[AI translation] In our church today we have our annual so-called Old and Sick Sunday. What this means is that from here in the church we give extra attention to those who cannot be with us because of their age or infirmity. We pray for them and visit them in their homes or in hospital with a bouquet of flowers and a letter of greeting as a sign of our love - but God's Word is not addressed to those who are not here, but to us who are. And in this Word, which is addressed to us, a problem is raised which will sooner or later become a topical one for all of us, a problem which we are usually reluctant to deal with consciously, although it is perhaps the one that concerns us most unconsciously: the problem of ageing. Yes, it is the fear of ageing and the way to get rid of that fear that is highlighted in the passage. So let us see.1) Modern man is plagued by many fears and phobias: fear of tomorrow, fear of a possible war, fear of losing his existence, fear of human malice, fear of cancer - but perhaps most of all fear of ageing! It is one of the most common feelings in human life! It is simply a shuddering, mysterious fear of the passing of time. Some people are frightened when it comes to their age, so much so that they deny it by a few years, they simply refuse to acknowledge the passing of time. But time is still passing. There is no doubt that ageing is a process which has a painful part, as the apostle says: "Our outward man is corrupt." So, a gradual weariness, languor, decrepitude, deterioration, decay, a decline of vital forces, is what old age means. Above all, in the physical sense: the eyes become weaker, the glasses become more and more powerful, hearing becomes more difficult, walking slows down, movement becomes more cautious and difficult, the whole body wears out, the heart becomes rattled, blood pressure rises, and here and there there problems arise in the internal organs. In other words: the outer man is corrupted...
But then mental activity also declines: memory is weakened, words have to be searched for, thinking becomes dull and stagnant, the mind no longer works as it used to... The whole person weakens, declines. "Our outer man is decaying." - And this decay is also valid in the sense that, as man grows older, his position among other men also decays. Slowly he becomes like a locomotive that has been put on the dead track and has been taken out of service. Not yet melted down like scrap metal, but no longer used. The old man is beginning to feel that he is not needed, and that he is getting in the way of the young people who are in a hurry. And this is what is so painful about growing old, this slow disappearance from the stage of life, this having to hand over the role one has played to someone else, and the once celebrated greatness becomes a humble spectator. The man who was once so active becomes dependent on the help of others, and then increasingly on his own. Yes, it is also the corruption of that certain outward man, that with old age comes loneliness. Old friends, contemporaries, colleagues with whom one has been in contact, die off one after another, and the new generation no longer understands. That's why growing old is so disheartening. In many cases, it is perhaps not the physical decline that one fears, but the meaninglessness of a life without tasks, of relying on others to help, of being left to oneself, of being left behind, of being cut off from the course of life. In general - of passing away! Yes, here lies the deepest basis of the fear of ageing. It is a frightening thought and experience that time passes and with it life declines. It's barely dawn and already it's dusk - and night is falling! The game is over!
The corruption of the outer man of which Paul speaks is just this, that is, the shadow of approaching death, which is cast upon the path of life with increasing darkness. To whom this so-called outer man is everything: that is, physical fitness, and stage appearances, and social standing, and material, earning potential, and the pleasure of physical pleasures, and the things seen; so to whom, I say, this so-called outer man is everything, who has only this "outer man," who sees and lives only this outer side, this surface of all life: for him, ageing is indeed a tragedy! And it is understandable that he should do his utmost to arrest this process to some extent. Excessive cosmetics, the desire to remain young - or at least to appear young - and the desire to behave like a 30 or 40-year-old at the age of 60, the frequent phenomenon of falling in love with a young person in the twilight years, are all nothing more than a desperate unconscious struggle against ageing! A convulsive attachment to something that has passed.
2) But there is another way! The infinitely simple fact is that one does not cling to what is passing away, but to what remains! Or rather: that which endures, that which is the same yesterday and today and forever, that over which time does not pass, that which has conquered death, that which has breathed eternal life into transience! Do you know who he is? Well, yes: Jesus Christ! For aging, more than anything else, really does give man a choice: either the yawning emptiness of a passing life that will sooner or later swallow him up - or Jesus Christ, Who redeems! So let us not cling to the seeming youth that can no longer be attained, but let us take hold of Jesus Christ, who encourages us: 'If anyone believes in me, even if he dies, he lives! Yes, Jesus, who has freed us from death, He alone can take away the sting of old age. It was in a living union of faith with Jesus that Paul was able to say, "Even if our outward man is corrupt, we do not despair, for the inward man is renewed day by day!"
What is the inner man? Not just the soul - just as the outer man is not just the body - but the whole self awakened to the consciousness of salvation. My individuality connected with God. The someone in me who looks to Jesus and knows that even if he dies, he lives! That spiritual personality of mine that is called to eternal life for the merit of Christ, that finds hidden resources in communion with God, for which the external man is only an earthly vessel, a container, but not the essence, not the content, not the purpose. Its essence, content and purpose is eternal life, and more specifically, Jesus Christ!
Paul says of this inner man that he is renewed day by day. Let me put it this way: he develops, he grows. So for someone who is in relationship with Jesus, ageing is not only a process of decline, of deterioration, but also of constant development, of growth. It's a bit like going up and up the mountainside, seeing further and further, widening your horizons, breathing in the purer air of the high plateau. He is freed from the bustle and vanity of the lower life, he sees things from a greater perspective, and is therefore able to judge things more objectively and correctly. He grows in wisdom, knowledge of human nature, understanding, goodness. So those who are in contact with Jesus are not experiencing ageing in a negative way, but growth and development. So yes: the inner man is renewed day by day!
Then, let me say that "renewal" is progress, just as there is progress in the change of seasons. Not regression, but progress! Autumn has a different beauty, a different mission and a different gift from spring and summer. A different time for fruit to ripen than for flowers to open. He who always wants to enjoy life remains poor: a baby with a beard. Service, sacrifice, love, devotion: these are the things that make a man rich, that make a man mature fully. Every age has its gifts and its tasks. The great gift of a faithful old age is to become a friend of God, like Abraham. In intimate communion with the Lord, he becomes almost a confidant. So also in relationship with God he is renewed, he advances. And the ministry, the task, does not diminish, it only changes. It is not that the old man is no longer needed. The believing old man is never worried about the meaninglessness of a life without a task, because in this too he is renewed, he progresses. Just the other day, I read the words of a blessed old man, a dear friend of God: 'Because of serious illness and retirement, I have only one sacred task left: the ministry of prayer. I am trying to do this with the strength I have in my weakness. This service will not cease even with my last breath, for in heavenly life we shall in some way share in the glorification of God, that is, in the exercise of the highest degree of prayer. Not only does prayer have an inexpressible silence and stillness, but prayer is also a battlefield, where man struggles alongside the mighty God who empowers him and encourages him with his soul!" When visiting the sick or elderly, I used to ask my brothers and sisters to help me to fill the life of the congregation with the Holy Spirit by carrying the life of the church in their prayers.
And let me finally say this word: "renewed", so: rejuvenated! For the nearer we come to the end of this earthly journey, the more timely becomes for us the beginning of another journey, the beginning of another life. "The path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which grows brighter as it advances towards the full noon." So it is not darkened by the passage of time, but it is fully revealed, it is fully fulfilled! The light of Jesus, which illuminates the evening of life, is also the dawn of the eternal day that is coming. A Christian who is still a believer is someone who has life ahead of him, is on his way. He is growing younger, isn't he? And eventually becomes a newborn in eternity.
So the solution to the problem of ageing is not eternal youth, for there is no such thing, but eternal life, which for the old and young begins here and now through Jesus Christ. Which begins where a sinful man finds his Saviour, where a life burdened with debt is set free, where a repentant soul is forgiven in Christ. Then there is no longer any fear that our outward man will be corrupted by the passage of time, for the inward man is renewed day by day, our true life is growing, progressing, renewed - fulfilled into eternity!
Amen!
Date: 11 June 1961 Old and Sick Sunday