Keep going, pastor!
Jonathan Worsley
Date posted: 1 Apr 2019
Dilapidated buildings, small budgets and struggling congregations: Jonathan Worsley on irresistible grace & ministerial steadfastness
It’s Monday morning. You’re driving to the church office, reflecting on your sermon from Sunday.
Bearing fruit in old age
Jonathan Worsley
Date posted: 1 Dec 2017
Amongst the Israelites, old age was held in
high regard and respect for the elderly was
obligatory. Proverbs 16.31 tells us that, ‘grey
hair is the crown of glory.’ As a follicularly
challenged minister in his 30s it is easy to
subtly downplay the truth of such verses.
Unquestionably, modern Western society
does not honour old age to the extent to
which it once did.
Perhaps it is unsurprising, then, that 1.2
million elderly people
in England would
describe
themselves as chronically
lonely,
with almost half of
those going without
seeing anyone
for five days out of every week (Age UK). The astounding nature of
such statistics is only furthered when one
considers that by 2035 almost half of the
adult population will be over 65 (Office for
National Statistics). While many churches
are unquestionably working hard amongst
an aging population, Christian
resources
aimed at the elderly are comparatively sparse.
Last Word: farewell!
‘Money can’t buy life’ (Bob Marley). ‘We are beggars – this is true’ (Martin Luther). ‘Happy…’ (Raphael). ‘Now God be with you, my dear children; I have breakfasted with you, and shall sup with my Lord Jesus Christ this night’ (Robert Bruce).
As the regular writer of this column, I believe that last words are important. Although I confess both a foolishness and a propensity to go over my word count, I disagree with Karl Marx, who on his deathbed apparently barked: ‘Go on, get out! Last words are for fools who haven’t said enough.’