By Neil Earle
The other night I was watching a great documentary on the building of the Empire State Building, that grand edifice begun just the same month as the October 1929 Crash.
As I listened to the rich and vibrant accents of the New Yorkers who worked on the project I was reminded of one of our seniors. “Why they all sound like Tony,” I said to myself. Tony was a man I knew here in El Monte who was a born, bred and buttered New Yorker. That kicked off other memories – Tony’s wife Jeannie who was a very zealous member of the Glendora congregation right up to the time of her death.
This incident caused me to think of other colorful seniors such as Patricia with her very lilting ANZAC twang and Elizabeth’s mild Belfast brogue, if you listen carefully to her speak. That’s one thing about being a pastor – we are pretty rich in both relationships and memories. The apostle Paul wrote in a letter to his favorite church that, “I thank my God every time I remember you” (Philippians 1:3).
The list goes on. There’s Maryann from the Philippines, and Ralph who represents the broad mid-West American drawl (that I suspect they don’t know they have). Here are our great Latino/Hispanic members whose accents add so much color to our congregation and their lively costumes as well – even when it’s NOT Hispanic Heritage Day. Mary B. is from Ontario, Canada but has had “ehs” smoothed out by now – like myself, I suppose.
I mention these little reminisciences just to let you know that even those housebound seniors may be out of sight but never far out of mind. That’s the way it should be. The seniors and shut-ins make up what one of our deacons speaks about quite often – the invisible church. Some people say that Christianity is all about relationships and there’s truth to that. We are all united in what St. Paul calls “the heavenly places” through our adoption by Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:6). I could really freak you out and say that for centuries in Western Europe the dead were buried in the church yard and the living passed them on their way to church. The departed saints, in other words, were still considered part of the Church. Some Scriptures indicate that they are with the Lamb and participating in the biggest church service ever in the heavenly places (Rev. 6:9-11; 14:1-5).
That’s a little spooky and exciting all at the same time.
Some time back I finished editing a book by a well-published United Methodist psychologist who is also a senior citizen. His name is Jon Paul Eddy and he donated a manuscript which my co-pastor and I turned into a book titled Mending Broken Relationships (available upon request).
With God’s help it turned out pretty good. In one of the chapters we define what healthy human relationships are. Here’s a brief summary:
All of this should remind us of the song, “Oh the Deep Deep Love of Jesus/Vast, unmeasured, boundless, free.”
We’ve discussed a few of the more effective principles to remember when we find ourselves in conflict. Or when we get weary in well-doing with our fellow-men. Remember God not only loves people, he likes them. Let us try as much as we can to do the same.