For ALL the Saints3 min read

The story goes that a little boy and his dad were coming out of church one Sunday morning and noticed a plaque on the wall that listed the names of members of the congregation who were in our nation’s military and killed in the line of duty. The little boy asked his dad why the names were on the plaque and his dad replied, “These are our members who died in the service.” The boy thought for a moment and then asked his dad, “Was that at the 8:30 or 11:00 service?”

Over my nearly 40 years in pastoral ministry, we’ve not had anyone die in the worship service, but we have had some people faint and have had to call 911 on a few occasions. But the reality is, people who come to church tend to live longer than those who don’t. As of the 2020 US census, the average life expectancy of an American is about 77. But several years ago, the Washington Post reported that a major study of church attendance and mortality found that people who attend church every week live an average of seven years longer than people who never attend worship services.  A more recent study found that regular church attenders live on average an extra three years. Either way, it’s safe to say that people who go to church tend to live longer than those who don’t. I would say that during my time at my current congregation, I’ve ministered to about a half a dozen people who were centenarians.

This is not really surprising in the light of current statistics and predictions. As of today, the fastest growing segment of the population in the USA is in the age 85 or more category. It’s been predicted that twenty-eight years from now, there will be a million people in our country who are 100 years old or older. So, as we celebrate all the saints on All Saints Day, let’s remember not just the saints of old but the old saints who are yet in our congregation and in our pews worshiping with us regularly. Sadly, in our current American culture we often don’t value and appreciate our elders like other cultures might. But the Bible surely encourages us to revere old people. God says, “You shall stand up before the gray head and honor the face of an old man” (Leviticus 19:32) and “Gray hair is a crown of glory; it is gained in a righteous life” (Proverbs 16:31). The fourth commandment to “honor your father and your mother” continues to apply to every one of us all throughout our life, and it actually comes with the promise of long life as well (Exodus 20:12).

The Church of our Lord Jesus Christ is and always should be a place where old people are honored, listened to, and learned from. The Church is multi-generational and the place where people of all ages come together to bless and serve one another, and to join together in praising and glorifying God: “Young men and maidens together, old men and children!” (Psalm 148:12). There’s hardly a congregation on earth that is not wishing that they had more young people, for we know that Christianity is always just one generation away from extinction. But as much as we want and need to reach out to young people in our community, let us also celebrate the older people that we have among us. Who knows, perhaps the presence of vibrant old people in our fellowship will be part of the draw for younger people to want to be in God’s family too.

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