Christians don’t retire; they expire. - Genesis 18:1-14
How do you know when it is time to retire? If you want to retire with full Social Security benefits and you were born after 1960 than any time after your 67th birthday would be an appropriate time to retire. However, if you don’t want to depend on social security to retire, then most financial advisors recommend you save at least $1 million before you retire. But let’s imagine health insurance wasn’t an issue and money was no object. If you could retire whenever you wanted to retire, how would you know it was time for you to retire? You can base your decision on your ability or performance. Which is a little tricky because even if you aren’t as good as you once were you might possibly still be better than most and even if you can’t work harder than some you might still be able to work smarter than most. Basing your retirement on ability or performance is both subjective and relative which means you are likely going to have to depend on other people to tell you when it is time to retire. Which can be an awkward conversation to have even under the best circumstances.
Trying to figure out the right time to retire from your professional life can be a bit tricky. Thankfully we don’t have to depend on performance or people to know when it is time to retire from our spiritual life. God makes it exceedingly easy for us to know when it is time for as a Christians to call it quits. You see, we Christians don’t retire; we expire. Today we are going to take a few minutes to talk about that in greater detail. Admittedly this sermon is going to feel most relevant for those of us who are in the, shall we say, twilight years of life. However, all you young whippersnappers might want to pay attention because today’s whippersnapper is tomorrow’s old coot. Ask any old timer and they will tell you that time has a way of accelerating; the older you are the faster time seems to pass you by and before you know it you and your friends are talking about where and when to retire.
Abraham and Sarah were well past the age of retirement. When the LORD appears to Abraham and Sarah in our lesson from Genesis 18:1-14, Abraham is 99 and Sarah is 90 years old. Now, 4,000 years ago people did tend to live longer than they do today. Abraham lived till he was 175 And Sarah lived till she was 127, but still 99 and 90 is old. And that’s not just my opinion. The Holy Spirit, speaking through Moses, says they are old. In verse 11 Moses writes, “11 Abraham and Sarah were already old and well advanced in years”. “Old” and “advanced in years” is how the Holy Spirit describes Abraham and Sarah. Abraham and Sarah would not have been offended by that description. In verse 12 Sarah describes herself as “worn out” and she describes her husband as “ancient”.
Abraham and Sarah are old, old enough to retire and they have the financial resources to live quite comfortably in retirement. Over the years the LORD blessed Abraham, so much so, that in Genesis 13:2, Abraham is described as being “very wealthy in livestock and in silver and gold.” Abraham’s flocks and herds were so big the land struggled to support them. Abraham Inc. was so big it even had its own private security force of 318 trained men. In other words, Abraham and Sarah had saved up well over $1 million in their retirement account.
Most people would have said it was time for Abraham and Sarah to retire, and for the most part they were retired, at least from their day jobs. When the LORD appeared to Abraham near the great trees of Mamre we are told Abraham “1… was sitting at the entrance to his tent in the heat of the day.” Abraham is sitting on his front porch taking his afternoon siesta, which I know is an ancient eastern custom, but it also sounds like the sort of thing a retired person does. Another thing retired people do is entertain guests and Abraham and Sarah do that better than most. When Abraham realizes he is about to entertain three guests we are told he “hurried from the entrance to his tent”. And “ran to the herd and selected a choice tender calf”. Likewise, when Sarah finds out her husband is entertaining guest we are told she quickly got “three seahs of fine flour and kneaded it and baked some bread”. To put that into perspective that is 40-50 large loaves of homemade bread made from scratch with absolutely no prior notice. When my time comes, I hope Michelle and I have half the get up and go these two retirees have.
Abraham and Sarah seem to be enjoying retirement but, as the LORD reminds them, they may very well be retired from their professional lives, but they were far from retired in their spiritual lives. In verse 10 we read, “10 Then the LORD said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son.” This is a reiteration of a promise the LORD had made to Abraham; a promise to make Abraham and Sarah the father and mother of a great nation, a nation in which powerful prophets would perform mighty miracles, and great kings would rule over people with prosperity and peace, but, most importantly of all, a nation from which the promised Messiah; the very savior of the world would come. Abraham and Sarah may have been retired from their day jobs, but even in the twilight of their lives, the LORD had more for them to do.
Sarah, at first, wasn’t sure they were up for it. We read, “12 … Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, “After I am worn out and my master is old, will I now have this pleasure?” As far as Sarah was concerned, she and her husband were worn out and washed up. They had faithfully, for the most part, served the LORD for nearly a century. I imagine Sarah thought it was time for young whippersnappers like Lot or Ishmael to step up and step in so that she and her husband could step aside. I imagine Sarah thought she was spiritually retired, and it was time for someone else to serve.
I imagine Sarah felt that way because I hear similar things from some of you and if I am being completely honest, I’m starting to feel that way myself. Somehow, we convince ourselves that service to our God is similar to the work we do for our employers, we convince ourselves that after we put in our time, someone else should step up step in and serve so that we can sit back and be spiritually retired. Not only is that a waste of the time God has given us but it is a miserable way to finish out your days here on earth. Do you know what is the number one frustration that most shut-ins have? It is their perceived inability to be of service. I can’t tell you how many times I have heard a shut-in complain that they don’t have any meaningful service left to offer. Ask any of my shut-ins what they would do if they had your mobility, energy, and strength and they will tell you they would at least in part use those gifts to be of service; to be of service here at church, but also be of service in their families, and out in their communities. Those of us who still can do but don’t do, are wasting the time our God has given us to serve.
Thankfully Jesus did whatever He could do with the time He was given. Read through the gospels and you will observe Jesus making the most of every minute. Jesus spent His time in nearly constant service; He spent His days teaching in temples and preaching to people, He spent His nights guiding and directing His disciples, and in any spare time that remained Jesus cast out demons and cured the sick in His community. While He walked the earth, Jesus made the most of every moment He was given right up until the day He died; right up until the moment He cried out, “it is finished” and forgave us for our sinful wasting of time. Spiritually speaking Jesus never retired; He expired.
Now, I know, trust me I know, the older you get the harder it gets to serve. Physically, mentally, and emotionally it just gets harder to clean up after an event here at church, harder to give godly guidance and direction to adult children, harder to let the joy of your salvation shine through your neighbors’ window. The older you get the harder it gets to serve, but as long as the LORD allows air to fill your lungs, blood to pump through your veins, and electricity to transmit signals in your brain, there is work for you to do because spiritually speaking, Christians don’t retire; they expire. Even if you are really really really old. Even if you are as old as Sarah. In verse 13 we read, “13 Then the LORD said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Will I really have a child, now that I am old?’ 14 Is anything too hard for the LORD?” That’s one of them rhetorical questions; a question to which the answer is so obvious it doesn’t need to be said, but just to be obnoxiously clear, the answer is “no”. There is nothing that is too hard for the LORD. The LORD can use the dried-up womb of a 90-year-old woman to create a great nation from which the savior of the world has already come. The LORD who accomplished that through Sarah’s service can surely accomplish something through your service.
Now, It is good for the next generation to step up and step in but that doesn’t mean we old timers should step aside. We still have time to serve. While it is possible the LORD will cause a child to be conceived in an otherwise inactive womb, it is not probable (and to that those of us who now find ourselves in the twilight of life say, “thank you Jesus!”) But geriatric gestation aside there are plenty of ways us old timers can be of service, even if physically, emotionally, and mentally we are becoming increasingly diminished. First and foremost, there is prayer. Prayer is not the task of those who can’t do anything else, prayer, so says our God, is powerful and effective. You could set aside some time every morning to pray for the members and ministry of Messiah, you could set aside some time every afternoon to pray for your family and friends, you could set aside some time every evening to pray for peace among nations and preservation of our planet. Doesn’t matter how old you are you can spend a great deal of time talking to God. You can also spend your time talking to people. Call them on the phone write them a letter, text them or if you really want to impress the whippersnappers send them a snap. Don’t just sit around waiting for people to reach out to you, take the time to reach out to them. Reach out to them not to complain or criticize but to encourage and support. You could spend your time mentoring a young person. I am not sure that any of us can be done with service in the church or in our families our out in our communities until we have actively passed on the lessons we have learned to the next generation. Maybe you could mentor someone one on one or you could even write a devotional in which you share your spiritual insights with generations yet to come. If you have absolutely no wisdom to share (which I seriously doubt) you could spend your time just sitting with a child. The entire back third of this church is full of children. I bet if you stood up right now and walked to the back of the church there would be a handful of mothers who would gladly give you their child so that they could actually listen to a sermon without any distractions. What I am saying is there are all sorts of ways we can use the time God gives us to be of service even when we are really really really old.
Maybe those of us in the twilight of life don’t need to be up on the roof cleaning out the gutters or climbing the ladder to put the star atop the tree or chaperoning the white-water rafting trip, but there are plenty of ways for each and every one of us to be of service. So, let’s serve! Let us serve each other, let us serve our families, let us serve our communities, let us serve them all in service to the LORD who sent His son to serve us. Even if you have retired from your day job, as long as you are living there is work for you to do. Spiritually speaking, Christians don’t retire; they expire. Therefore, until that day comes, let us use whatever time God grants us to serve. Amen.