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Our magazine, 'plus', carries many varied items which we believe will be of interest to you. We would like to encourage you to become a member and therefore gain the full benefits of the magazine as well as other advantages.
To whet your appetite we include an article here to give a flavour of the magazine for those who are coming into contact with CCOA for the first time. We hope you enjoy it.
From 'plus' Summer 2009
Old and valuable
Do you know how old I am?…. ….Most of us like to think we look younger than we are. Even though the stereotyped image of residents of an old people's home is of elderly ladies saying, proudly: 'I'm 84, you know!' For the record, I'm 58. I don't know if that's late middle age, or early old age. But I know exactly what Ogden Nash meant when he said: 'Middle-age is when you've met so many people that every new person you meet reminds you of someone else.' Is that your experience?….
….Ageism (discriminating against people because of their age - usually against older people) is perhaps the most widespread of all the 'isms'. And it's not as trivial as some may think. It's been said that it's a young person's world, and it's certainly true that today's culture - in the western world at least - celebrates youth rather than old age. Sir Ming Campbell – (former) leader of the Liberal Democrats - for one, doesn't need telling that. The media just (could not) stop banging on, in negative terms, about his age.But if you're an older person, you don't need me to tell you any of this. You see the adverts, all of them featuring young beautiful people. You can't miss the way older people are sidelined, stereotyped or ignored in television programmes. You're aware how difficult it is for a 50-year-old to get any job other than at the checkout in Sainsbury's or telling people where to find the power-tools at B&Q. God’s intentionsBut this is not what God intended. The psalmist wrote (Psalm 71:9): 'Do not cast me away when I am old; do not forsake me when my strength is gone.' He (or she?) was making a plea to God for divine help, but it's a plea that could equally be directed at society in general, the Government, the local community - our neighbours ... our family. 'Do not cast me away when I am old; do not forsake me when my strength is gone.' In Old Testament times, the spiritual health of the community was judged by the honour and respect given to the elderly. Their care and well-being was taken very seriously. Old age was seen as a blessing, not just as a time of physical and mental decline. Wisdom, it was believed, came with age. Somewhere along the line things have changed. I wonder if things will change again next year, when for the first time in recorded history, there will be more people in this country over the age of 65 than under the age of 16. It won't stay that way for long - it's the result of the baby-boomer generation (my generation) reaching their sixties. In the year 2020 it will go back again to having more young people than pensioners. But for a dozen years, 'old age pensioners' – that dreadfully dismissive and condescending label - will form the majority age group in Britain. How will that be reflected in daily life, I wonder?Well, the banks will want our savings (if we have any). The advertisers will want us to buy their products. The charities will want our donations. And our children will want us to baby-sit! But I wonder if our voices, and our views, will be heard and listened to, and acted upon, in the corridors of power…. Think of the positive ….But I think there's a danger in concentrating only on seeking help for older people. Not all older people are helpless. Think of Sir Winston Churchill, who was at his very best in his pensionable years…. …. I went to the Proms at the Royal Albert Hall a couple of times…. ….Once was for a jazz night. The artists were Johnny Dankworth and Cleo Laine. Both aged 80. And both absolutely brilliant…. … We can't all sing like her (we couldn't do it when we were 20 so why should we be able to do so at 80?) but there may well be other things we are brilliant at. Writing? Encouraging? Listening? Praying? Don't let's downplay any of these things….…. Think about it. How much do you allow your age to decide what you do in life? It should be how you feel that's important. And here's an interesting question: if you didn't know how old you were, how old would you think you were? How old do you feel? I'm reminded of Robert Frost's definition of a diplomat: 'Someone who always remembers a woman's birthday, but never remembers her age.' I also like something the playwright John Mortimer made Horace Rumpole say in 'Rumpole of the Bailey': 'There's no pleasure in life that's worth sacrificing for the sake of an extra five years in the geriatric ward of the Sunset Old People's Home, Weston-Super-Mare.' Guidance from the Bible….Let me now do two things. First, let me remind you of the Scripture(s):First, Ecclesiastes 12:1-14 (New International Version) It begins by referring to ‘the days of our youth’ then goes on to talk about the ‘days of trouble’ that follow – it’s a bit depressing. I hope the picture it paints is not too accurate a description of your life. It paints a picture of everything going wrong in old age. I much prefer the story of Pablo Picasso being banned from roaming art galleries on his own in his old age, after being discovered in the act of trying to improve on one of his old masterpieces.
But we should note in that Bible passage that the description of life as 'meaningless' is a description of the life that ignores the wise advice of the Teacher, who tells us: 'Fear God and keep his commandments'. Those of us who have attempted to do that have surely discovered the truth of Jesus' words when he declared: 'I am come that they might have life in all its fullness.' And that full life does not stop - or should not stop - at 60, 70, 80, or 90. Someone has said you don't stop enjoying life because you're old; you're old because you stop enjoying life. Let's not stop.
It's true that the dust of which we are made will eventually return to the ground. But our soul will live eternally - so long as we heed the words of Jesus, who asked: 'What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his soul?'Let me remind you, too, of the words of John 21:15-19 [where he talks of 'going where you do not want to go'] Well, it might sound like life in a second-rate care home, wrapping you up in a scarf and mittens and taking you on a day trip to Eastbourne when you'd rather go down to the pub or spend the day at Bluewater Shopping Centre ... but when we read on we realise that Jesus was talking specifically about what lay ahead for Peter.For me…, the significance of that reading lies - subtly - in Jesus' command to 'feed my lambs ... take care of my sheep ... feed my sheep'. Should we read anything into the fact that both lambs and sheep are mentioned? Perhaps not. But it reminds me that….:· - the faith journeys of older people do not peter out because they are older;· - the massive contribution of older people to the life of Christian Fellowships needs to be continually affirmed;·- the questing and questioning of older people needs to be addressed; and· - those who are no longer able to participate in the worship life of their Fellowship continue to need spiritual and pastoral care as a Gospel imperative…. The vision …. And so we still need a dream and a vision. Our Christian faith provides both. I offer a final verse from Scripture - Galatians 3:28: 'There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.' I wish the Apostle Paul had included the words 'young or old' - but the implication of his words is plain. Everyone is included, and everyone is equal. Child, young person, older person ... we are all one in Christ Jesus. Praise God! Major Charles King (This article is made up of extracts from the sermon given at the Jubilee Service of Thanksgiving held in the Salvation Army Citadel, Croydon in 2008)
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