Wasting the Elders
Maybe it's because I recently celebrated my 70th birthday, but I don't think so. What? It's the fact that we Americans tend to lump all our older folks into the "has-been" folder and generally forget about them. The only exception seems to be in government. We do have our fair share of seniors involved in government. The Bible supports the idea that the elderly have much to offer. Moses was 80 when God called him to deliver the Jews from Egypt. Abraham was 100 when Isaac was born. Caleb was 85 when he requested of Joshua the right to take the mountain occupied by giants that he had been promised as a 40 year old. In Biblical times, the elders of a city oversaw and approved most business deals transacted in their city. They also settle disputes without having to bring the courts into the mix. Today, especially in our churches, we tend to forget the more mature folks. We allow them to be a part of the "Prime-timers", or some other benighnly name...