As I was preparing to preach on Psalm 24 this week and reflecting on ’the generation that seeks Him’ (v6), my thoughts turned to the over 60’s that worship here at Kingdom Life Centre and their insatiable appetite for more of God. A lot has and will be said about the young generation that God is calling into their world shaking destiny, but let me rave about these oldies for a moment. This is a generation that is typically thought of by younger generations as sceptical, judgemental, tired, cynical, been-there-done-that, critical, worn out and out of date. (Boooo!!!) Not these guys. These guys are the ones tripping to conferences for more. These are the hungry ones. These are the one’s who are signing up to go to cities and nations on mission. These are the ones who are positioning themselves in prayer and worship and thanksgiving, who can’t get enough of God. These are the ones with the heart of Obed-Edom who will do whatever it takes to be in the presence of their King. They go out to late night meetings and early morning prayer as if they’d just been born again. They don’t stop talking about their latest encounter with God or the revelation that caught them by surprise as they were worshiping or the people they got to pray for at the shops. And this is the challenge to us younger ones. We think we’ve got excuses. They are doing it while they juggle the stress and pressure of parenting and grand-parenting responsibilities. They are doing it while holding down 9-5 jobs with early mornings and city traffic and busyness. They are doing it while embracing innovations from another world like email and smartphones and Facebook and technology they have no grid for. They do it while rising early to feed the chooks and work the veggie garden. They do it while ironing, cleaning, washing and fixing not just their own stuff but usually their kids and grandkids and neighbours and friends as well. They are doing it while suffering with the pain of arthritis, and bulging discs, and failing eye-sight, and menopause, and while fighting cancers and tumours and all manner of mysterious debilitating ailments that the doctors can’t quite figure out yet. They’re doing it with walking frames and hearing aides and glasses. They’re doing it in the face of hard economic times while they’ve seen their savings and super slashed by GFC1 and have no idea how they are going to make ends meet for their remaining decades. These guys are not looking for excuses. And don’t think this is a new thing for them brought on by their new found freedom in ‘retirement. They’ve been living this for decades. Before most of us were born, they gave birth to children while serving God on the mission field in third world conditions or while stationed in country towns miles from the nearest hospital. They were serving like this while working two jobs and serving in the school tuckshop and on P&C Committees. The were teaching classes of religious education in multiple schools and coaching sporting teams where they shared the love of God with their kids friends. And they do it without regret or duty or religious obligation. They do it with passion and excitement and joy filled expectation. They are modelling before us the very thing we dream our life will count for - a life sold out to the glory of the King. A life that is not their own. A life given over to something and Someone bigger than themselves that will continue to give beyond their earthly days. They have discovered the beauty of the only One worthy to receive the honour and the glory and praise of their lives. They’ve found the peace of resting in the One who does all things well. They have experienced the trustworthiness of the One who causes all things to work together for our good. They surrendered to the high-calling of being laid-down-lovers of the One who is Love. This is a generation of those who love God, who seek His face like Jacob. May we honour their lives by giving our own and laying down our trivial distractions and desires and appetites, for the all-consuming, heart-pounding, mind-blowing King of Glory they seek to know and make known. Thank you Kingdom Life Centre oldies. You inspire me.
Posted on: Tue, 04 Mar 2014 02:26:36 +0000
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