You are never too old to be mindful of the next generation. When the Bible tells us an incredible story of this elderly couple, leaving their home and immigrating to a new land at eighty, and then becoming parents at a hundred, and then learning how to use Pinterest and Snap Chat at a 120… the point is not how old Abraham and Sarah are. The point is that the next generation always matters.

Angels come to visit Abraham and Sarah. Their message, “God is not done with you yet.” I don’t think God is ever done with anyone of us. The move that Abraham and Sarah make to Palestine, and the birth of Isaac and Ishmael to this retired couple, are not things God did to make them happy. He brought about these miracles so that future generations might have a home and a place to prosper.

We in the boomer generation have a hard time remembering that everything is not about us. Sometimes God uses us for purposes that go beyond our lifetimes. I do not have, nor does it look likely in the future for me to have, grandchildren. Yet, I am passionate about the future. It is why the Paris Climate Change Accord really matters. It is why I want to see that democratic process is upheld in our country and that political polarization gets reigned in. It is why immediate tax relief matters little to me, but social justice is everything.

If we want to laugh with Sarah this morning, we have to accept her passion for the next generation. We may not be able to birth that generation, but we can become involved in seeing that they get an education that is better than the one we received. We can’t offer them a less crowded world, but we can work towards one that provides food, housing, and justice for all.