1. A Community of Belonging and Burden Bearing
The Church:
A Community of
Belonging and Burden Bearing

2. Introduction
Naomi Feil as Model of Church’s Nature and Mission: Incarnational Ministry
Church Uniquely Situated to Lead Society in Addressing Growing Aging Population
Where many of the elderly are
Steward of the story and truths most needed in relating to the elderly
Church provides the lens through which to see the elderly
Do the Elderly Belong? What does it mean to “belong”?

3. Isolation and Loneliness as Threats to Elderly
Loneliness Is Epidemic Among Elderly
18 % of seniors live alone, while 43% report feeling lonely, University of California Study
Loneliness is a health hazard
One in seven people with Alzheimer’s disease live alone
Loneliness is contagious: Behave in ways the push people away
Two-thirds of people in University of California study who said they were lonely were either married or lived with a partner!

4. Isolation and Loneliness as Threats to Elderly continued
Why Are Older Adults So Lonely?
Isolation
Institutionalization
No longer “belong”
John Swinton: Must move beyond inclusion to “belonging”!

5. Church as Community Where ALL BELONG
Church as Body of Christ
ALL are valued as persons of worth and dignity
ALL barriers are removed: age, class, race, nation, sexual orientation, capacities
Least and most vulnerable as special recipients and means of grace

6. Bonhoeffer
God Comes in Vulnerability and Weakness: “Only the humble believe him and rejoice that God is so free and so marvelous that he does wonders where people despair, that he takes what is little and lowly and makes it marvelous. And that is the wonder of all wonders, that God loves the lowly… God is not ashamed of the lowliness of human beings. God marches right in. He chooses people as his instruments and performs his wonders where one would least expect them. God is near to lowliness; he loves the lost, the neglected, the unseemly, the excluded, the weak and broken.” –Dietrich Bonhoeffer, God Is in the Manger: Reflections on Advent and Christmas

7. Church as Community Where ALL BELONG continued
What Does It Mean to Belong
Missed When Not Present (Swinton)
Accepted for Who I Am: Know my story, Swinton:We are to keep stories of those who have forgotten!
Gifts Received and Affirmed
Gift of being: The being of others calls forth our being—empathy, compassion, etc
Identify gifts/contributions

8. Dale Sessions

9. Church as Burden-Bearing Community
Fear of Being a Burden
Suicide rate among older adults
The second highest rate (18.6%) occurred in those 85 years and older. According to the CDC, an estimated 10,189 older Americans (ages 60 and up) died from suicide in Notably, the suicides are particularly high among older, white males (32.74 suicides per 100,000 people).
Fear of being a burden is a major factor
Idolatry of Autonomy and Independence
Warren Kinghorn: Fear of being a burden is rooted idolatry of individualism, self- determination, and autonomy
Denies the dependency which characterizes human life throughout lifespan.
Kinghorn: “. . .even at our most ‘self-sufficient’ and ‘autonomous’, humans continue to be deeply bound to other humans and to the earth because we are bodies who inhabit space and place and culture.”

10. Church as Burden-Bearing Community continued
Bearing Burdens Fulfills “the Law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2)
Opportunity to grow in grace
Story told by Fr. Tom Hopko, now deceased, He related how a woman came to him complaining about growing old and infirm and not wanting to be a burden on her children.  He said, "It really made me angry."  This woman was very proud of her independence.  He told her, "How do you know that your salvation doesn't depend on allowing your children to take care of you?  How do you know that THEIR salvation doesn't depend on them caring for you?  How do you know that this is not part of God's plan for your salvation?"  
Grow in compassion, patience, gratitude, humility, love without reciprocity
Develop sensitive to and appreciation of simple things: touch, smile, twinkle in the eye, moment of connection.
Recognize our own hyper-cognitive and capacities oriented culture and grow in a different way of being in the world: “Knowing with the heart”
Confirm the validity of I Corinthians 13:8: “Love never ends. . .”
Live fully in each moment

11. Conclusion

12. Closing Hymn Blest Be The Tie That Binds
Verse 1 Blest be the tie that binds Our hearts in Christian love The fellowship of kindred minds Is like to that above

13. Verse 2
Before our Father's throne
We pour our ardent prayers
Our fears our hopes our aims are one
Our comforts and our cares

14. Verse 3
We share each other's woes
Our mutual burdens bear
And often for each other flows
The sympathizing tear

15. Verse 4
When we asunder part
It gives us inward pain
But we shall still be joined in heart
And hope to meet again

16. Verse 5
This glorious hope revives
Our courage by the way
While each in expectation lives
And longs to see the day

17. From sorrow toil and pain And sin we shall be free
Verse 6
From sorrow toil and pain
And sin we shall be free
And perfect love and friendship reign
Through all eternity
CCLI Song # 25369
Johann Hans Georg Nägeli | John Fawcett
© Words: Public Domain
Music: Public Domain
For use solely with the SongSelect. Terms of Use. All rights reserved.
CCLI License #