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I do want to thank all of you for inviting me to speak here
this morning on such a monumental celebration. It is not often, as some of
you well know, that one achieves the ripe old age of 100 years.
Congratulations to you all and may God continue to bless you in your old
age. It was not that long ago when reaching the age of 100 was considered
impossible. Oh, yes we did hear reports of people in The Steppes of Russian
of people living well into their 100th year. And, though
confirmed by scientific investigation and on-the-scene reporting, not to
mention blood work and photography, I always considered the reports suspect.
But, be that as it may, being here today among you confirms
in so many ways my hope and desire for not only longevity but also
meaningful and fulfilling living following one’s centennial birthday.
Because we all know, it is tough to be old. With that poignant reality in
mind, I have chosen to entitle my talk today “It’s
tough to be old”
There is however, another truth about aging. Actually it is a
truth about ages. Many philosophers, too many to mention and quote, have
spoken about the nature of the relationship between one’s chronological age
and the way one feels and performs. Albert Einstein said it well. “It’s
relative.” Or the famous philosopher from the New York Yankees, Yogi Berra,
who said, “It’s not over until it’s over. ” Or, finally, this quote from the
famous Russian who played 3rd base for the Argentinean All Stars
in 1947, “No comment.”
I can remember, when I was age 25 …or was it 35, no 28 in
Surrey England, no it was in London …at any rate, when I was a young man
talking with a man who was about 55 – he may have been younger at the time
but he seemed old to me at 55. I marveled at his ability to remember things
and get things done. And then there were the really old people, like
grandparents and Senators from West Virginia who were too old to work and
were retired. What amazed me was their level of energy. They could do all
kinds of things. And they had acquired a wisdom having lived through
events and learned from them. That takes time. You have to have lived
and made sense of events to be wise. Today, I am older than they were then
and look at me. I can still dress myself, remember the day of the week, make
my own lunch and successfully tell people the name of the current President
of the United States….I have gained a respect for people my age that I did
not have when I was young. My point is this: age is relative. One wise
woman, whom I met over thirty years ago, told me, “You are only as old as
you think.” That is an important message to remember as one moves past one’s
one hundredth year. But we do have to face the reality of our time: It is
tough to be old.
Saint George stands up from his first row pew, raises his
fits, points accusingly and shouts:
What are you talking
about, sonny? How would you like to be my age?
DEWAR-WELL: I beg your pardon. And you, kind sir, dressed in
… what is that.. .armor?
ST GEORGE: Yes, it’s armor. I am St George, the dragon slayer
and a whole lot older than you and . . . wiser to go along with it!
DEWAR-WELL: St George the dragon slayer. Are you the one
responsible for that dragon behind me?
ST GEORGE: Yes, [modestly] he’s with me. [again
agitated] I could tell you a story or two about being old. I’ve been
around for thousands of years. And I’ve learned a thing or two, too.
DEWAR-WELL: I’m sure you can but, frankly, I am not
interested. I working here and you’re . . .
ST GEORGE: Interrupting? Yes, I’m interrupting because you
don’t know what you’re talking about.
DEWAR-WELL: I do know what I’m doing.
ST GEORGE: Don’t
DEWAR-WELL: I, I. . . .
CROCKER: Dewar-Well, excuse me. What are you doing? What’s
going on here?
DEWAR-WELL: This man is interrupting my speech to these old
people. That’s what is going on.
ST GEORGE: I am not.
DEWAR-WELL: Are!
ST GEORGE: Not!
CROCKER: Enough. St George, …
ST GEORGE: [in friendly tone] You can call me
“George.”
RON: Thank you, George. Would you, please go back to your
seat so we can continue.
ST GEORGE starts walking toward the door.
I will not just
return to my seat, I will leave because once again, I have prevailed.
Exits through door
CROCKER: Thank you. Dewar-Well, what is all this talk about
“It’s tough to be old?” That seems a little inappropriate for a centennial
celebration.
DEWAR-WELL: “Centennial celebration?! I thought I was
addressing the Arlington’s Active Centarians, whose members are all 100 year
old or older. You mean to tell me that this is not the A.A.C.?!”
RON: Nooooo. This is Saint George’s Church in Arlington,
Virginia, and we are celebrating our centennial, 100 years.
DEWAR-WELL: That would explain the young people in the
audience. And it goes a long way to explain why I am dressed like this and
why some of you are dressed in funny clothes. What is this again?
RON: St George’s centennial celebration. You’re in church as
the preacher for the Eucharist.
DEWAR-WELL: Are you positive?
RON: Yes.
DEWAR-WELL: Yes? Yes. I must have confused my dates. April
20, 2008. [pause laughing] Kidding. I’m only kidding. Of course I
knew this was the centennial celebration. Crocker, you must lighten up. You
are taking yourself far too seriously these days. Why don’t you relax back
there with the dragon while I finish up here.
Yes, this is the centennial celebration, St George’s turns
100 years old this year Wonderful! Wonderful, indeed. Happy 100 years. All
together: Happy birthday to you (X3) Saint George’s. HBTY.
From the humble beginning on the front porch of William
Sidebottom’s home, St George’s has lived through some turbulent times. And
throughout those times, St George’s has clung to what gives her meaning and
direction: her love of music, fellowship and ministry to those in need. As
we stand on the anniversary of our 100th year, we look back in
time and thank God for the challenges, successes, failures, memories and
people that have made us who we are today. The task of any history is not
only to remember but also to inform. What is the meaning of our past? What
does our history tells us about who we are now? How does our history help us
to understand the way we responded to challenges in the past and how that
guides our decision-making today? How did we live through dramatic changes
in the past and how does that inform how we live though our current time of
dramatic change? If we do not remember the lessons of our past, we are
doomed to repeat them. If we do not understand the meaning of our past, how
can we see the hand of God at work in our community?
Even though I did joke about age being relative, there is
some wisdom in that statement when we look at our 100 years and where we are
now in our history. It’s all a question of time, whose time and to whom time
belongs. On one hand there is secular aging – one year at a time moving ever
closer to the TIME when one’s life on earth will end. We spend a life time
trying to put off death. We bargain, barter, trade and plot to cheat death
out of a couple of years. We seek eternal youth and work to stay looking
ever young, vibrant and beautiful…seeking to deny the one-to-one correlation
of one death for one birth… believing that it will never happen to
me. Institutions, yes even churches, are like that too. They believe that
will last forever and remain forever attractive. With some luck and good
planning, they can continue vibrant for many years, even hundreds of years.
But, as Christian, we know there is another kind of time.
That time does not travel in a straight line, nor is it cumulative or
linear. It is God’s time. Divine time, time associated with the Kingdom of
God. God’s time is circular: it is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and
the end, the new creation and the resurrection. God says, “I am the Alpha
and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I am eternity and I am circle.
Every point on my time line is an exact time in the context of eternity. I
am forever old, I am forever young and I am forever eternity and I invite
you to enter my life, to become part of my life, to participate in my
perspective. This is the same God who proclaims, “I am making all things
new.” “I am about to do something new, watch!”
St Gorge’s has lived in God’s time for 100 years. And God’s
peace, love and protection have guided us through a century of life and
ministry. God’s time is today and we begin to turn our eyes from the past to
God’s time in the future. What DOES God have in mind for St George’s? What
challenges will God place before us to help us see our role in God’s plan of
salvation? In other words, how do we as a Christian community faithful to
the One who is past, present and future respond to what God has in mind for
us? Our job, our mission is to remain faithful to God’s invitation to work,
give and pray for the spread of God’s influence in this world. Our mission
is to become more fully aware of where God is leading us and what God is
inviting us to become.
This is an awesome task and an incredible responsibility but
one that God invites every Christian community to embrace. By making us
instruments of his salvation God trusts us to do the work God gives us to
do. THAT is both glorious and humbling.
Soooo...at 100 years we pause to say, “Thank you, Lord, for
all your blessings. We pray that you will continue to love us, guide us,
form us giving us the courage to be your people in this place in the
unfolding time ahead.”
May we continue to respond in grateful love to God’s many
blessings.” Yes! Amen and God bless.
-- ©The Rt. Ronald C. Crocker, Rector
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From the humble beginning on the
front porch of William Sidebottom’s home, St. George’s has lived through
some turbulent times...As we stand on the anniversary of our 100th year, we
look back in time and thank God for the challenges, successes, failures,
memories and people that have made us who we are today.
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