BEING AN AUTUMN & WINTER CHRISTIAN
Pastor Todd G. Leupold PBC, PM, October 22, 2006
INTRODUCTION
A little boy who lived far out in the country in the late 1800s had reached the age of twelve and had never in all his life seen a circus. You can imagine his excitement, when one day a poster went up at school announcing that on the next Saturday a traveling circus was coming to the nearby town.
He ran home with the glad news and the question, "Daddy, can I go?" Although the family was poor, the father sensed how important this was to the lad. "If you do your Saturday chores ahead of time," he said, "I’ll see to it that you have the money to go."’
Come Saturday morning, the chores were done and the little boy stood by the breakfast table, dressed in his Sunday best. His father reached down into the pocket of his overalls and pulled out a dollar bill-the most money the little boy had possessed at one time in all his life. The father cautioned him to be careful and then sent him on his way to town.
The boy was so excited, his feet hardly seemed to touch the ground all the way. As he neared the outskirts of the village, he noticed people lining the streets, and he worked his way through the crowd until he could see what was happening. Lo and behold, it was the approaching spectacle of a circus parade! The parade was the grandest thing this lad had ever seen. Caged animals snarled as they passed, bands beat their rhythms and sounded shining horns, midgets performed acrobatics while flags and ribbons swirled overhead.
Finally, after everything had passed where he was standing, the traditional circus clown, with floppy shoes, baggy pants, and a brightly painted face, brought up the rear.
As the clown passed by, the little boy reached into his pocket and took out that precious dollar bill. Handing the money to the clown, the boy turned around and went home. What had happened? The boy thought he had seen the circus when he had only seen the parade!
Are you experiencing all that God has for you? The Christian life is a marvelous adventure, an exciting journey that is meant to last an entire life-time! Yet, many Christians seem to be content to float in a sea of mediocrity, settling for second best. Or, like the boy we just mentioned, they contentedly quit after the parade. They assume that is all there is to the Christian life. They either forget about the circus, or they just decide that they’ve seen/done enough. How about you - do you want the abundant life that Jesus promised?
It is important for us to look at God’s example in nature and recognize that there are likewise four seasons of our lives. After college, I spent 7 winters in Minnesota.
Notice, I said winters. You see, that’s how people count the passage of time in Minnesota. Winters there can start as early as mid-October and last as late as mid-May. In fact, the oft-quoted line is that Minnesota only has 2 seasons - winter and construction!
We laugh at that, but too often we live our Christian lives with a similar mindset. We focus on just 1 or 2 seasons of our lives, and neglect that rest. Too often, we live active and fruitful Spring & Summer seasons and then act like that’s it. We never really adjust to or accept Autumn and/or Winter. In steady of thriving during those seasons, we sometimes prefer to spend our time proverbially locking ourselves indoors and wistfully remember the Spring and Summer that no longer exists.
I confess that often our messages seem to be most geared toward those in the Summer season of their life - adults with young families. Tonight, my friends, is primarily for our older saints who are in the Autumn or Winter of their lives. And for those who, like myself, still look forward to a long remaining Summer, it is a time to reflect on our goals and expectations for our Autumn and Winter when it comes. You see, God has created and put us on this earth that our entire lives be fruitful and bring Him glory! We are NOT just “hired” to serve for a specified “career” and then retire.
PROPOSITION: Within the span of our lives, God has appointed us many seasons - a right time for everything and a purpose for every time. The way of discipleship, love and worship of God is to accept His schedule and plans for our whole lives - and to order them accordingly!
In that He has ordered our lives from the cradle to the grace and along each step of this journey, there are certain needs to be met, tasks fulfilled, problems faced and ministries to be served.
I. AUTUMN & WINTER
A. Autumn
* 50-55+ Approaching Empty Nest and Retirement.
* No longer have to be the backbone and driving force in society. The next generation
is beginning to take over, make the decisions, pay the taxes, etc…
* Raising your young children is being replaced with grandchildren - and all you have to
do with them is to enjoy them!
B. Winter
* In the “winter of life” you can literally feel it your bones.
* Nothing feels and reacts the same anymore. Everything has changed!
* Increasingly facing reality that this is the last stage of the journey - soon they will die,
some peacefully, and soon tragically and painfully.
* Sir Winston Churchill described this time as: “the surly advance of decrepitude.”
Not too long ago, a Harvard professor conducted a study on attitudes of aging in Africa. He found 100-year-old tribal men who were actively swimming in cold waters, riding horses, and extremely active in their community. In this culture, aging did not mean deteriorating or even slowing down. The mind-set was that the older a person, the more they grow in wisdom, respect, ability, value and even glamour. If fact, it was found that this positive attitude about aging seemed to produce healthy physiological effects on the cellular makeup of their bodies!
Yet, in our culture, we collectively perceive aging as “bad.” We see as becoming less useful, able or purposeful. Unfortunately, too many of us have bought into this concept. And I’m not just talking about the younger folks who don’t appreciate their elders. Even worse is the vast majority of elders who have bought into it! There is a tremendous and sad trend in this country that no matter how good a person’s health or how sharp their mind, Americans tend to quit life when they retire. Current statistics show that there is an alarming correlation between when a person retires, and how young they die. Doctors and scientists attribute this to the fact that when people retire from their careers, they tend to retire from most physical and mental activity period.
C. Perspective
* God equips us for ALL our seasons.
* In first half of life: ambition, energy, health, opportunity to establish career, family,
build a home, raise children, make ourselves financially secure.
* In second half: experience, perspective, time-tested values and truths, flexibility of
Time like never before, etc.
II. THE TWO GREATEST CHALLENGES
A. Temptation to live in the past.
B. Temptation to live in the future.
1.) Negative is dangerous.
2.) Positive is free-ing.
C. Facing the Challenge.
We must live with the perspective that our best years are never in the past. . . or the future! They are always NOW, in the present. This is true no matter what season of life we are in today. The more we give in to the temptation to live in the past or worry about the future, the more we shall miss out on the challenge, opportunity, and joy of the present!
Mt. 11:28-30: Come to me all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.
When you feel like quitting on life, consider this devotion by Charles Swindoll:
“ Every achievement worth remembering is stained with the blood of
diligence and scarred by the wounds of disappointment. To quit, to
run, to escape, to hide - none of these options solve anything. They
only postpone the acceptance of, and reckoning with, reality.
Churchill put it well” “Wars are not won by evacuations.” . . .
Giving thought to giving up?
Considering the possibility of quitting?. . .
Don’t! . . The only time the Lord ever used the word “easy” was
when He referred to a yoke.”1
III. GOD’S PROMISES OF AUTUMN & WINTER THRIVING
Read Psalm 92:12-15
The inspired psalmist gives us three promises of thriving for believers, even in the Autumn and Winter of their lives!
“The righteous will. . .
1. Be Like A Palm Tree and A Cedar (vv. 12-13)
A.) A Palm Tree: Palms grow and thrive under great pressure. They can
certainly “take the heat.” In the same way, those in the Autumn & Winter of
their lives often face the pressures of failing health, loneliness, betrayal of
their values by their own children, fear of dying, etc. . .
Mt. 28:20b: “. . .and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the
age.”
B.) The Cedar: Endures all climates. The cedar is not afraid of cold or snow.
It grows tall, ancient and strong in tropical or frozen climates, low or high
altitudes.
Ps. 1:3 “He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that
brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall
not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper.”
2. Continuous Fruit-bearing (v. 14a)
This should never cease. There is no “fallow” season for the righteous! God
expects a consistency of service throughout our lives.
Isa. 46:4 “Even to your old age, I am He, and even to gray hairs I will
carry you! I have made, and I will bear; Even I will carry, and
will deliver you.”
3. Forever Fresh & Green (vv. 14b-15)
The righteous do not spoil or wilt. Rather, God’s Spirit is present to help us stay
fresh and green in proclaiming. . . That is an unceasing life of ministry!
Dt. 33:25 “As your days , so shall your strength be.”
CONCLUSION
* Life, even meaningful that truly counts and makes a difference, is NEVER over for
those who know Jesus!
* Even for our Savior, it was not until His last breath that He proclaimed, “It is finished!”
* If today was your last, could you affirm that “It is finished”? Could you honestly say
that you’ve accomplished all that you were put here to accomplish? You’ve tied up
whatever loose ends you can? Could you trust God for the unfinished business left
Behind or are there things that you know are your responsibility to finish?
EXAMPLES OF CHRISTIAN THRIVING IN THE WINTER YEARS
