Musings from the Ozone

In the corner of my bedroom sits an antique that I treasure.  It is an old pitcher and bowl that belonged to my mother.  She acquired the set back in the '60's and I inherited it when she had to move from her home several years ago.  Mother never actually used the pitcher and bowl in the way it was intended to be used. We had running water, private bathroom sinks, tubs and showers which served the purposes of washing and bathing.  Although the pitcher and bowl suggested that it should be used for washing up oneself, my mother used it instead to hold beautiful flower arrangements and greenery.  It was an item set off on a shelf for display, rather than an item to be used on a daily basis.

As a side issue, I might say that there are many items that have become obsolete through the years, but we wouldn't think of displaying them on a shelf for beauty.  I am thinking of an old ham radio that my husband purchased in the '70's. He meant to use it when we left for the mission field, but it was a project that got derailed when we had to actually pack up and go.  It was packed away, then shifted around from the basement, to the garage, and then finally off to the Goodwill, with resignation;  we didn't need the thing anymore. Too many new inventions replaced that clunky old thing and it became an eyesore rather than an item to be treasured.  Perhaps I am speaking from the voice of a lady;  there might be some museum that would keep the ugly old thing, but it would never rate a place up on the shelf with my precious antiques.

This pitcher and bowl hearken back to a gentler era . It speaks of a simple life, and one of keeping to the necessities, rather than to the frills of life.  When I look at the pitcher, in my imagination, I can see someone, probably a century ago, filling up the water pot from an outside well.  There were wells in our childhoods, but they were rare even then.  We never had to use a well on a daily basis, but in the country, there were households which used the old hand pump to draw up the water out of the well. I was so fascinated with the pump!  But, if anyone would have to go out to the well on a cold, snowy morning, trying to draw water from a well, they might have a less romantic feeling about it all.

Why do we get nostalgic when we look at the beautiful antiques from the past?  Do we yearn for any of the hardships that went along with the those antiques?  No, even though today the antique pitcher is worth a bit of money and is very beautiful to look at,  the value has been changed from an item being valuable as serviceable item, to that of an antique which will be set on a shelf for people to look at and admire.  Its' actual use is forgotten;  there were probably thousands of these pitchers and bowls created to be used every day in the household.  Now, many of them have been broken, discarded and just forgotten. Occasionally, you will see one in a home on display,  just as I have done with my gift.

I am elaborating in this writing, on the idea that our lives must have usefulness.   We will all come to this issue (usefulness) at some time in our life, so we should ponder its' meaning before we get there. We need to be aware of our usefulness, and likewise, we need to be aware of when we become non-useful. (I hesitate to say that we are useless,  even though the word has the same connotation as non-useful.   It sounds too harsh.  It sounds as if one had no choice in their actions,  whereas, being non-useful implies there is a choice in the matter.  Many times, choices are taken from us;  times change, needs change and people desire a new thing.  While we had been writing of material and physical items here,  any drastic changes that concern a human being and his welfare,  can suddenly drive and escalate the emotional issues of his life into a frenzy of worry.

Imagine with me for a moment, that if the pitcher and bowl could talk, they would probably say something like, "here, we have served our master well all of these years, and then he sets us aside for some new pipes built into his walls;  pipes that carry water from outside the house and into a new-fang-dangled thing called a bathroom sink!  Why has he forgotten how faithful of companions we have been to his daily cleansing?" While we are not pitchers and bowls, truthfully, we do sometimes feel as if we are has-beens; relics that still operate according to past methods. Our methods served us well in times gone by, but we now feel like we are having to re-visit our behaviors to see if they are not just useful, but still relevant in this present day.

Recently, I was made to feel like I had been cast aside for the newest model.  Of course, I expected it would happen!  I would hardly want to carry around the responsibilities I had carried for several years, and had given them up for different choices, such as attending college.  However, it was still a small jolt to my system when someone else got the praises from people over the job that once was mine.  Do I want the job back?  No way!  Why shouldn't the new person receive the praise?  That was natural, and to be expected.  I had my days of the sun and the rain, the praise and the responsibility.  I just hadn't thought about the changes that I would feel in the way I would be treated by others. Change is inevitable and it comes to everyone, whether they are given notice or not.  I did notice the changes by the way I was being treated. There had been a time when people would rush to me after a service, full of questions, congratulations, praises and all that goes with being in an official position. They had the questions and I had the answers.  I was viable as a leader.

As I look back, I have to admit, that for a few years after I had given up the job there were still some around who remembered my old position.  A few of the older people would mention something about how I had tried so hard, as their leader, to get things going.  However, slowly, but steadily, the picture changed.  The new generations moved in and on; the old familiar faces retired, or moved to sunnier climates.  New faces came onto the scene from other locales. Many are not even aware that I was ever in that position. Yesterday's children, are now the new adults today and they want things to run in new ways. The do not have long memories either.  Last year seems like a lifetime away. They don't know the generation from 10 years ago, much less from 20 and 30 years ago. They live in the here and now and their friends are within their age groups, give and take a few years younger or older.  Just as they do not remember the old fashioned well, or the pump that brought the water to the bucket, they do not remember the store front churches, nor the old fashioned prayer meetings where people prayed for hours on end. They do not have knowledge of the old ways…of running churches. They don't even know the history of their local church, much to my frustration. They don't know that many of their churches were once tiny storefronts, since many of them were not saved then, or had even been born yet! No, the church now is run very differently. It is a more programmed and precisely planned service; they cannot imagine the day of small things. Who ever heard of a song leader? Now it is praise singing, with a group of singers, eyes fastened on the projected chorus on the screen. No one ever heard of someone in the congregation starting a song during testimony service. Come to think of it, where did testimony service go? Things have changed dramatically, over time!

When we were teen-agers and twenty-something's, we could not understand why the older generation just did not give up their churches when they turned 65, or why someone would continue to sing solos when they hit their 50's, etc.? Some of us were very critical of older preachers who walked slowly and talked even slower. We just didn't have the wisdom or knowledge to understand the fact that they carried a message of the Lord for us. Truthfully, there were many times when we young people didn't even know some of the elevated language and words of the preacher! Many times I learned new words from my own father in his sermons. I was rarely critical of him; however, in my youthful stupidity, I would often think that he was too patient with some people who seemed like idiots in the church. Let me pause and say that I may have been one of those idiots! Now, I see the wisdom he showed in his patience with people.

Then one day, the young folks hit their 40's, and in recalling the earlier pronouncements regarding age, they start to feel very insecure about what they should continue to do, or what they should give over to the younger ages. Although 40's seem insecure, there is still a bit of room left; the 50, 60 and 70 year olds are still around, and they help encourage the 40 year olds to keep relevant and connected with our society. At 40, they have the younger groups looking to them as having more-or-less arrived at their destination; or at least, close to it! Still, many 40 year olds do not have enough experience with the physical limits of their bodies to really appreciate what may lie ahead of them. When a person hits 50 years of age, and although they say it is a golden age, to some in the ministry, the golden age also reminds them that they should be looking around to their Joshua's and Samuel's in the church. They should begin their mentoring soon, as the inevitable will come when they will have to give up their position. It doesn't have to come in the next couple of years. He may still be viable as a pastor for another 20 years! But, when a pastor reaches 50, there also comes an awakening that he will not be here forever. The subject takes on a bit of morbidity, yet he has to face the facts of life. Some people do not like to plan for their retirements; they want nature to take its course. However, nature can be more cruel than one can imagine. For those who do not leave wills; siblings can have family feuds that will last a couple of generations. When a pastor doesn't plan to groom someone to take his place, the church can have a very unpleasant future;  just looking around for the right pastor, can cause spiritual trauma to a church! Some churches never rebound from the change of leadership and it is most especially so when the new pastor is extremely different from the old pastor.

Yes, the old pitcher and bowl are from a different era. The beauty of the aged pastor should be that of a grace that is placed on him by God. When he has to step down from his work, he should still retain his dignity and honor, rather than show bitterness from life's hardships and trials. My old pitcher and bowl are still in beautiful condition; mainly because they were treasured and cared for in a delicate manner. The beauty and grace of the items are inherent in their make-up, but the care they have received from their owners has kept them safe and without damage. God is the one that cares for His ministers. The love and grace of God almighty can keep a person's spirit lovely in spite of the outward trials.

The aged pastor doesn't have to regard retirement as a time of quitting the ministry, for he will always be chosen of God to minister. God does not take that gift from him. However, he must realize the inherent limitations in his particular stadge in life. He cannot hope to keep up with the young when he reaches a physical impasse in his life. This age is not one of numbers; it is one of physical capacity. There are young men at 70 and there are old men at 50. One has to recognize his own physical abilities or limitations. It is much better, to step aside on his own, before the people have to ask him to retire! He alone must be convinced by God, when it is time to retire, but he should also be aware of the talk around him. Some people fear the minster just too much to even hint that they want him to retire. It is a very difficult decision to make; he must be prayerful and alert to the proper timing.

Although the old pastor may feel like the pitcher and bowl that has been set on a shelf, he should feel gratefulness that God has not only preserved him, but that God will also reward him for his work on earth. He will have both the respect from those he has served, and a place reserved for him in glory. There are many other outlets for ministry besides a pulpit ministry. The need for personal bible studies, prayer lives, witnessing, encouragements, helps and evangelistic-type ministries open doors for those who do not feel physically up to the hard work of pastoring. Many older pastors give themselves over to writing books. The possibilities to work for God are many! He is still beautiful and useful in God's eyes, even as the antique pitcher and bowl are to me.