10-27-96 A Glimpse Over the Jordan	Deuteronomy 34:1-12

I Thessalonians 2:1-8

Matthew 22:34-46

My generation, those born between 1943 and 1960, is known as "the baby boomer generation." It is our generation that has reached it's zenith of power and is now is considered to be "The Establishment." Surprisingly to us, it is our children, known as the "baby busters," or "x generation" that looks at us in much the same way as we looked at our parents: old, staid, and stuck in our ways.

In the '60s, when all the boring old "baby boomers" were young a much quoted mantra declared, "Never trust anyone over 30." How ridiculous that phrase sounds to us now, especially when just about any of us can go to our closets and find T-shirts older than that. How times have changed! Jerry Rubin, the yippie-turned-yuppie, has a new slogan. He used to say, "don't trust anyone over 30." Now he says, "Don't trust anyone under 50."

The fact is that even as the '60s saw the blossoming of the civil rights era, it also honed a new kind of prejudice – ageism. Although the 60's were not alone in shrugging off the 60- somethings, the picked-up pace and increasingly disposable lifestyle of these latter days of the 20th century has practically made growing older a sin. This is not just a cosmetic skirmish against gray hair, soft bodies and windy wrinkles. It is a widespread, ongoing cultural hostility against aging in general and the aged in particular.

We routinely assume that our oldest generations only want to be with those who are their own age, that they are afraid of or uninterested in new ideas or new ways of doing things, that sexuality and sensuality are no longer part of their lives, that illness and infirmity are typical of their age group.

The truth is that the fastest growing segment of our population is those over 65. People are living longer and healthier lives. In less than one century, there has been as astonishing 50%+ increase in longevity. In fact, the average lifespan in 1900 was only 49 years old. In the year 2000 it is projected that the average lifespan will be 80. Just ask Willard Scott! He'll tell you that centenarians, persons over the age of 100, are the fastest growing segment of the population percentage-wise. By some accounts, the life expectancy of a child born today is expected to be well over 90.

For the first time in history, four-generation families are becoming common place. When the baby-boomer generation begins to hit retirement age, the percentage of the population over 65 will swell from 12.5% to 21%. And it has been discovered that a woman of any generation who reaches the age of 50 without developing heart disease or cancer can expect to live into her 90s.

If any place in our culture should be excited about these numbers and what they mean, it should be the church. For too long, all the denominations have been moaning and groaning about the "graying of the church" and the shrinking numbers in church schools and youth groups – as if Christians were all stamped with some kind of expiration date, like milk or meat, and should be discarded after a certain age.

Who says an older church has to mean a less vital church?

This coming week, the church observed All Saints' Day. It is a day that celebrates the church's getting older and better. All Saints' Day celebrates the age and wisdom of the church. Indeed, we even find strength and renewed vitality in studying the long history of the church. It is time now, also, to declare that grace and power are present in the long arm of tradition within our churches that also enjoy long personal histories.

Why is it that when a church is filled with lots of youth or young families, we celebrate it as "alive" – while when a church fills its pews with those in their "third age" – 60 and older – we shake our heads at that church's "decline"?

The very young and the very old are the fastest growing groups in America. So, why do churches constantly focus their money, time and programming on trying to swell the ranks of only the youngest (which we should do, by the way) while ignoring the needs and interests and strengths of the oldest?

Why do we target those with the least amount of time available for volunteer activities (midlifers) or leadership positions – while failing to engage those who now have a far greater flexibility of time (retirees) for crucial areas of church activity, growth and development?

Let's take Moses' life for example: During his youth, Moses lived as an Egyptian, pampered and privileged in Pharaoh's house. In midlife, Moses worked hard tending sheep, raising a family, being a member of a busy community. Not until he had appropriately aged did the Lord call Moses into his most active service. In his "third age," Moses did not "retire" into sedentary oblivion. He became the servant of the Lord unlike any other ever known, Israel's greatest leader.

It is time to celebrate the positive dimensions of growing old "grace-fully." What gifts and graces do today's and tomorrow's "third-agers" have to offer our church? All of us must follow Moses. All of us must discover how to lead and learn to grow old "grace-fully."

Growing old "grace-fully" does not mean winding down. Instead, it means learning to shift gears, sometimes into overdrive, sometimes into four-wheel drive.

Growing old "grace-fully" does not mean letting others take over the reins and settling back. Instead, it means letting God direct your course.

Growing old "grace-fully" does not mean disengaging from the community. Instead, it means being prepared to take on new positions of leadership.

Growing old "grace-fully" does not mean vision is dimmed. Instead, it means being a visionary for the future of your church, your community, your country.

Growing old "grace-fully" does not mean losing touch with the sensual world. Instead, it means taking the time to celebrate all the physical and spiritual gifts God provides, and relishing them.

Growing old "grace-fully" does not mean caving in to limitations. Instead, it means giving God the opportunity to strengthen your weaknesses – no matter how long-lived they may be.

Growing old "grace-fully" does not mean rattling around in an "empty nest." Instead, it means opening the doors of your mind, heart and home to new ideas, new feelings and new people God sends your way.

At midlife, Moses was a stumble-tongued shepherd, eking out a living on his father-in-law's land, consumed by the demands of a family. Having left behind the glamorous life he had led as a youth, Moses certainly was not looking for any more radical changes in his life. But then, God had other plans. With an open spirit – if a fairly incredulous mind – Moses obediently followed the dramatic "retirement plan" God had in store for him.

Are we open to doing the same? Do we look at "retirement" as a time with a slowed pace, a quiet house and a lot of golf? Not if we're to grow old "grace-fully." The Spirit of Christ in you does not molder with age – it remains as fresh and sweet and surprising as on the first day we received it into our hearts.

Amen.