A Crown of Glory: Fruits of Later Life
‘Grey hair is a crown of glory; it is gained in a righteous life’
Celebrating age
The Biblical writers see old age as a blessing. Zechariah envisages a joy-filled future Jerusalem where young children play and elderly people sit beside them:
Thus says the Lord: I will return to Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem; Jerusalem shall be called the faithful city, and the mountain of the Lord of hosts shall be called the holy mountain. Thus says the Lord of hosts: Old men and old women shall again sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each with staff in hand because of their great age. And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in its streets.
In the Gospels it is an elderly couple, who are chosen to give birth to the forerunner of the Son of God. When Elizabeth’s child is named John and her husband, Zechariah, confirms the name, the voice that was silenced sings a song of praise and gratitude and speaks a prophecy for the child who will be the forerunner of the Saviour. (The Benedictus[1])
Bearing Fruit
Again with regard to age, there is a passage in Psalm 92 which has long fascinated me because the psalmist paints a portrait of the righteous, who
‘ … flourish like the palm tree,
and grow like ai Lebanon cedar.
Planted in the house of the Lord;
they will flourish in the courts of our God.
still bearing fruit when they are old;
still full of sap, still green,
to proclaim that the Lord is upright;
In him, my rock, there is no wrong.’
When this psalm was recited I wondered, what is the fruit that the righteous still bear in old age? In what way are they ‘still full of sap, still green’?
Fruits in the Gospels
The fruits that filled Elizabeth’s and Zechariah were the fruits of the Holy Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. They were close to their kinswoman and recognised the Mother of the Lord and the Saviour in her womb, as well as the forerunner given to them as an infant, who was the joy of their old age.
When Jesus was a baby he was recognised by another elderly holy man and an elderly holy woman, Simeon and Anna, when he came into the Temple in the arms of his Mother at the Presentation. Their insights also came as gifts of the Holy Spirit and through their wisdom, love and patience, they had the supreme joy of gazing on the face of the Saviour of the World, the Light who would ‘lighten the world,’ be the glory of Israel. (The Nunc Dimittis[2])
Another view
We hear so much now about the demands an ever-increasingly number of old people places on our communities but do we stop to count the gifts they give us in their fruitfulness? Over a lifetime of growing closer to the Lord the follower of Jesus will grow in the spiritual gifts, in a way which may seem imperceptible but which may illuminate others with the light of Christ.
Powerful Supporters
Even if old age brings sickness or frailty one may still ‘bear fruit.’ I know a priest who understands how powerfully God works in those who are frail, as well as those who are sick and house bound. Before embarking on a new work or seeking new energy for an existing project, he goes to those who are weak, frail or sick and asks for their prayers. Where possible they pray at a set time. He has confidence in these generous people because he knows that in their weakness they are strong; strong in the sufficiency of God’s grace .[3]
[1] Luke 1: 68-70
[2] Luke 2:29-32
[3] See 2 Corinthians 12:9-11