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- Apr 25, 2006
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17 August 2007
Psalm 71:17-18
God, you have taught me since I was young. To this day I tell about the miracles you do.
Even though I am old and gray, do not leave me, God. I will tell the children about your power; I will tell those who live after me about your might.
I'm a local preacher in the Methodist church. That means I'm not ordained and I still have a "normal" job and take services and preach in my spare time.
I regularly stand at the front of a service and by far the majority of the people I see coming to worship are normally a lot older than me. It can be hard to prepare and deliver an act of worship that means something to me as well as someone who is twice my age. And vice versa, it must be hard for someone twice my age to do the same for me.
But our reading today encourages us that you're never too old to serve the Lord. Whilst age might stop us doing some things, it must never stop us wanting to tell others about all we have seen God do in the years we have lived.
I used to find older people, especially older Christians, a bit boring and judgmental. They always seemed to be telling me they knew best because they had been there and made the same mistakes I was making and they wanted me to avoid making the same errors by them sharing their wisdom and me listening to their teachings.
However mistakes and experiences are what makes us who we are. I've made a lot of mistakes so far in life and had a lot of experiences as well. I hope to have many years ahead of me in which to have more experiences and hopefully learn from my mistakes.
But I always find it useful to listen to the experiences and mistakes made by others - especially those older than me. Not only does this remind me that I'm not alone in making poor decisions, but also I hear about how the Lord has stood by others in the past as they have coped with the experiences and mistakes they have had in life and I find this greatly encouraging.
Help me to be encouraged to listen to the message people older than me have to share Lord. And help me to share my message of the blessings you have given me with those of all ages.
Written by Andy Haynes
Psalm 71:17-18
God, you have taught me since I was young. To this day I tell about the miracles you do.
Even though I am old and gray, do not leave me, God. I will tell the children about your power; I will tell those who live after me about your might.
I'm a local preacher in the Methodist church. That means I'm not ordained and I still have a "normal" job and take services and preach in my spare time.
I regularly stand at the front of a service and by far the majority of the people I see coming to worship are normally a lot older than me. It can be hard to prepare and deliver an act of worship that means something to me as well as someone who is twice my age. And vice versa, it must be hard for someone twice my age to do the same for me.
But our reading today encourages us that you're never too old to serve the Lord. Whilst age might stop us doing some things, it must never stop us wanting to tell others about all we have seen God do in the years we have lived.
I used to find older people, especially older Christians, a bit boring and judgmental. They always seemed to be telling me they knew best because they had been there and made the same mistakes I was making and they wanted me to avoid making the same errors by them sharing their wisdom and me listening to their teachings.
However mistakes and experiences are what makes us who we are. I've made a lot of mistakes so far in life and had a lot of experiences as well. I hope to have many years ahead of me in which to have more experiences and hopefully learn from my mistakes.
But I always find it useful to listen to the experiences and mistakes made by others - especially those older than me. Not only does this remind me that I'm not alone in making poor decisions, but also I hear about how the Lord has stood by others in the past as they have coped with the experiences and mistakes they have had in life and I find this greatly encouraging.
Help me to be encouraged to listen to the message people older than me have to share Lord. And help me to share my message of the blessings you have given me with those of all ages.
Written by Andy Haynes
