THE CHALLENGE OF AGING – CULTIVATING A SPIRITUAL VOCATION

All Saints Church, Hokitika, where I was baptized.

I retired from my working career at age seventy-seven. I have not retired from my spiritual vocation. My spiritual vocation is life-long. What is it? In the words of my baptism in the Book of Common Prayer: “I shall not be ashamed to confess the faith of Christ crucified, and manfully to fight under his banner, against sin, the world, and the devil, and to continue Christ’s faithful soldier and servant unto my life’s end.” The pastor who baptized me prayed that I “being dead unto sin, and living unto righteousness, and being buried with Christ in his death, may crucify the old man, and utterly abolish the whole body of sin; and that, as he is made partaker of the death of thy Son, he may also be partaker of his resurrection; so that finally, with the residue of thy holy Church, he may be an inheritor of thine everlasting kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Wow, that is quite a vocation which never quits in this life, no matter how long and challenging it is! How do I go about it? How do I work on it?

First of all, by my confession of faith. I have been fortunate in having been given the gift of faith in Christ crucified which has enabled me to maintain my Christian beliefs all my life. I have never really doubted the truth of Christianity despite the arguments of those who do not believe or the adherents of other religions. I have found atheism impossible and illogical. There are aspects of other religions which are attractive but not compelling. I find the Bible an amazing library of books that covers all aspects of life and history. I accept its witness as divinely inspired, trustworthy, supremely authoritative and challenging. The historical person of Jesus calls me to follow him every day. His sufferings on the cross, his resurrection, ascension and sending of the Holy Spirit affect me deeply. I believe the Apostle’s and Nicene Creeds.

Secondly, by my commissioning by Christ as his soldier and servant, to fight under his banner against sin, the world, and the devil. I am a man under authority called to “endure hardship like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs – he wants to please his commanding officer” (2 Timothy 2:3-4). This requires single-mindedness and discipline to play one’s part, and not to let the side down. It means putting on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes: the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, the sword of the Spirit and prayer. While I am alive in this world I can never be discharged from the forces of the kingdom of God. I must fight the good fight until my departure against my sinful nature, the desires of the world, and the temptations of the evil one.

Thirdly, by my crucifying the old nature. Utterly abolishing the whole body of sin in my life is a daily struggle. Repentance is a definite turn from every thought, word, deed and habit which is known to be wrong. How to renunciate self-will which lies at the root of all acts of sin is a challenge. To make Christ Lord is to bring every department of our public and private lives under his control: career, marriage, home, money and time. There is a tendency in old age to pamper yourself, indulge in every sort of comfort, and to excuse selfishness. I must let the carpenter of Nazareth by the chisel of pain, the hammer of affliction, the plane of adverse circumstance, as well as the experiences of joy, to shape me into his image. He speaks to me in the Scriptures, in prayer, through others and by his Spirit in the events of life. To crucify the sinful nature will be painful and gradual as I nail it to the cross to die. “When some jealous, or proud, or malicious, or impure thought invades our mind we must kick it out at once. It is fatal to begin to examine it and consider whether we are going to give in or not. We have declared war on it; we are not going to resume negotiations. We have settled the issue for good; we are not going to reopen it. We have crucified the flesh; we are never going to withdraw the nails.” (John Stott) Instead I must set my mind on the Spirit (Rom.6:8) by the books I read, the company I keep and the leisure occupations I pursue. Jesus calls me to serve others, to love them as we would have them love us.

There is much more to cultivating a spiritual vocation. I recommend chapter 12 on Discipleship in my book on John Stott: A Summary of his Teaching. Every day I must seek the filling of the Holy Spirit so that I may reproduce the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Every day I have to confess my sins as I fall short of these virtues.