Sermon Illustrations on Old Age — page 3

What Women Want In A Man

WHAT WOMEN WANT IN A MAN -- Original List ... (at age 22)

1. Handsome

2. Charming

3. Financially Successful

4. A Caring Listener

5. Witty

6. In Good Shape

7. Dresses with Style

8. Appreciates the Finer Things

9. Full of Thoughtful Surprises

10. An Imaginative, Romantic Lover

WHAT WOMEN WANT IN A MAN, Revised List ... (at age 32)

1. Nice Looking - preferably with hair on his head

2. Opens car doors, holds chairs

3. Has enough money for a nice dinner at restaurant

4. Listens more than he talks

5. Laughs at my jokes at appropriate times

6. Can carry in all the groceries with ease

7. Owns at least one tie

8. Appreciates a good home cooked meal

9. Remembers Birthdays and Anniversaries

10. Seeks romance at least once a week

WHAT WOMEN WANT IN A MAN, Revised List ... (at age 42)

1. Not too ugly - bald head OK

2. Doesn't drive off until I'm in the car

3. Works steady - splurges on dinner at McDonalds on occasion

4. Nods head at appropriate times when I'm talking

5. Usually remembers the punch lines of jokes

6. Is in good enough shape to rearrange the furniture

7. Usually wears shirt that covers stomach

8. Knows not to buy champagne with screw top lids

9. Remembers to put the toilet seat lid down

10. Shaves on most weekends

WHAT WOMEN WANT IN A MAN, Revised List ... (at age 52)

1. Keeps hair in nose and ears trimmed to appropriate length

2. Doesn't belch or scratch in public

3. Doesn't borrow money too often

4. Doesn't nod off to sleep while I'm emoting

5. Doesn't re-tell same joke too many times

6. Is in good enough shape to get off couch on Weekends

7. Usually wears matching socks and fresh underwear

8. Appreciates a good TV Dinner

9. Remembers your name on occasion

10. Shaves on some weekends

WHAT WOMEN WANT IN A MAN, Revised List ... (at age 62)

1. Doesn't scare small children

2. Remembers where bathroom is

3. Doesn't require much money for upkeep

4. Only snores lightly when awake (LOUDLY when asleep)

5. Forgets why he's laughing

6. Is in good enough shape to stand up by himself

7. Usually wears some clothes

8. Likes soft foods

9. Remembers where he left his teeth

10. Remembers when...

WHAT WOMEN WANT IN A MAN, Revised List ... (at age 72)

1. Breathing

What is it with today’s society? We seem to be embarrassed by aging rather than being thankful for our longevity. Old age is a good thing, particularly when you consider the alternative! Yes, we who have put our trust in Christ can say with Paul that “to be absent from the body” is to be “present with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:8), but still, most of us aren’t in a hurry to get to heaven, are we?

My Aunt Jocie was well into her 80s when she told me how she sometimes couldn’t sleep at night. “I get up and look out the window,” she said, “and look into the sky, and I get so excited, wondering, ‘Lord, is this the time when you’re going to come and take me home?'" Aunt Jocie had lived a long and full life, and she was, unlike some folks who use this expression lightly, truly “ready to meet her Maker.”

Too, when a person experiences great pain -- physically, emotionally or mentally -– he can prefer death to life. However, in case after case, survivors of tremendous traumas will say that, despite their suffering, the will to live was greater than the agony they were experiencing. God breathed life into each of His creations, and the desire to live is a natural response to this gift.

So why get so hung up on not growing older? I admit that I want to take good care of myself. I don’t want to neglect my body, “the temple of the Holy Spirit” (1 Corinthians 6:19). I want to make a reasonable effort to maintain my physical well-being and, yes, my appearance, too. But there’s a difference between caring for oneself and worshiping oneself.

Romans 1:25 warns of the danger of “...exchang[ing] the truth of God for a lie, and worship[ing] and serv[ing] something created instead of the Creator,” Ladies -– and gentlemen, too –- if you spend more time on your appearance (working out, choosing the “right” clothes, the “right” car, the “right” everything else) than you do studying and sharing the Word of God, guess what? You are worshipping “something created instead of the Creator”!

Genesis 25:8 records concerning Abraham, and Judges 8:32 does likewise concerning Gideon, that these men died at “a good old age.” Will living a Christ-like life guarantee a person will live to “a good old age?” No, only God knows the timetable for your life. But if we are allowed to continue into our 50s and 60s, our 70s and 80s, and even beyond, we should be delighted and productive with every year He allows us.

In a June 2000 article in The Deep Cove Crier, the Rev. Ed Hird of St. Simon’s Anglican Church made this statement concerning aging: “I am blessed with ‘stereo’ wisdom from my father-in-law and my own father. ... We live in a culture that is often embarrassed by aging and gray hair, but the Good Book says that ‘Gray hair is a crown of splendor’ [Proverbs 16:31] and a potential sign of wisdom that comes through often painful years of experience.”

Rev. Hird hit the nail on the head when he spoke of “painful years of experience.” Life certainly isn’t always easy. But it is nonetheless a blessing, and one we are given in order to teach and encourage other people. Rejoice in each day the Lord grants you, and be a blessing to everyone around you.

Elderly Beauty Contest

A beauty pageant for pensioners - entitled Miss Retirement Home - has been launched in Switzerland.

Organiser Laurent Rerat came up with the idea as a protest against the popular obsession with youth.

The only criteria to enter was that the candidate could walk without an aid, had to be aged over 70, and lived alone.

It was won by Leontine Vallade, from Geneva, who succeeded against nine other candidates from five nursing homes.

Vallade refused to reveal her age when asked by journalists, but had to prove she was over 70 to qualify. She convinced the jury with “her smile and her charm”.

Vallade won a dinner in a luxury restaurant.

Sermon: Grow Old Along With Me

2 Samuel 19:31

Sermon in Family Concerns series, #7 2 Samuel 19:31-39

GROW OLD ALONG WITH ME

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I. Age is popular.

A. More and more people are getting old.

B. Needs and opportunities.

II. The challenges of age.

A. Loss of esteem.

B. Health.

C. Independence and finances.

D. Loneliness and discouragement.

III. The advantages of age.

A. Bible usually presents old age in a bright light.

B. Emotional maturity.

C. Spiritual maturity.

IV. The opportunities of age.

A. Older people can risk more.

B. Love and time.

V. We are never too old to grow.

VI. Endings mean more than beginnings.

A. Will you be faithful to the end?

B. Trust in Christ now.

I Can Do Whatever I Want

Beverly Hardy saw a young boy acting up in a Billings, Montana, parking lot. By young, I mean four years old. The boy’s mother was stunned when Beverly walked over, slapped the boy in the face and told him he would end up in jail. Then Beverly smacked him on the butt and yelled at the mother to get control of her child.

Police were able to track Beverly down. As they approached her house, she reportedly said, “I bet you’re looking for me.” She admitted to smacking the boy and said, “I’m 71, I can do whatever I want.” In other words, 71-year-olds can have the same attitude as 4-year olds.

She was charged with felony assault on a minor.

________

Adapted from a story by KRTV Great Falls (Montana)

Sermon: the Golden Girls

1 Timothy 5:1

Sermon in 1 Timothy series - Clean Up the Church, #11. 1 Timothy 5:1-16

THE GOLDEN GIRLS

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I. It's hard to be alone.

A. And harder in some places than others.

B. Christianity has taken a different approach.

C. Paul lays much of the foundation.

II. We have a responsibility across generations.

A. Show respect. 5:1

B. Every relationship should be treated as you would family. 5:2

III. Our responsibility includes practical care.

A. The church has helped out its own from the beginning.

B. Our own families must be the primary caregivers.

IV. Modern Christians face a different situation.

A. Our families have changed.

B. Society has come up with a range of care options.

C. If we have the ability, we should help.

V. The elderly have an important role.

A. Paul saw the elderly are not just recipients, but givers.

B. How will you grow old?

Trusting God In the Winter of Life

John 8:12

What comes to your mind when you think of winter? Short days? Chilling blasts of air? Flames in the hearth? Many people have a love-hate relationship with the wintry season. There’s something cozy about snuggling under thick blankets on frosty nights.

But reduced daylight and plummeting temperatures can affect our mental and physical health. Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a type of winter depression that hits half a million people due to inadequate sunlight.

We need sunshine for physical and emotional well-being. Too much sun damages skin, but too little reduces the production of hormones that help us remain healthy and upbeat. Sunlight produces vitamin D in the body. Lack of vitamin D results in chronic fatigue and depression.

Some people become “SAD” in the winter of life, too. They look sadly back over the springtime of their youth, the summer of mid-life, and the autumn of advancing years. Facing them now are the cold blasts of winter, and they feel their time on earth is drawing to a close.

We can face winter at any age, of course. We never know when an illness, trauma, or tragedy, a reversal of fortune will chill us to the bone.

Even so, we often equate winter with advancing years when many adults live alone. The onset of age begins removing life’s most precious possessions -- friends and family, health and energy, employment and meaningful activity, even hobbies. A sense of uselessness creeps over the soul. The elderly often become worn down by the dark days of inactivity and illness.

In the winter of life, “SAD” stands for Sickness, Age and Death. Depression affects 18 percent of the elderly, but only 8 percent of the young. But it doesn’t have to be dark in winter. Christ can make the difference.

In the dead of winter, doctors treat Seasonal Affective Disorder with light therapy. Daily treatment with a lamp 10 times the intensity of ordinary lighting is 85 percent effective.

A similar prescription works for those facing the Sickness, Age and Death of life’s cold winter. Bask in the Light on a cold winter’s day. John the apostle lived to a ripe old age, and he faced life’s winter with enthusiasm because of “Light Therapy”:

“Jesus spoke to them..., ‘I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life” (John 8:12).

“If we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7).

If you’re facing the dark days of life’s winter, let the light of Jesus brighten your days. Here’s an aggressive treatment of Light Therapy.

First, rededicate yourself to Christ. He wants you to trust Him even with sickness, age and death. He was faithful earlier in life, and He will not forsake you now.

Jesus faced winter, too. On a cold night He was betrayed. Under dark skies, He faced death. But He rose three days later -- and it was springtime, Easter, which brings to an end the tyranny of winter and ushers in a beautiful world of new and eternal life.

Second, spend extended time basking in the study of God’s Word.

Third, let the light of Christ reflect from you to others. During the winter of life, God can often use us more powerfully -- more time and experience to pray, witness and uplift others through notes, calls, volunteer work. We could encourage our grandchildren, pastor, family -- anyone in need of a ray of sunshine. Be God’s Light Therapy.

Are you facing illness? Trust Christ and walk in His light. Are you facing old age? God won’t forsake you. Are you worried about dying? Even in death, the Lord opens the doors to new life.

Don’t worry about the passing seasons. If it’s icy now, spring is just around the corner. If it’s winter now, remember that Easter is near at hand.

Strategic Seniors

Job 12:12

I was talking with a friend a few weeks ago -- a young pastor -- who shared an honest concern I remember mulling over when I was in the pastorate. As the church was beginning to reach young couples, students and children, the senior adults felt less and less valuable. The believed “their time” had passed them by in the life of the church, and their ministry had now been relegated to nothing more than watching and waiting.

I shared with my pastor friend some memories from when I was a child. My dad was a pastor. There were plenty of young adults and young marrieds in our church. But for some reason, the people I remember to this day -- the ones who left a Jesus-shaped impression on me as a boy -- they were all old. Every one of them.

Even as I type this 30 years later, their faces flash across my mind. As a child and a youth, I did not despise senior adults. I valued them. They tended to love a little more deeply, to be present a little more frequently, and to listen and speak a little more empathetically. Mr. Kendall. Mrs. Ada. Mr. Rogers. Mr. Billy. Mr. Fred. Mrs. West. I remember wanting to be like them when I was a child. Thirty years later, I still do.

Senior adults are vital to the health and ministry of the church. A thriving senior adult ministry has very little to do with health fairs, trips to Branson or backgammon. Rather, a thriving senior adult ministry facilitates an atmosphere where older men and women can be intentional about reproducing themselves in the lives of younger church members.

The Bible is clear that senior adults are not just to be respected because they are “old.” Here are seven reasons your church needs senior adults.

Wisdom gained through experience (Job 12:12, Proverbs 23:22-23)

If younger men and women in the church would learn to capitalize on the wisdom of experience possessed by senior adults, they may be able to avoid many pitfalls of the faith and of the ministry.

Involvement in ministry opportunities (Psalm 92:12-15)

Honestly, there are some ministries of the church for which senior adults are better suited than younger men and women. They have more time. They have more life experience. They often have an extensive network of relationships within the community (family, friends and business connections) that young people do not. Senior adults can and should still “bear fruit in old age, healthy and green” (Psalm 92:14).

Passing down a legacy of faith (Psalm 71:17-18)

Many senior adults have stories of God’s faithfulness through the years that younger families desperately need to hear. If we do not provide avenues for senior adults to share their stories of God’s faithfulness to younger church members, we are robbing the next generation of the proof of God’s power and strength through all circumstances.

Transmission of timeless truth (Titus 2:1-7)

We all know that the longer you study God’s Word, the deeper and richer His eternal truth becomes. Similarly, the longer you apply God’s Word to your Christian walk, the more pervasive the truth of the Gospel becomes in every area of your life. Many older men and older women, through decades of faithful study and application of God’s Word, have an intimacy with God to which younger men and women need to be exposed.

Faith through trial (Psalm 37:25)

When a young Christian is seriously struggling through circumstances that test faith, he or she needs an older Christian to walk with him through the fire. The senior adult psalmist in this passage writes, “I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging for bread.” In moments that feel like forsakenness and depravation, senior adults can testify that time will prove God’s faithfulness.

Lessons in respect and honor (Leviticus 19:32, Proverbs 16:31, 20:29, 1 Timothy 5:1-2)

As God molds and shapes the Christian in the image of Christ, one thing we all need to learn is how to respect and honor our fathers. Scripture is clear that this is a timeless teaching for all generations. How will your congregants learn to respect and honor senior adults if they are not an active part of the body-life of your church?

A genuine heart of love (Philemon 9-10)

Things need to happen, and time is of the essence. Young men and women can have a tendency to be forceful in their appeals. But as Paul did in his old age, senior adults often have a gentleness about them that has been forged in the fires of hurt, sorrow, pain and faithfulness over a period of decades. No one is better suited to appeal from a genuine heart of love than a gracious man or woman who has walked a thousand miles in a thousand pairs of shoes.

Senior adults are not the church of yesterday. Until the day God calls them home, they are the church of today. The truth is, as time progresses each generation will one day become the senior adults in the church. They are not a burden. Value them. Respect them. Love them. Lead them. They are a gift from God. You need them and they need you.

108 Sermon Illustrations on Old Age