Are You Connected to a Good Community to Grow Old In?

Are You Connected to a Good Community to Grow Old In?

 

Good Morning Friends,

 

Last Wednesday I attended a community breakfast of faith leaders at the Naples Community Hospital to hear about the plans for our county to become a “Blue Zone.” “Blue Zones” are places where people have extremely long longevity. Studies related to them initially identified five “Blue Zones” around the world. One is in Okinawa, Japan. One is in Sicily, one on an Island off the coast of Greece, one in Costa Rica, and one in Loma Linda, California. We discussed why people in these zones live longer. They all share nine common traits that I will pray for today. Additional Blue Zones are sprouting up around the nation as people gather together and begin the process of making healthier options the community’s default. It has a lot to do with exercise and diet…working throughout the day and eating fruit and vegetables more. But the most important principle is belonging to a community of faith. Think about combining the habits of Daniel and Jesus. But it also has to do with family and social connections and the feeling that no matter how old you are, you are still useful to those around you. It has to do with belonging to a religious community. In listening to the program it occurred to me that I have known several people that lived to be over a hundred years old and they all have been in a faith community at Moorings Presbyterian. These people were socially connected and attended worship services on a regular basis. You see, being in a community that has purpose through music, readings, prayer, study and expression of the Word adds value to people’s lives. People who have a purpose live on average seven years longer than those unable to state their purpose in living. But the most effective in adding longevity is belonging to a body of believer for this can add up to 14 years to one’s lifespan. People living in the faith collectively continue to feel useful to their families, friends, and community no matter how old they are. Even extremely old, fragile people are doing a little light work, helping preparing meals, or praying and visiting the sick. These images invoked thoughts of very elderly people in the Bible that remained useful. The list is extensive. But it also raises up the hope of a healthy walk with Jesus. Are You Connected to a Good Community to Grow Old In?

 

Scripture:
Top of Form

Bottom of Form

²⁵You shall worship the Lord your God, and I^* will bless your bread and your water; and I will take sickness away from among you.

 

Exodus 23:25 (NRSV)

 

Remember your creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come.

 

Ecclesiastes 12:1 (NIV)

 

O God, from my youth you have taught me, and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds. So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim your might to all the generations to come. Your power and your righteousness, O God, reach the high heavens. You who have done great things, O God, who is like you? You who have made me see many troubles and calamities will revive me again; from the depths of the earth you will bring me up again. You will increase my honor, and comfort me once again.

 

Psalm 71:17-21 (NRSV)

 

¹²‘Please test your servants for ten days. Let us be given vegetables to eat and water to drink. ¹³You can then compare our appearance with the appearance of the young men who eat the royal rations, and deal with your servants according to what you observe.’

 

Daniel 1:12-13 (NRSV)

 

Message: The message of long life is about purpose and purpose is about passing along a legacy of faith to the next generation. It is a story found throughout Scripture. Moses taught Joshua, Elizabeth mentored Mary, Elijah impacted Elisha, Naomi taught Ruth about God, Barnabas believed in Mark, and Paul guided Timothy and Titus. Given the dynamics of our aging population we should listen to these stories more closely so we will remember them when our memory starts to fade. Friends, today we explore the possibility that the prime time for proclamation may be in our old age. Sure we should raise up children in the way they should go but we also should remember that Abraham did not get his call until he was an old man. Noah too. Acts says that in the last days old men would dream dreams. Is now not such a time for faith? If like David, you have slain the lion and the bear and the Philistine in your youth, is it now not time to let the young see how spiritual victories are won?   In the Bible, the aged are perceived as resourceful people with valuable gifts to share for the good of everyone. Wisdom is an attribute of the aged who depend upon God. Godly habits can get us there. It can be a victorious time when our best fruits can be given to God. You see, God’s way for us to grow old is for us to develop a walk with Him now–a walk that involves a deep personal knowledge of God, a walk that includes the habits of trust, praise, and hope, and a walk that involves a lifestyle of ministry for God. Then, as long as we have life and breath, we can show and tell and sing of the greatness of our God to the next generation. That is the nature of health. That is the health of community.

 

Pray we realize that walking is healthy and that walking with God is even healthier.
Pray we realize that Jesus’ first miracle was to turn water into wine. Pray we find time to relieve our stress in healthy ways. Pray we wake up with a purpose. Pray we eat more like Daniel and Jesus. Pray we invest time with family. Pray we stop eating before we are full in the hopes others might have something to eat. Pray we move more without thinking about it. Pray we surround ourselves with people who support positive behaviors. Pray we belong to a faith based community attending at least once a week.
Pray that if our memory fades we still not forget the purpose God has given us. Pray if we become feeble we still meditate on God. Pray that we build lifelong memories of God’s faithfulness. Pray we seek the wisdom of those with gray hair. Pray that our faith is passed on from one generation to another. Pray we honor the aged. Pray we declare to the next generation God’s deeds in our lives and His desire that in faith they too will remember Him and His power.  Pray we develop a deep knowledge of God and a love of God that spills over into the communities in which we live. Pray we be part of transforming our community through our faith.

 

Blessings,

 

John Lawson