Simone de Beauvoir, in The Coming of Age (C. P. Putnam’s Sons, New York, 1972), tells the folklore tale of what happens when the young lose contact with the old.
It is said that once upon a time the people of a remote mountain village used to sacrifice and eat their old men.The day came when there was not a single old man left, and the traditions were lost. They wanted to build a great house for the meetings of the assembly, but when they came to look at the tree-trunks that had been cut for that purpose, no one could tell the top from the bottom: if the timber were placed the wrong way up, it would set off a series of disasters. A young man said that if they promised never to eat the old men any more, he would be able to find a solution. They promised. He brought his grandfather, whom he had hidden; and the old man taught the community to tell top from bottom.
That today’s society is youth-oriented is no news. That our elderly represent an irreplaceable Kingdom value may be news to some. Especially as more and more in the US, active euthanasia and assisted suicide become available, while currently the topic is being roundly debated in Canada. We may be nearing a place in society where, like the story above, we become a people who cannot tell its top from its bottom.
It is yet another reason for churches to revisit their mono or multigenerational mind sets by embracing a fresh new intergenerational paradigm. One giving opportunity for the generations to dialogue and develop Christo-centric values with seasoned saints who’ve weathered fads and philosophies with a clear a biblical worldview. This is our opportunity to strengthen a legacy of faith and love between the generations, enriching young people and inspiring the elderly to age successfully. What would happen if the elders in your church and community were to see themselves, not as a burden to be offloaded and shunted aside, but as an army of empowered, successfully aging elders inspired and actively engaged in transformational second half callings?
As Christ followers enter into life’s “second half,” they require reassurance more than ever that they are needed and wanted in the church. No one wants to waste those among us who are aging. And no one wants to be part of a generation that cannot tell top from bottom. Yet the fact is, intergenerational relationships do not automatically happen. Wisdom sharing. Values shaping. These should not happen in a vacuum. We must have help. We must be intentional about bringing our aging saints out of hiding. We must not let our young lose contact with the old!
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