Respect Your Elders!

Do you respect your elders? Rae is over 85 years of age and by his own admission he is getting rather creaky. A decade ago he was still scrambling up ladders to do the painting which was his life's work. He can't anymore -- he walks with a cane- but he will still grab a brush and touch up the spots he notices at the church and the manse. This has been his congregation forever and he loves it.

He still listens to sermons carefully and often comments. He has wrestled with issues such as same-gender marriage and come to conclusions which would have surprised him 50 years ago. I still recall him showing up in my backyard when our congregation was discussing what we would do. I thought he might be there to scold me for leading us into a controversial conversation. Instead he voiced his support. Rae was an elder at St. Paul's in the formal sense for decades, but now he is a spiritual elder who deserves our respect, even though many people wouldn't know him. Looking at Rae on his creaky old knees reminds me that there are different forms of prayer. Bye the way, he has a wry sense of humour.

Lots of people have excuses for not getting involved in their congregation or offering their gifts of time. Maybe I should suggest they watch Rae, elder extraordinaire.

Do you know Rae? Do you wish you were like him? Do we still need elders in our midst?