There is a Special Blessing in Worship Known Only by Great Grabdmas and Great Grandpas. There is a splendid joy that rises within me when I think of the grace of God that brought me from my bed on this one more Lord’s Day and granted me the health of body to be yet mobile enough with mind clear enough to be lifted in spirit in one more worship this side of heaven. As I grow older I am imbibing in something that older saints have had before me whom I visited as a young preacher but had a cosmic ignorance of their nearness to God, Jesus and his church. Nothing but faithfulness in years of worship and advancing age will allow one to discover this special togetherness with God and the loveliness of fellowship with fellow Christians as we hug each other in our brief stop on the narrow path each Lord’s Day for an hour or so to pour out our hearts in praise to God. (Sweet Sue had it) All hail to young people who are always the energy of the present church activities in the kingdom, our hats are off to them but they, as I was, in their brief and shallow association with the older saints about them are totally unaware of something the aged faithful Christian has discovered. If they continue faithful they will discover with it with a serene aha! So this is what being a Christian is like in worship. For instance let me illustrate. There is a sweet blessedness that now comes over me when I think back as a young preacher when visiting an aged sister who had been recently confined to a rest home for senior citizens. When I spoke to her about our worship service at church that morning tears came in her eyes and cheeks as she quietly said. “How I wish I could have been there. I miss it so much.” Now that was a unique experience for me in my years of ministry. I have visited many young people in the hospital or at other times when they were absent from worship and never have I seen tears shed over their absence from church. This is not to speak against them for this, I was right there with them for years trying my best to be sympathetic with these great grandmas and great grandpas….but I lacked an empathy for their tears for missing worship which comes only with age. I understand now quiet well. It’s a rich, rich additional blessing that is beautifully discovered only with advancing age. Young Christians, be conscience of this when you visit a senior saint and while offering some encouraging sweet smiles and casual “sorrys” for them knowing they have reached a relationship with the eternal you don’t have….yet. Just be cheerful, hold their lonely age spotted, wrinkled hand for a moment, as someday (if you make it) a new generation will do for you, and understand they have a pain at being separated from worship understood by no one other than a gallant old saint AMEN!
Posted on: Sun, 04 Aug 2013 21:03:26 +0000