Young pastor, old people.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

“But those who won’t care for their relatives, especially those in their own household, have denied the true faith. Such people are worse than unbelievers. A widow who is put on the list for support must be a woman who is at least sixty years old and was faithful to her husband. She must be well respected by everyone because of the good she has done. Has she brought up her children well? Has she been kind to strangers and served other believers humbly? Has she helped those who are in trouble? Has she always been ready to do good?” ‭‭1 Timothy‬ ‭5‬:‭8‬-‭10‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The Apostle Paul spends a lot of written real estate on how to treat each other – especially here in Timothy concerning elders and widows. Paul gets very specific, even detailing a special care list for those who qualify. The Jewish culture always had a strong family-oriented system of care even though some of the religious leaders created a loophole and were able to put money into a special temple account (Corban) rather than going towards their own elderly parents. Jesus shamed that idea in Matthew 15.

What does senior or widow care have to do with pastoring a church? It’s actually a huge part of pastoral responsibility, unless you’re dodgy as a startup church 😇. It is interesting that this area of specific ministry has exploded with the extraordinary extension of life expectancy over the past 50 years. Now, seniors are living well into their 90’s and beyond! Multi-generational churches are struggling to meet the tension of both geriatric pastoral care alongside early childhood care for couples in their thirties. Retirement and funerals along with baby deductions and birthdays are happening almost every month!

Back to widows – Paul has the hutzpah to write about the qualities and qualifications on getting on the widow list! And, it is obviously only for widows, not widowers. A widow has to be at least 60 (extreme life expectancy of that day). She had to seen as faithful to her husband. Well respected by everyone – because of the good she has done! Paul completely expected every godly widow to have a calling of serving, even through loss, grief and complete change of life status. Has had to raise her children well, kind to strangers and served believers in all humility. Helped those in trouble. And, always been ready to do good. This sounds like a full time job with no pay, but massive benefits from God! Paul writes to Timothy as though this was a widow’s, “job portfolio.” And you can bet that when Timothy was sent to pastor the Ephesian’s church, this was a huge part of his job and calling.

Timothy pastored that church until his death at 80 years old! Paul’s letters to Timothy are remarkable because he is writing about a young pastor’s own confidence in their calling as well as giving him the tools for leading a church that had gone through conflict, resulting in disunity. This idea of leading in a multigenerational church can and should happen. Yet, the caveat seems to be the willingness for the elderly to be led by a young pastor AND the willingness for the young pastor to be patient and caring for those who have experienced life and gone through trying times. Church plants are fantastic, but rarely have the elderly, the seniors or super-seniors in the body of Christ. Old churches, who were once a startup, have struggled to change and reinvent themselves to the point where they are purposely bridging and building into the lives of littles, youth and young families. Paul mentored Timothy when he was likely a young adult. That allowed Timothy to become a Bishop and to stay in one local church to give his life for the sake of the gospel in Ephesus.

Prayer

​Dad,
I believe in Your Church! I believe in life-long commitments in relationships within the local church. My heart has always been towards both loving and honoring the elderly as well as nurturing and mentoring young children, youth, singles and families. I believe that I am called to help bridge generational gaps that have become more divisive than they should be. As we see enormous change and uncertainty in the Church, help us keep our eyes on you, not on the past. Keep our hearts tender and our minds sharp, open and obedient to Your will, not our own. Amen.

Wonder and sustainability in how we care for the planet.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

“The whole earth is filled with awe at your wonders; where morning dawns, where evening fades, you call forth songs of joy.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭65‬:‭8‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Written towards the end of David’s life is this deep appreciation for the way God cares for earth. David’s observation; how fortunate it must be for those who live on “the ends” where the sun rises and falls. Which we know is anyone who just walks outside with a clear view of the east and west!

What a joy it is to burst into singing to God as the sun rises or sit in silence as it sets. I love both! Whether I’m walking, or hiking (when I was younger) or driving directly into the morning sunrise – it is always invigorating and spectacular. Our family has a ritual, once a year on our getaway to Tahoe, to walk down to the lakeshore and watch the sun set over the western hills of the lake. It’s so peaceful and quiet. It’s breathtaking. The day begins and ends in a spectacular array of color and bursts of light across the skies.

David’s reflection of God’s wonder go on in verses 9-13. He details God’s care and sustaining work in keeping the earth healthy in its ecosystem. When I read this psalm it reminds me of two things: One, David’s son Solomon must have gotten his deep appreciation for nature from his Dad. Solomon, in all his wisdom knew everything about botany and zoology. Two, those who love God, who follow Jesus should be the best environmentalists – but not the political use of that word!

We believe God not only created the world, but he put humans in charge of managing it. Christians should be at the forefront of caring for and sustaining the wonder and beauty of the earth. Not to the point of valuing plant and animal life above humans, but to keep a better balance of how we care for the air we breath, the water we drink, the forests we use to build our homes and the way we care for the land and animals we need for food. We should recognize our outpaced obsessions and addictions that harm our planet. We should be better at curbing our wants and desires to be the best caretakers we can be. David did his best to live by God’s own environmental laws, in care of the ecosystem, to honor God. I for one, love clean air, water and food sources!

Prayer

Dad,
You have created and designed such a beautiful place for us to live and enjoy the wonder of this big blue planet. And the spectacular array of light and color from the Sun is beyond words to describe it. Thank you for this wonderful place. Help us God, to be better caretakers of what you have given for us to enjoy. This place may not be our permanent home, but we should leave it better than we arrived here!