Union Baptist Church

2/6/11

A challenge we face in life is remaining useful. Most seniors express the desire to remain independent and not become a burden on their families. I personally do not care for the idea that others would have to care for my needs but a greater fear that I have is to be viewed as obsolete. I have watched many seniors as they have aged and how families have worked around the various issues that pop up now and then. I have watched the attitudes of those seniors and while they may have physical limitations they maintained an attitude positive self worth and contributed and added value for a long time to their families. The seniors that did not have this view quickly became bitter and withdrawn or simply succumbed. It comes back to understanding creation and more importantly our purpose as a created being. It is not by chance that one of the commandments that God gave to Moses included one for honoring our parents. In fact it also comes with a blessing, “Honor your father and mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you, (Exodus 20:12).”

Today’s message reminds us of the greater purpose that the church was created for. Not unlike many companies that are formed they quickly become shadows of their initial purpose. The common cause of this demise is that they get overwhelmed by the process that they forget their original purpose. Churches like companies need to pause and reflect upon their reason for being in existence. As the church has aged it has been a wise sage in some circles while in others it has been deemed obsolete. It is up to us how our community sees us. I hope that they will see our “light is on” and we are open for business.