Senescence, a lovely word, comes from the Latin word senesere, meaning ‘to grow old’. It is all about our gradual deterioration as organisms: ‘the condition or process of deterioration with age or loss of a cell’s power of division and growth’, so its meaning is not quite as nice as the sound of the word! None of us particularly relishes ageing and it can be very daunting to face increasing fragility, whether that is physical, mental or emotional. Certain ‘age’ milestones (hitting 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80 and so on) may leave us feeling depressed, insecure and melancholy as we look back at what we have achieved and look ahead with apprehension. We may feel we have not used our time wisely or be plagued by regrets; we may look back nostalgically and wistfully at the past, seeing there our ‘glory days.’ We may look ahead with trepidation, unsure as to how our bodies will cope with growing old and how we will carve a meaningful identity for ourselves after work or if we are isolated by physical ailments.

Life is made up of different areas, defined by some as ‘quotients’. These are:

1. PQ – physical – Human Living – To Live
2. IQ – intellectual – Human Doing – To Learn
3. EQ – emotional – Human Being – To Love
4. SQ – spiritual – Being Human – To Leave a Legacy

It’s unwise to focus on one area only; we have to realise that life is not just about what we know or what we can do, but also involves our ability to forge relationships and to love.

The exciting thing for Christians is to realise that even though we may face ageing and deterioration in some areas of our lives, this is not the whole story. Paul tells the Corinthians ‘we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.‘ (2 Cor 3:18) Whilst we may deteriorate with age in many areas, spiritually God continues to transform us into his image and renew us on the inside: ‘Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.‘ (2 Cor 4:16) As we progress with God, we learn more of His faithfulness and character: David reminds us ‘I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread.‘ (Ps 37:25) We also learn that our value and worth do not depend on our ability to do things for God; we absorb the truth that ‘the only accurate way to understand ourselves is by what God is and by what he does for us, not by what we are and what we do for him.‘ (Rom 12:3, The Message) That can be hard to grasp when we are young, vigorous and full of energy, but God’s unconditional love and acceptance for us are not dependent on our age or ability.

Today, let’s pray Eph 3:16, knowing that our inner strengthening comes from the riches of God’s glory and not from our own strength!

In order for Thumper to venture outside safely, he had to wear a harness which was attached to a lead. (We were not at all sure it was a good idea simply to ‘let him loose’ without any means of getting him back inside!) However, the harness had to be fitted before he went outside and he was not at all happy about this, recognising it instantly as an unfamiliar item which restricted his movements and which, therefore, had to be resisted vigorously. Let to his own devices, he would probably have bitten through the harness relatively quickly!

Example of a rabbit harness

Jesus said, ‘Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.‘ (Matt 11:28-30) A yoke, or harness, is often necessary for animals, but that does not mean they like them. Thumper felt the harness was restrictive inside; once outside, however, he enjoyed the freedom and protection it gave him. There were no attempts to bite through the harness when he was outside! Instead, he could hop and jump as much as he liked and he relished being outside.

We can be like that with God’s rules, finding them restrictive and frustrating. We think we know best and chafe at His laws, pulling at them, tugging at them, trying to live our lives without them, believing somehow that anarchy would be better. Who is this God to tell us how to live?! What does He know about freedom and enjoyment, fulfilment and pleasure? How dare He imply that His way is better than ours? We pull and tug at His harness, His yoke, longing to run around doing exactly as we please.

And yet such a way does not lead to freedom, but to slavery (see Rom 6:15-16). It’s only when we come to Jesus, tired, worn out and burned out on religion, that we can find rest and freedom, learning the ‘unforced rhythms of grace’ as the Message version of Matt 11:28-30 puts it. Then His yoke is easy; His burden is light; His commands not burdensome (1 Jn 5:3) but freeing: ‘I run in the path of your commands, for you have broadened my understanding.’ (Ps 119:32) Thumper’s aversion to the harness was completely forgotten as he frolicked outdoors. God’s yoke is light and does not trouble us once we surrender to His ways. We save ourselves a lot of trouble and heartache when we understand this principle.

Today was the day that owners decided Thumper the rabbit would venture outside for the first time. Thumper has been a house rabbit since he moved to Goldthorpe and has enjoyed exploring the house. At first, he was very nervous about this, but has grown in confidence, climbing on furniture, climbing the stairs, venturing into the slippy kitchen (where there is a slippier floor covering than the carpets elsewhere) and generally enjoying his new home.

The great outdoors, however… that is another thing altogether. Thumper would climb onto the window sill and gaze out at the garden, looking longingly at the grass and dandelions outdoors, but actually venturing that far was another story. It took a harness and lead and a good deal of determination on the owners’ part to persuade Thumper that it was worth it.

And worth it it certainly was! All that food! – an all-you-could want buffet!

All of this reminded me, however, how hard it can be for us to actually venture into the unknown. All the humans knew that Thumper would love being on the grass, with a much larger area to explore and food on demand. Thumper was not at all convinced. He spent at least fifteen minutes fighting the unfamiliar harness (not understanding that it was intended to protect him and help him) and just as long sitting by the back door, listening and quivering with fear.

We can be so like that. God beckons us on into pastures new and we sit, quivering with fear, paralysed, unable to imagine life outside our comfort zone. Even if our comfort zone is far from comfortable, we can still be hesitant about new adventures. ‘Better the devil you know than the devil you don’t know,‘ the proverb goes, and so often, we are terrified to explore the vast immeasurable freedom that God has provided for us in Christ. (Gal 5:1)

But God has so much more for us to explore! Whether it’s to soar on eagle’s wings or to hop happily like a rabbit in a garden, God wants us to live in the freedom He has purchased for us.

‘You break us out of our cages
Into the wide open spaces.
We are free
Free as a bird on the wind.

No prison wall can contain us;
Your beating heart makes us fearless.
We are free
Free as a bird on the wind.

Love cannot be tamed
You shattered every chain

Let our praises run wild and free;
Your lion heart is alive in me.
Let our freedom and joy begin.
With You we’re dancing upon our chains;
With You we’re soaring on eagle’s wings.

Take us beyond our horizons
Leading us into your wildness
We are free
Free as a bird on the wind

You are the greatest adventure
You are my uncharted waters
We are free
Free as a bird on the wind

You made us for so much more.
You take us to greater shores.
You raise us above the storm.
We rise on eagle’s wings, we rise on eagle’s wings.’ (‘Free As A Bird’, Rend Collective)

Don’t let fear of the unknown stop you from stepping out with God. His plans for us are to prosper us; even when we feel confused and uncertain about the direction in which He leads us, we can trust His goodness, mercy and love. Thumper loved the dandelions and grass. We can lie down in green pastures and walk by still waters (Ps 23:2); we can feast on the abundance of God’s house. (Ps 36:8)

Our family service quiz tested our memories and recognition skills as we had to recognise and remember animals and words in a sequence!

There were, of course, prizes to be won.

Stephen then spoke about networks. When we talk about being online, we think of a computer connected to the Internet by a modem, but computers can be networked so that there can be communication between them (seen in office and school situations, for example.) The kind of connections we need as people, however, are fundamentally personal networks whereby we are connected to God and to other people.

Typical networks include friends, family and church. Friends are incredibly important in life; the mutual affection we have is deepened by shared experiences and personal tastes. We are bound to family through blood ties, and church is God’s idea for networking with people! All these networks demonstrate synergy, whereby the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

All of us can have a direct connection to God through prayer and God is connected to us through the Bible and the Holy Spirit. We need to make the most of our connections! – with friends, with family (being reconciled to estranged members if required), with church and with God. As we meditate on God’s Word, pray and seek to do God’s will in His way, we will be connected with God and with people. Let’s stay connected!

Tonight’s family service looked at the theme of staying connected to God. Mark spoke briefly about how we like to be online these days, connected to the World Wide Web, but www.God stands for different words!

God’s Will

Matt 7:21 reminds us that not everyone who calls Jesus ‘Lord’ will get to heaven; obedience to God is required. Jesus reminds us in Luke 22:41-42 that what counts is God’s will. We have to be prepared to surrender our will to God’s will if we are to stay connected to God.

God’s Way

Ps 27:11 asks God to teach us His ways and lead us in smooth paths. God’s ways can be summarised in the word ‘love’:

1 Cor 12:31-13:1 talks about the ‘better’ or ‘more excellent’ way, this being the way of love. God’s ways are motivated by love; Christians were first known as people of the ‘Way’ and we need to walk in this way every day.

God’s Work

Jesus defined His work as doing the Father’s will. Even as a boy of twelve, He told Mary and Joseph He had to do His Father’s work (Luke 2:49); later, He would say that He had to do the Father’s work while there was still time. (John 9:4) He is our example in fulfilling God’s work.

As we stay connected to the Father, we abide in the vine, in an intimate and organic relationship with God (John 15:1-8).

Garry spoke this morning on revealing God through mercy. Ex 34:6-7 gives us insight into God’s character: ‘the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.’ God’s compassion moves Him to action, compelling Him to step into situations to do something to remedy the problems. Matt 23:23 reminds us that ‘justice, mercy and faithfulness‘ are vitally important in life and we see these attributes perfectly balanced in God.

Ps 34:8 reminds us that we must ‘taste and see that the Lord is good.’ We are to savour, chew, meditate on God’s goodness, and nowhere is this more evident than when we think about mercy. Matt 18:23-27 shows us what mercy means in practical terms: to owe more than we ever have chance of repaying and to have this debt completely cancelled. In Luke 15:11-24, we see how mercy and compassion are combined in the father’s heart as he runs to his returning son and, instead of punishing him, throws the best garments and rings on him and orders a feast of celebration. The mercy of God is lavish (see Jn 3:16), but although it is free to the one receiving mercy, to the one showing mercy, it costs everything.

Mercy is not ‘fair’ or ‘just’, for we do not get what we deserve. We are called to dwell on how much we have tasted God’s mercy (like a wine taster training his palate to discern the different grapes) so that we can then share God’s mercy with those around us.

The servant in Matt 18 was forgiven a great debt, but refused to cancel the much smaller debt owed to him. We need to savour the mercy we have received so we can pass it on to others. Our old debt has been cancelled, but we now have a new debt to God: to reflect His likeness to all. Col 3:12-13 reminds us we have to clothe ourselves with compassion and love and bear with others, carrying their burdens. Mercy triumphs over judgment, James tells us (Js 2:13), being triumphant when we allow mercy to set others free from their burdens and guilt.