Barzillai" AUTHOR: Serm92e2.pco PAGE: DATE: 2/2/92 Typist: ENTERED: 2/1/92 DATE_USED: 2/2/92 (Newark Baptist Home for Aged) ILLUSTRATION__________________________________________________________________ : Sermon on old age: "THE FAITH OF BARZILLAI" 2 Samuel 17, 19 I. What can we do for God when we are old? II. How Barzillai served God. A. King David had problems in his family. B. Absalom was the first to rebel. C. Barzillai met David and provided for him. III. Barzillai knew his place with God. A. When the tide turned in David's favor, Barzillai met him as B. Barzillai, 80 years old, declined due to age. 19:35 C. Where Barzillai wanted to be. 19:37 IV. Where is our place in God's world? A. Like Barzillai, we may be feeling the ravages of age. B. But like him, we can also help others who are lost on their way. C. Rooted in Jesus Christ, we can be content where we are. #1789 * CATEGORY: Denial Of Death, Funeral, Prepared, Perspective, Judgment Day, Future ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ TEXT: Job 3:20-22, Job 26:6, Job 30:23, Job 38:17, Ps 23:4, Ps 39:4, Ps 90:12, Prov 14:32, Eccl 7:1-2, Eccl 8:8, Eccl 12:1*, Isa 9:2, Isa 25:8,15-18, Isa 38:10-11, Isa 57:2, Ezek 18:23,32, Matt 4:16, Luke 12:15-21, Luke 16:19-31, John 5:24, John 8:51, John 11:13f, Acts 2:24, Rom 2:5, Rom 5:12-17, Rom 6:3-11, Rom 6:23, Rom 14:10, 1 Cor 3:22, 1 Cor 15:19,26, 1 Cor 15:55-57, 2 Cor 1:9, 2 Cor 4:10-12, 2 Cor 5:10, 2 Tim 1:10, Heb 2:14-15, Rev 1:18, Rev 2:11, Rev 6:8, Rev 9:6, Rev 20:6,13-14, Rev 21:4 Number: 3621 Hard copy: SOURCE: Online Christianity Today (America Online) TITLE: Wise Christians Clip Obituaries (2/3) AUTHOR: Gary Thomas PAGE: DATE: 10/3/94 Typist: ENTERED: 3/26/96 DATE_USED: 4/14/96 ILLUSTRATION__________________________________________________________________ : We prefer to ignore or deny the realization that death is coming. In this we are not unlike previous generations. It was the teaching of the ancients, in fact, that helped me to gain perspective on death. The classical spiritual-life writers found great spiritual benefit in looking death in the face, seizing its reality, and making it their servant. They used death to teach them how to live. Francois Fenelon, a seventeenth-century French mystic who wrote the classic "Christian Perfection," spoke eloquently of the denial of death: "We consider ourselves immortal, or at least as though [we are] going to live for centuries. Folly of the human spirit! Every day those who die soon follow those who are already dead. One about to leave on a journey ought not to think himself far from one who went only two days before. Life flows by like a flood." Most of us recognize that we will eventually die, but this recognition is reserved for a distant event, decades from now, not today, this week, this month, this year. Death is a foreigner, not a close neighbor. Or so we live our lives, clutching fiercely to this illusion. How else can we explain the fact that so many die without a will? We live without a will not because we believe we'll never die, but because we don't expect to die this week. Thus, we have more important tasks to take care of, meetings to attend, things to buy, decorations to hang. REMEMBRANCE OF THINGS FUTURE Why do we deny death? Fenelon believed we avoid the thought of it so we are not saddened by it. But this, he says, is shortsighted: "It will only be sad for those who have not thought about it." William Law, the eighteenth-century Anglican author of "A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life," wrote that the living world's brilliance blinds us from eternity and the reality of death. "The health of our bodies, the passions of our minds, the noise and hurry and pleasures and business of the world, lead us on with eyes that see not and ears that hear not." Part of this denial comes from the company we keep. [see #3552 for denial of death, and illustrations of Civil War general and Brezhnev's widow.] John Climacus, a seventh-century ascetic who wrote Ladder of Divine Ascent, urged Christians to use the reality of death to their benefit: "You cannot pass a day devoutly unless you think of it as your last," he wrote. He called the thought of death the "most essential of all works" and a gift from God. "The man who lives daily with the thought of death is to be admired, and the man who gives himself to it by the hour is surely a saint." Remembrance of death acts like a filter, helping us to hold on to the essential and let go of the trivial. John Climacus pointed out that a "man who has heard himself sentenced to death will not worry about the way theaters are run." TURNING EVERYTHING RIGHT-SIDE UP Forgetting death tempts us to lose perspective. Thinking about eternity helps us retrieve it. I'm reminded of this every year when I figure my taxes. During the year, I rejoice at the paychecks and extra income, and sometimes I flinch when I write out the tithe and offering. I do my best to be a joyful giver, but I confess it is not always easy, especially when there are other perceived needs and wants. At the end of the year, however, all of that changes. As I'm figuring my tax liability, I wince at every source of income and rejoice with every tithe and offering check -- more income means more tax, but every offering and tithe means less tax. Everything is turned upside down, or perhaps, more appropriately, right-side up. I suspect judgment day will be like that. Those things that bother us now, that force us out of our schedules -- taking time out to encourage or help someone -- will be the very things that we deem the most important. We may not remember the movie we skipped to paint that elderly person's house, or the meeting we missed to visit that prisoner or sick person, but in eternity, we will remember the acts of kindness and love, and we will be glad we took the time to do them. Death not only filters our priorities, it also filters our passions. In his Pensees, seventeenth-century French mathematician and theologian Blaise Pascal wrote, "To render passion harmless let us behave as though we had only a week to live." All of us are captive to various passions; some good, some bad. Which ones will we follow? William Law suggests we pick and choose according to how we will feel upon our death. "The best way for anyone to know how much he ought to aspire after holiness is to consider not how much will make his present life easy, but to ask himself how much he thinks will make him easy at the hour of death." What men or women in their right mind would continue an affair if they really believed they might not wake up in the morning? What person would risk entering eternity in a drunken stupor? What fool would ignore his loved ones and God for one last night so that he could make another quick ten thousand just before he died? Thomas a Kempis agreed with such reasoning, arguing that the remembrance of death is a powerful force for spiritual growth: "Didst thou oftener think of thy death than of thy living long, there is no question but thou wouldst be more zealous to improve. If also thou didst but consider within thyself the infernal pains in the other world, I believe thou wouldst willingly undergo any labor or sorrow in this world, and not be afraid of the greatest austerity. But because these things enter not to the heart, and we still love those things only that delight us, therefore we remain cold and very dull in religion." When we schedule our priorities and follow our passions without regard to eternity, we are essentially looking into the wrong end of a telescope. Instead of seeing things more clearly, our vision becomes distorted. We miss the big picture. "Feasts and business and pleasures and enjoyments seem great things to us whilst we think of nothing else; but as soon as we add death to them, they all sink into an equal littleness; and the soul that is separated from the body no more laments the loss of business than the losing of a feast," wrote Law. It is only the denial of death that allows us to continue rebelling against God. It is only because we are presuming on some future time to set things right that we ever even consider letting them go wrong. Some of us will be surprised in our presumption; eventually our spirits will be dulled until we forget we are presuming, and death will catch us by surprise, like all the rest. That is why Thomas a Kempis urged, "Labor now to live so, that at the hour of death thou mayest rather rejoice than fear." That hour is coming. If it comes tonight, will you be able to rejoice at your state? Or does the mere thought strike fear into your soul? More is involved than just our eternal destiny. God's mercy may well pass us into his eternal presence, but do we want to enter heaven after faithfully serving God to the best of our ability, or rather after some desperate, last-minute confession, realizing that we have wasted our life? I want to enter death tired. I want to have spent what energy God has apportioned me. The cross-country races that were most satisfying to me were not the ones I won most easily, but the ones that took everything I had to win. Weariness produced by hard, diligent labor is a reward, not a curse. An eternal rest awaits all who know Christ, so why are we preoccupied with rest now? Death becomes our servant, then, when we use it to reorder our priorities and to grow in grace and holiness. There is yet one more way we can use death to our benefit. #3621 * CATEGORY: Risk, Challenge, Abraham, Old Age, God's Call, Vision, Sarah ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ TEXT: Gen 12:4 Number: 782 Hard copy: SOURCE: Who Switched The Price Tags? TITLE: AUTHOR: Tony Campolo PAGE: 52 DATE: 1/1/86 Typist: ENTERED: 4/11/89 DATE_USED: ILLUSTRATION__________________________________________________________________ : Abraham is an example of an old person who lived dangerously for God. His wife did not believe him, but he did it for the Lord. #782 * CATEGORY: Old Age, Incarnation, Christmas, Empty, Disguise, Elderly, Aging ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ TEXT: 2 Cor 5:16, John 1:10-14, Luke 24:19-21, 1 Cor 2:6-10 Number: 1663 Hard copy: SOURCE: Dynamic Preaching Disk, Fall 1991 "A" TITLE: The Greatest Good News Of All AUTHOR: Guideposts, Jan,'84, Pp.2-5. Cited In Engstrom, "The Fine Art Of Friendship" (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1985). PAGE: Dec 4 91 DATE: 10/1/91 Typist: ENTERED: 11/7/91 DATE_USED: ILLUSTRATION__________________________________________________________________ : Ted Engstrom tells the story of Pat Moore. One day in May, 1979, Moore, who looked like she must be eighty-five years old, opened the door of her New York apartment and stepped nervously into the hall. She put her cane out in front of her and hesitantly felt for the first step on the stairs. Her legs moved gingerly, awkwardly. One step... two... three... all the way to the twelfth step. So far so good. When she arrived at the bottom of the stairs, she saw her landlady who exclaimed, "Oh, I'm sorry, I was expecting somebody else." "Don't you recognize me?" asked Pat, her voice strained and cracked. "No, ma'am, I don't," said the landlady, staring at the frail woman. "I'm Pat Moore," she said laughing. As she saw her landlady's mouth widen in disbelief, Pat knew in that flash of a moment she passed the test. You see, Pat Moore was not eighty-five years old at all. Not even close. She was an attractive twenty-six-year-old specialist in industrial design, who was concerned about the needs of the aged. At least once each week for the next three years, Pat put on her masquerade of facial latex foam, a heavy fabric that bound her body, and a convincing gray wig. She visited fourteen states as an old woman. She met hundreds of people who never once discovered her true identity. Pat Moore wanted to have a first hand experience of what it was to be elderly in America. The journey God made that first Christmas from the throne of glory to the stable in Bethlehem was that kind of journey. He emptied himself, he invaded our world. [see also #3962] #1663 * CATEGORY: Old Age, Time, Zest For Life, Robert Browning, Youth, Aging ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ TEXT: 2 Sam 19:31-39, Job 15:9-10, 1 Sam 12:2-5, Ps 71:18, Prov 16:31, Prov 20:29, Isa 46:4, 1 Jn 2:13F, 1 Pet 5:5, Tit 2:2 Number: 1738 Hard copy: SOURCE: "Light From Many Lamps" TITLE: By Lillian Eichler Watson AUTHOR: Robert Browning PAGE: 273 DATE: 1/1/51 Typist: ENTERED: 12/26/91 DATE_USED: 12/6/92 ILLUSTRATION__________________________________________________________________ : The poem "Rabbi ben Ezra" written in 1864: Grow old along with me! The best is yet to be, The last of life, for which the first was made; Our times are in his hand Who saith, "A whole I planned, Youth shows but half; trust God; see all, nor be afraid!" ... Youth ended, I shall try My gain or loss thereby; Leave the fire ashes, what survives is gold; And I shall weigh the same, Give life its praise or blame: Young, all lay in dispute; I shall know, being old. #1738 * CATEGORY: Old Age, Elderly ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ TEXT: Gen 25:8, Lev 19:32, 1 Kg 12:6-14, Job 32:4-10, Ps 71:9, Ps 92:14F, Luke 1:5-20, 1 Pet 5:5 Number: 2382 Hard copy: SOURCE: Sermon TITLE: "What About The Old Folks?" AUTHOR: Serm92zp.pco PAGE: DATE: 12/6/92 Typist: ENTERED: 12/6/92 DATE_USED: 12/6/92 ILLUSTRATION__________________________________________________________________ : Sermon in Family Series, (also Advent), on aging and the elderly. WHAT ABOUT THE OLD FOLKS? I. Is Christmas only for the young? II. We have very limited expectations about old age. A. We don't look forward to getting old. B. Even churches express this mindset. C. Instances occur in OT as well. 1 Kg 12:6-14; Job 32:4-10; Ps 71:9 III. Bible usually presents old age in a bright light. A. Bible is full of old people, with usual infirmities. 1) David can't get warm in own bed. 2) Isaac unable to tell his sons apart by sight or touch. B. Old age is treated as a blessing. Gen 25:8; Lev 19:32; 1 Pet 5:5 IV. Rather than diminishing us, age can bring us to deeper spirituality. A. Old age teaches that life is not doing things. B. Old age is about stripping away the lies to reveal truth. V. Age gives us opportunities for service. A. Serving the elderly. B. The elderly can serve. 1) They have time...experience...knowledge. 2) Why aren't the opportunities forthcoming? 3) Fruit can still come forth in old age. Psalm 92:14-15 #2382 * CATEGORY: Old Age, Church Ministry, Loneliness, Death, Future ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ TEXT: Isa 40:6-8, Ps 71:9, Exod 20:12, Job 12:12 Number: 00275 Hard copy: SOURCE: Christianity Today TITLE: The Graying Of The Church, Etc. AUTHOR: Tim Stafford, Etc. PAGE: 17 DATE: 11/6/87 Typist: ENTERED: 88/07/23 DATE_USED: 12/6/92 (in part) ILLUSTRATION__________________________________________________________________ : The problems and possibilities of the elderly in the church. CT, "Graying of America," David O. Moberg, 11/20/81, p. 30. =========================================================== I. Duration of life is limited. Gen 6:3; Ps 90:3-6, etc. A. Death is inevitable end of life. Heb 9:27 B. Human existence does not end at death. 1 Cor 15 II. Wise people should prepare for their future. A. Future life in heaven. B. Future life on earth. Ps 90:12; Prov 3:1-2, etc. III. America is characterized by "ageism," prejudice against the old. A. Instances occur in OT as well. 1 Kg 12:6-20; Job 32:4-10 1) Sometimes old were neglected. Ps 71:9-12,18 (inference) B. Biblical instructions center on honoring parents. Exod 20:12 1) Was extended to respect for all elderly people. Lev 19:32; 1 Tim 5:1-21; 1 Pt 5:5 2) (If natural tendency, wouldn't have to be commanded.) IV. How churches dishonor the old. A. Emphasis on youth and young families. B. Young chosen for leadership. C. Personal worth equated with occupational roles; retired are "nobodies." D. Programs are centered on evenings, when elderly find it hard to get out. V. Ministries for, with and by the elderly. A. They can still bring forth fruit in old age. *** Ps 92:14 CT, "The Old-Age Heresy," Tim Stafford, 9/16/91, p. 31. ======================================================= I. Avoided issue of taking care of father-in-law in old age. A. We don't like to think about issue. B. Every year you can do less, look worse. C. This spiritual disease is widespread, so much so that euthanasia has the appeal of mercy. II. Bible presents old age in a bright light. (except for Eccl 12) A. Bible is full of old people, with usual infirmities. 1) David can't get warm in own bed. 2) Isaac unable to tell his sons apart by sight or touch. B. But old age is treated as a blessing. 1) Fondest wish is to die "full of years." 2) We are to number our days, not seek to escape them. Ps 90:12 3) Zechariah's lovely portrait of the restored Jerusalem has elderly sitting in streets watching children. Zech 8:4-5 4) Death is "swallowed up" but not old age. Isa 65:20 III. Former times were not necessarily enlightened. A. Aristotle and Grimm. 1) The older, the nastier. Often witches in disguise. B. Meaning of life to Christians - glorify God, love, pray. C. If paths to heaven and hell diverge visibly on earth, they begin to split in the nursing home. There is a vast difference between those who have lived the lie, and now have nothing left but their memories, and those who can see themselves still growing into love. D. Old age is about stripping away the lies in order to teach us the truth. 1) Old age teaches that life is not doing things, even great things for God. 2) The lie says life is a bell-curve - up, then inevitably down. Scripture teaches that life is meant to be up, all the way to heaven. There is a goal, and the goal determines the process we must go through to get there. Whatever is valued in heaven grows more and more valuable on earth. Whatever matters not in heaven, matters less and less on earth. The longer you live, the more it is so. 3) One older person said, "They say we are going downhill, but they have it wrong. It is uphill. That's why it is such hard work!" CT, "Role Changes," Fran White, 2/5/82, p. 34. ============================================== I. Unique options of retirees. II. Challenge of adjustment. III. Challenge of role modification. IV. Challenge of increased dependency, and loneliness. V. Challenge of a life inventory. #275 * CATEGORY: Death, Hope, Old Age, Humanism ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ TEXT: Eccl, Job 14:7-11, 2 Sam 12:23 Number: 00298 Hard copy: SOURCE: "I Believe In The Second Coming Of Jesus" TITLE: AUTHOR: Stephen Travis PAGE: 157 ff DATE: 1/1/88 Typist: ENTERED: 88/09/19 DATE_USED: 88/09/25 (God alone is great) ILLUSTRATION__________________________________________________________________ : Hard reality of death. Funeral sermon for Louis XIV of France, the "Sun-King." Most famous preacher of the day, Masillon, looked down at the dead king's coffin and then at the thousands gathered in Notre Dame. "God alone is great, my brothers." Death reduces all of us to our proper size. Death is unwelcome because it leaves things unfinished. Dylan Thomas to his dying father: "Do not go gentle into that good night, Old age should burn and rave at close of day; Rage, rage against the dying of the light." Death is an embarrassment in the twentieth century. Humanist authors avoid the topic. Bertrand Russell - "I believe that when I die I rot." (p 163). #298 * CATEGORY: Old Age, Young People, Values, Priorities, Meaning In Life, Risk, Challenge ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ TEXT: Mark 8:36 Number: 756 Hard copy: SOURCE: Who Switched The Price Tags? TITLE: AUTHOR: Tony Campolo PAGE: 29 DATE: 1/1/86 Typist: ENTERED: 4/6/89 DATE_USED: 12/17/89 ILLUSTRATION__________________________________________________________________ : A sociological study interviewed fifty people over the age of 95 on one question: "If you could live your life over again, what would you do differently?" Three answers dominated: 1. If I had it to do over again, I would reflect more. 2. If I had it to do over again, I would risk more. 3. If I had it to do over again, I would do more things that would live on after I am dead. #756 * CATEGORY: Spiritual Growth, Resolutions, New Year, Change ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ TEXT: x Number: 3962 Hard copy: SOURCE: Online Leadership Journal (America Online) TITLE: When They've Heard It All Before AUTHOR: Craig Brian Larson PAGE: DATE: 01/01/95 Typist: ENTERED: 11/6/96 DATE_USED: ILLUSTRATION__________________________________________________________________ : In his sermon "Christmas 365 Days a Year," Stuart Briscoe brings listeners face to face with their spiritual condition: "The Bible says we're being changed from glory to glory even by the Spirit of the Lord. Do you know what you ought to be able to do at the end of a year? You ought to be able to look back and see some specific ways in which you have grown spiritually. There ought to be evidence of new habits, new attitudes, and new abilities relating directly to the fact that you're being changed by the Spirit of the Lord. "Can you think of one overwhelming weakness that had you by the throat at the beginning of this year? Do you honestly believe that if Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, came into your life, he could release you from it, and you could live in newness of life? "You say,`I don't know about that.' Nothing is impossible with God. If it is part of the divine will, it rests well within the divine capability." [see #3957 for original article on preaching with illustrations] #3962 *