Yesterday I attended a Church service where there were two people - a man and a woman - who were both 99 years of age. The wonderfully sweet lady was in a wheelchair. She can walk, but the distance was more than she wished to transverse so a chair was provided. The gentleman still gets around pretty good - slowly, carefully - and is determined to greet everyone along the way. They are both sharp-minded and they are both committed to God and His Bride, the Church.

Plans are in the works for a couple of real celebrations next year when they reach 100. They both love the Lord our God and are committed to the family of Believers in the two Churches where they  are members. The gentleman is a member of the Methodist Church, and the lady is a member of the Baptist Church, in the little town  where I live. The gentleman's Church has an earlier meeting time, and he came afterwards to his second round of Worship.

It is clear they are delighted to gather with other Believers, share common conversations, and enjoy the fellowship of brothers and sisters in Christ's family. By-in-large they have both been doing this "Church thing" most of their life. They are not grumpy or bitter, they don't need  to be coddled, they worship with singing and prayer, and understand the messages from God's Word with a lifetime of experiences to prove out the faithfulness of God.

It gives me pause. . .to think how so many others, without the encumbrances of age, the struggle of health issues, the sheer determination to "keep going," and  "keep coming," find the most audacious excuses for failure to follow this pair's unintentional leadership. I can't help but wonder if that choice to be relentlessly faithful to the end is one of the reasons they are alive and active in the Kingdom.

I think I will think about that some more.