Scripture: Psalm 105: 1-6, 16-22
(adapted from The New Testament and Psalms: An Inclusive Version)
O give thanks to God, call on God’s name,make known God’s deeds among the peoples.
Sing praise to God, sing praises to the Holy One.
tell of all God’s wonderful works.
Glory in the name of the Sacred;
let the hearts of those who seek God rejoice.
Seek God’s holy strength;
seek God’s presence continually.
Remember the wonderful works God has done,
the miracles and the judgments uttered.
O offspring of Abraham and Sarah, gracious servants,
children of Jacob, Rachel and Leah, God’s chosen ones………
When God summoned famine against the land,
broke every staff of bread,
God had sent a man ahead of them,
Joseph, who was sold as a slave.
His feet were hurt with fetters,
his neck was put in a collar of iron;
Until what he had said came to pass,
the word of God kept testing Joseph.
The king sent men and released him;
the ruler of the peoples set Joseph free.
The king made Joseph Lord of the king’s house,
and ruler of all his possessions,
To instruct the officials at the king’s pleasure,
and to teach the elders wisdom.
Reflection:
I recently participated in an eighteen-month program titled “The School for the Second Half of Life.” It was not a school in the usual, first half of life, sense. There were no grades. No CEUs. Not even a certificate. The three semesters ended and the twenty-some of us “graduated.” Again, not in the usual sense that such endings bring. This school end brought a profound sense of purposeful continuation for all of us. In many ways, this was a school for elder wisdom, an affirmation of the gifts of aging, and an encouragement to use them.Sadly, we in North America are a culture that has rejected the concept of elderhood. We fear aging on an almost psychotic level. Hopefully, that is changing. My boomer generation seems to be seeking something more. We are looking for the “Josephs” who will show us the way to the wisdom of our years. Sadly, we have learned they are not to be found in televangelists, TV stars, or politicians.
Hopefully, we will learn they are not so distant as the one the psalmist wrote about. Hopefully, we will seek and find guidance in the one who never lived to be an elder, but remains the ultimate wisdom teacher for all generations, Jesus of Nazareth.
Prayer:
Holy One, grant us wisdom, grant us courage, for the living out of these years. AmenRev. SaraJane Munshower is a spiritual companion/director, retired from mostly interim ministry.
the Rev. SaraJane Munshower Munshower
an interim minister who most recently served in Windsor
August 09, 2017