Once a month, while my husband is serving as an usher, I like to sit next to Mr. Tony, the eldest member of our congregation. Sitting with Mr. Tony not only allows me to catch a glimpse of what worship looks like through his centennial eyes, but it also reminds me of how my time in worship is shaped by his presence and the presence of other elderly members of our congregation.
Learning from the Cloud of Witnesses
There is something genuinely beautiful about walking alongside the saints from the generations before us. What an encouragement it is to our faith to see the lives of this “cloud of witnesses,” even as they are yet here with us (Heb. 12:1). As Hebrews 11 points to the faith of Abraham, Isaac, and Joseph, so too, we can point to the faith of our older fellow believers as an assurance of God’s steadfast love. Watching the races that they have “run with endurance,” we are encouraged in our own walks of faith (Heb. 12:1). The testimony of the Lord’s love is breathed out before us, and we see the beginnings of their unveiled faces who “behold the glory of the Lord” as they are being transformed by him through his Spirit (2 Cor. 3:18).
The testimonies of elderly believers within our congregations, though not always cloaked in perfection, are a blessing and encouragement to us. When we hear their stories of difficult seasons in life, we are reminded that it is the Lord who sustains us, even in our old age, and that he is faithful (Is. 46:4; Ps. 92:12–15,145:4). Hearing the many stories of trial and tribulation that Mr. Tony and other aging believers have walked through and, yet, seeing the ways that they have clung tightly to their faith, has been a tremendous encouragement to my own faith.
Wisdom With Age
Worshipping alongside our elderly brothers and sisters allows us to share in their wisdom, which comes with age and long life (Job 12:12). Scripture is clear that there is a glory in growing older (Prov. 20:29, 16:31), largely because of the wisdom that comes with life lived. Particularly the Old Testament reminds us to seek the advice of our elders (Lev. 19:32). “Remember the days of old, Consider the years of many generations. Ask your father, and he will show you; Your elders, and they will tell you” (Deut. 32:7). No matter how much one studies the Scriptures, it is sweet to witness the testimony of those who have lived out the Lord’s calling and who have seen his faithfulness prevail. The things we learn from fellowship with our brothers and sisters who have lived out God’s faithfulness serve to magnify what we learn about God’s promises in his Word.
Worship Across Generations
Worshipping with older believers also connects us with the church across time and space. The Christian church is unique in that the church is not merely those who are present with us in the moment. When we worship with elderly believers, we worship with those who have worshipped with the generations before us. We are being connected with generations of believers whom we will never meet this side of the new creation. Just as the sacraments unite us with the church universal, so too, worshiping with our elderly brothers and sisters connects us with the generations of believers who have walked with Christ in the decades and centuries beyond what our own memories recall. There is something beautiful about standing next to Mr. Tony, singing rich hymns that he may have once sung alongside the elderly of his congregation in his younger days, and that someday we will all sing united before the throne of the Lamb.
United in Prayer
Finally, our congregations are shaped by the prayer of our elderly members. I know those who are homebound or aging in our congregation are those who most often bring our congregation before the Lord in prayer, as James 5:16 encourages us to do. I have no doubts that my walk with the Lord and the advancement of the church is greatly sustained by the intercessions of the saints who I worship alongside. In the same way, I hold up these saints in prayer as they walk alongside the Lord during a very different season of life than my own.
Though there are many challenges for the beloved elderly members of our congregations, I praise God for their faithful participation in our churches, and I know that their presence greatly shapes our worship. One day soon, no decades will stand between us, and Mr. Tony and I, and all our beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, shall worship together in the new creation with unveiled faces. Until then, may our worship grow richly in grace with one another across the generations.
