I am old. That may or may not come as a shock to you. It is a shock to me.

My wife and I just had this discussion not long ago — at least I think it was not long ago — about how old we “feel” or what number first comes to mind when someone asks, “How old are you?”

Needless to say, the number which came to my mind does not match the math from my year of birth. On top of that, as if that wasn’t enough, she shared with me a meme in which it is pointed out the years from 1970 to current 2022 is the same number as from 1970 to 1918.

Even after that, I didn’t feel old until I sat down again and began to think about what I remember.

I remember a time when America went through a shocking realization about whether or not to trust politicians and government. 1970 was the year the Ohio State National Guard opened fire at a Kent State University Peace Protest. Twenty-eight soldiers fired 67 rounds in about 13 seconds — four students were killed, nine were injured, one of those permanently.

I remember a time, in fact almost overlapping, when what became known as “the Jesus Movement” kicked off and spread throughout the country and beyond. The church was needing to wrestle with this amazing growth of largely young people recognizing Jesus as Lord and Savior and wanting to know how to live their lives as Christ followers.

I remember a time when people with incredibly different backgrounds and beliefs could sit down together and discuss their differences without the conversation turning into heated personal attacks on one another.

I remember a time when a discussion of “what would Jesus do?” would allow for honest dialogue understanding “the whole of Scripture” was important, along with context and a realization of what is in our hearts comes out of our mouths.

I remember a time when personal responsibility meant more than carrying auto insurance. A time when ethics mattered more than sound bites, integrity was held in high degree, and individuals recognized they needed to think for themselves.

I remember a time when the news was presented for us to form our own ideas, our schools were teaching students how to think not what to think, and the idea of “melting pot” meant something.

I remember a time when stories were read to children so they engaged their imaginations and dreamt of what they could be “when they grew up”.

The older I get the more I respect the two main characters of the movie Secondhand Lions and the more I think we need to watch it weekly.

There is a scene in which Great Uncle Hub McCann gives his great nephew Walter the, “what every boy needs to know to be a man speech.” Hub said, “Sometimes the things that may or may not be true are the things a man needs to believe in the most… That honor, courage and virtue mean everything; that power and money… money and power mean nothing. That good always triumphs over evil. And I want you to remember this: that love, true love, never dies! Remember that boy, remember that. Doesn’t matter if it is true or not, a man should believe in those things, because those are the things worth believing in… got that?”

There are so many times I wish society had someone speak to them the way Hub spoke to Walter. Then I remember, we did. Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. Perhaps we need it read to us daily and put in context of the whole of God’s Word. A reminder of a broken world that was created to be incredible. But humankind violated what God had said and all of creation was to change, no longer to be perfect but to imperfect, difficult, broken, and to have people prone to hurt one another more and more. Scripture shows the extent of what perfection would look like: it demonstrates true justice, it defines mercy, and gives examples of what corruption brings. It shows a law which humankind could not keep in their broken state. And then it turns everything around by showing how great is God’s plan to overcome all of it and return us to relationship with Him.

God’s, “what everyone should know speech” is perhaps the Sermon on the Mount.

As much as I would like to write out the text, it would take up too many words here, but I would encourage everyone to read it in the Gospel According to Matthew, chapters 5-7.

But I can’t leave it off here without a few comments. Please note Jesus meets us all where we are. What are called the Beatitudes or “blessedness” is the starting point. Those who are poor in Spirit, those who mourn, those who are meek, those who desire righteousness, those who are merciful, pure in heart, or peacemakers as well as the persecuted are given comfort. But Jesus doesn’t stop here He is just getting started because He speaks that we are to be salt, which He says has no value if it has lost its taste (or purpose). He speaks of us being the light of the world pushes us to make sure that light is seen!

He boldly says He didn’t come to throw away all that was written or spoken of God before, the law, the prophets, but to fulfill them and then He raises the “how to live” bar even higher by making our actions second to our thoughts! It isn’t just about what we do but how we think! He speaks about our hearts on so many levels and again, continues to drive home a point of needing to be better. Better at loving one another, including our enemies, and how we treat those in need.

And throughout it all, He covers that there are consequences for our actions and/or inactions. In essences, God makes you a child of the King now live it out honoring the name you now carry!

So while I’m technically “old”, I am not so old that I can’t look forward to a time when I will be looking back, hopefully saying; I remember a time we listened to God and He healed our land!

Love well!