Worship Service for Older Adult Sunday

Leader: In You, O Lord, I put my trust, for you are my strong refuge. Let my mouth be filled with your praise.

People: I will praise you yet more and more; my mouth shall tell of your righteousness and your salvation all the day.

Leader: O God, You have taught me from my youth; and to this day, I declare your wondrous works.

People: Now also when I am old and gray headed, O God, do not forsake me, until I declare your strength to this generation and your power to everyone who is to come.

Suggested Hymns

• "Rock of Ages, Cleft for Me" 361, United Methodist Hymnal
• "Faith of Our Fathers," 710, United Methodist Hymnal
• "Hymn of Promise," 707, United Methodist Hymnal
• "Here I Am, Lord," 593, United Methodist Hymnal
• "It Is Well With My Soul," 377, United Methodist Hymnal
• "God Will Take Care of You," 130, United Methodist Hymnal

Suggested Scriptures

• Genesis 12:4: Abram and Lot
• Genesis 17:17 and 18:11-12: Abraham and Sarah
• Exodus 7: Moses and Aaron
• Ruth: Naomi and Ruth
• Selected verses from Psalms & Proverbs on aging
• Isaiah 46:3, 4: ".... even to your old age I am he...."
• Joel 2:28: . . . old men shall dream dreams...
• Zechariah 8:4: "Old men and old women shall again sit in the streets of Jerusalem . . ."
• Luke 2: Simeon and Anna in the Temple
• I & II Timothy: Paul's instructions to Timothy on honoring the older people
• Titus 2: Instructions to the older men and women in the church

Prayer

Holy God, you created us to enjoy a full and an abundant life, but we have devalued and demeaned people who are aging and elderly in our society and communities. We have cast them aside into institutions and have ignored them in our communities. Lord, forgive us for not seeing the value and the wisdom of elderly people in our midst. Forgive us for demanding that they step aside from valued work and from mentoring the younger generations. You have said that gray hair is a blessing, yet we look upon our elderly as a problem and try to find ways to disinherit them from society. God, forgive us and remind us that one day we will be traveling the same journey.

May we look with compassion and love upon those people who have been blessed with long and abundant living. May we find joy in walking together with them as we learn from them and seek their wisdom for our lives. In Christ's name, who came to give us the abundant life all of our years. Amen

Reflection

On a visit to my sister's, I met my great-grandniece, Laura, age three — my sister's great-granddaughter — who was living with my sister and her husband, along with Laura's grandmother — my sister's daughter, Terri. Terri's daughter, Laura's mother, is in the military service in California. My sister is the caregiver for her husband, who has several medical problems and needs almost constant care. Now she has primary care of Laura when Laura's grandmother (Terri) is working. I tell this somewhat complex relationship story because it is becoming more and more common to find older adults who are caring for a spouse with long-term care needs and for younger members of the family, such as grandchildren or even great-grandchildren. Such aliving arrangement may be an economic necessity, but it is also a profound opportunity for multigenerations to share relationships, wisdom, and knowledge with one another.

Today's society makes it difficult at times for multigenerations in a family to be close enough to have an influence on the younger generation, yet Scripture tells us that the older persons should mentor the younger ones and that the younger ones should honor and respect the older adults. There are several verses in Proverbs that remind us that the older adults, especially those with graying hair, are wise and knowledgeable from living long lives and that it is prudent for the younger ones to listen to them and learn from them.

Yet today, society seems to push aside older adults, viewing them as useless, feeble, and unable to care for themselves or make decisions for themselves. They are no longer the "beautiful" people that advertisements say they must be. They are thought to be depriving younger people of medical care. We hide older adults away in nursing homes and adult facilities so we don't have to think about them.

Scriptures show us a whole different society. Many of the most renowned characters in the Bible were well into their elder years, and God was still calling them out for ministry. Abraham and Sarah began their family in their older years. Moses was in his 80's, and his brother Aaron older than he when God called them to take the Israelite nation into the Promise Land. Naomi was a widow and older woman when she decided to go back to her former homeland and saw a grandchild born who would be part of the ancestry of Jesus. Paul was well into his older years when he became a missionary and traveled extensively, starting new churches. Simeon and Anna, in their elder years, were faithful to watch for the birth of the Messiah and were blessed to live long enough to see Christ. Fishermen started second careers. Timothy's grandmother was an influence upon his ministry.

The Bible is full of examples of people who lived full and active lives and who continued to serve God well into their later years in life. Jesus promised us abundant life — not one necessarily free from aches and pains, but one that can be rewarding and full of achievements. The church is the source of encouragement and empowerment, and it should be ready to assist older people with finding where their spiritual gifts can be the most useful. The church today has a wonderful resource with its older adults, who have the wisdom and creativity to mentor the children and youth, to be prayer warriors, and to be active participants in the activities of the church. Let's not overlook them for the unique ministries of the church in our zeal to reach the younger generations.