Celebrate the Journey
Psalm 90:1-12; Eccle. 3:1-8

Rev. Alan W. Deuel

“Turning 100, turned out to be the most lucrative moment of one British man's life.  When Alec Holden was 90, he made the U.S. equivalent of a $200 bet that he would live to see 100.  A betting company had placed Holden's odds at 250–1.  On April 24, 2007, he turned 100 and collected his rightful earnings totaling $50,000.00.

Holden worked as both a teacher and a carpenter through the years and credited “porridge” as his number one source of survival.  He also confessed that in the days leading up to the big payoff, he was very careful - and frequently reminded himself to keep breathing.”   

In his book Time Flies Bill Cosby says there are Seven Stages in Life: “We go from pre-schooler to Pepsi-generation to baby boomer to mid-lifer to empty nester to senior citizen to organ donor.” 

Today we reflect upon and celebrate the journey of life.   I want to thank Judy Hauser for helping to recognize and honor the 19 members of PB who have reached the age of 90 or older and have been on the journey just a little longer than some of the rest of us.  This stage of life for people is increasing.

The number of senior citizens in the United States is rapidly increasing.  During the 20th century, the US population under age 65 tripled, but those 65 and older increased by a factor of 11. The number of seniors grew from 3.1 million in 1900 to 33.2 million in 1994.  By the year 2030, about one out of every five Americans will be a senior citizen.  And the United States is not unique in its growing share of seniors.  In other developed countries, including Italy, Japan, Germany, Sweden, and the United Kingdom, the proportion of seniors to the rest of the population is even greater.

The journey of life in the U.S. is getting longer.   Life expectancy in 1900 was about 47.  Today, the average lifespan for men is 75 and 80 for women.  By 2040, it’s projected that the life expectancy for men will be 86 and for women 91.   

We so value life.  We cherish it.  We try to extend it whenever possible.  Drug companies are beginning to produce drugs that may enhance longevity.  We have read that some researchers have claimed that red wine is thought to lengthen the human lifespan.  Science has had a long interest in extending longevity. 

Think of cryonics for example.  Humans and animals that can no longer be sustained by medical technology and die are preserved at very low-temperatures, until resuscitation or regeneration is achieved at some point in the future.  It’s a concept that has been around for centuries.  Benjamin Franklin suggested in a famous 1773 letter that it might be possible to preserve human life in a suspended state for centuries.  Cryo-preservation is not currently reversible.   As far as I could find, there are some 200 people and nearly 100 pets that are in a state of cryo-preservation in America.

Our lifespan is of course attributed to various factors including genetic make-up, over-which we have no control and environmental factors over which we do, such as access to adequate health care and maintaining a healthy lifestyle, which includes such things as: not smoking, drinking alcohol in moderation, exercising, getting adequate rest, eating a diet high in fruits and vegetables, coping with stress, and having a positive outlook.  Studies also include the significant roles that religious faith and worship play in our journey of life.

What are some biblical insights on this thing we call – the journey of life?  What truths do we learn from the scriptures from a theological perspective?    Let’s take a look at some.

The Bible declares that human life has a beginning!   Life is a gift of God our creator.  Life is an expression of God’s grace.  We didn’t create ourselves or earn the right to life.  We are not eternal, only God is eternal.  “God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them, male and female God created them.  And God blessed us and said be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.” 

The Bible speaks about life as fleeting, as passing swiftly by.  Isn’t that your experience as well?  Life is a temporary journey, it’s transitory, it’s ephemeral.  Our mortal life finally comes to an end.   The psalmist considers our human situation and writes:  “O God, you sweep us away; we are like a dream, like grass which grows up, that in the morning is fresh and flourishing, and in the evening fades and withers.”      

The Bible declares that suffering, pain, disappointment, and frustration are part of the journey.  It recognizes that life is not always fair and just.  The scriptures don’t look at life with rose colored glasses.   When you are feeling especially optimistic, read the book of Ecclesiastes.  There we read :”Vanity of vanities.  All is vanity.  What do people gain from all the toil at which they toil under the sun?  A generation goes and a generation comes, but the earth remains forever.  All things are wearisome, more than one can express, the eye is not satisfied with seeing or the ear filled with hearing.”  

The Bible speaks about the value of community, relationships and friendships, about the family and the community of faith along the journey.  Life was not meant to be lived alone or in isolation.  The psalmist says: “Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.”  “Sing praise to God in the assembly of his faithful people.  Praise the Lord.”  “Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth.  Worship the Lord with gladness; come into his presence with singing.  Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise.” 
Recall Jesus poignant words on the cross when he addressed his own mother Mary about another disciple: “Woman, here is your son.”  Then Jesus said to the disciple: “Here is your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home.”

The Bible declares that life has seasons and we need to be aware of them, and to grow and learn from them, and be patient in them, and to trust in God and to seek God’s purpose and guidance in each of those seasons.  Solomon writes in Ecclesiastes: “For everything there is a season and a time for every matter under heaven.”  God establishes seasons or special times in our lives.  There are realities like God’s timing, God’s moment, things which were meant to be and those things which were not meant to be.

The Bible declares that life is to be treasured and lived to the fullest and in faithfulness and thankfulness and accountability to God.  I love the sentiment expressed in Genesis 25:7: “This is the length of Abraham’s life, 175 years.  Abraham breathed his last and died in a good old age, an old man, full of years, and was gathered to his people.”  There is a distinct tone of completion and fulfillment in these words.

The Bible states that life must be examined, reflected upon, and lived wisely and prudently in dependence upon God.   An unexamined life is a superficial life.  God wants us to gain wisdom in this life.  In psalm 90:12 we read: “Teach us to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”  The Living Bible’s translation is: “Teach us to number our days and recognize how few they are; help us to spend them as we should.”   
Proverbs 9:10 says: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of Wisdom and the awareness of the Holy is insight.”   Fear of the Lord in the Hebrew sense means having a sense of awe about God, deference for God, respect for God, reverence for God, honoring God.  Wisdom begins with acknowledging deep in our being that we are God’s creatures; that glory belongs to God alone, rather than our seeking self-glorification, that God alone is worthy of worship and praise, that God loves us, that we are ultimately accountable to God.

Without having awe for God, without taking God into account, gaining wisdom is impossible.  Why – because the Lord has been our dwelling place in all generations.  Before the mountains were brought forth, before God had formed the earth and the world, God was from everlasting to everlasting.”

So the years spent and how you spend them count, they matter, they are key according to the psalmist.  I have had people say to me: “Pastor, if only I had learned from my past mistakes; if only I knew then what I know now, if only I could change something I said or did and take it back, I would do so in a heartbeat.”  Has this thought ever crossed your mind?  Regrets can become a heaven burden to carry around.

An examined life means numbering our days that we might live wisely.   I think of wisdom as something like a pearl of knowledge, something that can be expressed succinctly and with a little wit.  The distinguished Swiss theologian Karl Barth was greeted after worship one Sunday by a man who said: “Professor Barth, I’m an astronomer, and as far as I am concerned, the whole of Christianity can be summed up with the Golden Rule:  “Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.”  Barth replied:  “Well, sir, I am a humble theologian, and as far as I am concerned the whole of astronomy can be summed up by saying, “Twinkle, twinkle little star, how I wonder what you are.”     

As the years pass by are you gaining wisdom?  I hope I am.  Do you ever pray for wisdom?  I do.  We have the freedom to make choices along the journey.  Knowing that our days are numbered, should cause us to ask questions like: “What is God’s purpose for my life and am I fulfilling it?”  “What do I want to accomplish before I die?”  “How does God want me to live?”  “Am I going to discover and use my God given talents or let them lie dormant?”   Am I going to serve and care for others or expect others to serve and care for me?  Am I going to be a generous person or a stingy person?  How can I be a good wife or husband, or father or mother, or son or daughter or friend or neighbor?  What have you learned about life that you can pass on to your children, or grandchildren or great-grandchildren or nieces or nephews?     

I close with the words from this poem by William Courtenay:  “I expect to pass through this world but once; any good thing therefore that I can do, or any kindness that I can show to any fellow-creature, let me do it now; let me not defer or neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again.”
Let us truly celebrate the journey, in light of the one who is our dwelling place in all generations, from everlasting to everlasting.  Amen!