Honor An Old Face
Honor An Old Face 4/2024
“Wisdom is with the aged, understanding in the length of days” (Job 12:12).
A Salt Lake City group of senior citizens grew tired of their same conversations each week at Leni’s Deli. Sure, they were solving the world’s problems, but they felt they had wisdom to share beyond their group of seven. As a lark, they set up a card table at the nearby Salt Lake City’s Farmers Market under this banner “Old Coots Giving Advice - It’s Probably Bad But Hey, It’s free!!”
To their surprise, people started showing up and sharing their problems. “Where can I find someone to love?” “When can I request a job transfer?” “Life seems to have no purpose - what would you suggest?” For four months each Saturday the “Old Coots” have taken on the issues of about 30 to 40 people seeking their advice. “To be truthful, I’m not sure any of us can claim to have much wisdom.” Said 69 -year-old John Lesnan “but it sure has been fun. Maybe all of us coots really do have more to offer than we thought.” God would agree.
So, Job spoke, “Wisdom is with the aged, understanding in the length of days” (Job 12:12). Paul exhorted Pastor Titus that older women are to “teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands” (Titus 2:3-5). And in a contrary command to our day God instructed Israel, “You shall stand up before the gray head and honor the face of an old man, and you shall fear your God: I am the LORD” (Leviticus 19:32).
But what is abuelo and abuela compared with all wise-Google? What can they tell you that a quick search can’t tell you? Expertise on anything under the sun lies at our fingertips by podcast or devotional search. Why would God have us stand up before the gray head and honor the old face? What can the aged possibly teach us (a question already lacking humility)?
While any elderly person can speak of scars and successes in human experience, only old saints in the church can tell you about a lifetime of God’s faithfulness, his kindness, and his steadfast love in Christ - with tears. Siri will not answer how good God has been to her. Google cannot witness that even to old age, God has carried him through countless trials (Isaiah 46:4). The worn-out face of the “old coot” with the worn-out Bible is a treasure to all who love Jesus and want to know in intimate fashion how true he is to his promises of hope and grace.
Do you know an “old Christian coot” or two? Do yourself a favor. Honor those old faces by giving them ample opportunity to testify to you how good God has been to them. Not only will you gain wisdom, but you will say louder than words, “You, my friend, are venerable!”
Honoring with you the old faces among us,
Pastor Tim (1-210-837-3934)
