Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” So Abram went, as the LORD had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.” Genesis 12:1-4
Harland Sanders was just another struggling small business operator in Corbin, Kentucky. However, armed with a recipe for fried chicken, a white suit and a title given by many, he became Colonel Sanders and his face would become known across the globe in his later life as the face and logo for Kentucky Fried Chicken.
Abram was seventy-five years old when God called him and sent him to the land of Canaan. He went with his wife, God’s blessing and promise that He would make him into a great nation. Life for Abram was just getting started.
Our congregations are blessed with many older adults. They serve in many and various ways. Some are quiet, behind-the-scenes volunteers who fold bulletins and wash linens. Others are vocal leaders who guide the congregation’s affairs. Some have begun training for church work later in life, while many support their pastors and congregations by undertaking tasks that allow the pastor to focus on the ministry of the Word. Even as we encourage young people to consider preparing for full-time church work vocations, it is good for us to give thanks to older adults who bless our congregations in so many ways.
Older adults in our congregations regularly care for one another by calling and visiting homebound members and nursing home residents. They provide support for grieving families by preparing meals and support the schools and church by making repairs around the facilities. The older adults of our congregations hold up the hands of pastors and other church workers by all of the ways in which they serve. We are diligently praying for more servants for our congregations and schools, but we also give thanks to God for the laypeople who faithfully serve. God’s not done with you just because you hit a certain birthday! Thanks be to God for all of the people through whom He is at work even later in life.
Prayer – Almighty God and Father, we give thanks to You for the gifts that you have given to Your Church through the service of laypeople. Help us to value their service, even as we lift up our petitions for the next generation of church workers; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
Fraternally in Christ,
President Lee Hagan