+ Faith in Later Life: Sustaining the Journey The Gathering Thinking Zone Saturday 16 May,...

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Faith in Later Life: Sustaining the JourneyThe Gathering Thinking ZoneSaturday 16 May, 1.45-2.45pmJo Walker

The Gathering, 16 May 2015, Canterbury

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Food for the journey – that endures

OVERVIEW OF SESSION

What is the journey of faith in later life?

What do we know about faith in later life?

What are the joys and challenges of the later journey?


3+The faith journey – a good image? A popular image of the learning we do, having set off in

faith – e.g. Pilgrim’s Progress

Conveys the idea of ‘walking the talk’ – the practice of faith not just mental assent or head knowledge

Implies a way of life – changing direction or route if needed

Involves time and experience to progress

Greater height and distance give

perspective!


4+Faith and spiritual development – ‘formation’

Whole person development – bigger than training or equipping

Involves identity as well as calling – being and doing

Discipleship: following the way of Jesus – involves learning

Inextricably bound up with our life-journey – our experiences in the world, our setting, our life events

Later life can be a special time of growth and change in spiritual lives


5+ Life-long and Life-wide

The journey is ----

Life-long: we never stop learning and growing

Life-wide: no ‘sacred / secular’ divide

In the company of others along the way: *maybe starting & finishing at different times *sometimes in groups who share our experience

BUT ongoing faith development is unique to each person:

*an expression of our walk with God & worked out with Him; *openness and willingness are the keys.


6+WHY should we go on growing?

Because the Bible encourages us to:

Grow to maturity (Ephesians 4:13-15)

Become wise (1Corinthians 2:6-13)

Fulfill our calling: know your ‘shape’ (2 Thess. 1:11)

Be Jesus’ disciples / apprentices and do what he did (Matt. 4:19)

Outcomes?

To know as we are known (relationship)

To be more like Jesus (character)

To take part in God’s mission (calling)

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Where are you on the journey?

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Time to talk ----

Suggestions:

A time when God felt near - a growing time?

A time when you felt stuck or on a detour?

The idea of spiritual journey - helpful?

Where next – the road ahead?

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Where are you? - debrief

A time when God felt near?

Idea of spiritual journey -

Apply to your faith?

A time when you felt stuck or on a detour?

WHERE NEXT?

The road ahead is ----?

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Ageing and later life today?


+Paradoxical Context – ageing now Ageing population - stigma over ageing

Longevity success – fear of late life

Community care – pressure on carers

Church populated by older people – youth focus

Smaller households - sandwich generation

Retirement – more time less money

Extended working lives – youth unemployment

Old age is a problem – old age is a blessing

Focus on independence – need for inter-dependence

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+Later life stages

Third and fourth ages Third age, pre-senior (working) Third age, retired independent Fourth age, active frail Fourth age, inactive frail

Life courses and transitions

Generations and shared biographies


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Generation Comparison from Church Army research

55 – 75 Age Group SAGA generation Sociological►Post modern►Like to use their gifts – creative►Non institutional►Non-committal e.g. marriage►Relative morality►Global worldView of Truth►Non churched►Spiritual►Experience rather than truth countsPsychological►Think for themselves►What am I feeling?►Narcissistic►Choice importantPersonal►Live in the present►Pop music culture►Multi-skilled►Becoming computer literate►Money and time rich

75 – 85 Age Group Senior generation Sociological►Modern►Work and skills pre determined►Expect institutional structures►Loyal and committed►Sense of right and wrong►NationalisticView of Truth►De churched ►Religious►Meta narrative and truth importantPsychological ►Told what to think►What am I doing?►Altruistic►Choice confusingPersonal►The past is important►Folk songs and those from the wars►Specialized skills –a trade for life►Technology difficult to grasp►Money and time poor

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+Later faith journey

Stages of faith Westerhoff’s adult stages: Searching; Owned

Fowler’s adult stages: Accepted; Examined; Complex

Today’s context? Churched and unchurched

Spiritual experience versus religion

‘New monasticism’


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Keeping on growing – faith development models Henri Nouwen, 1970s: Early, midlife & mature ‘movements’ of

spiritual formation; journeys inward & outward

John Westerhoff, 1980s: Affiliative, searching and mature faith

James Fowler, 1980s: (adult stages) Conventional, individuative, conjunctive & universalising faith

Larry Stephens, 1990s: Spiritual identity; intimacy with God; Christian ministry; spiritual wholeness

Paula Rienhart, 1990s: Predictability (illusion); disillusionment (disappointment); hope (deepening of faith)

Richard Rohr, 2000s: ‘A hero’s journey in two halves’

Brian McLaren, 2010s: Four seasons – spiritual awakening, strengthening, surviving, deepening

+The potential of the ‘second half’ of life - Jung

Reflecting on & making sense of experience

Development of vision and wisdom

Transmission of culture & heritage (including faith)

Encouragement of the ‘shadow self’; new gifts?

Richard Rohr – ‘the container and the contents’


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Time to talk (2) ----

Themes

Identity

Memory

Transition times

Wisdom

Roles & relationships

Forgiveness & reconciliation

Death & dying

Celebration of life

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Seasons of my Soul – suggestions for discussion:

Identity: How has your view of yourself changed as you’ve grown older?

Memory: Discuss how growing older has shaped your memories.

Roles & relationships: What is important for you in roles and relationships, as you age?

Forgiveness & reconciliation: Share an example that has inspired you.

Transition times: What have you learned from a big change in your life?

Wisdom: Describe someone you regard as wise.

Death & dying: How does growing older affect how we think about death and dying?

Celebration of life: What do you look forward to in later life?

+Continuing spiritual growth - a life-long task

Older people DON’T reach a plateau and stop growing or learning - OR necessarily sail on into serene old age faith; they MAY have a challenging agenda of their own:

In their encounter with God

In a more questioning faith

To really understand (think theologically) about loss, difficulty, dependency etc.

In awareness of end of life issues & getting closure (forgiveness, reconciliation, life story)


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+Finding meaning & purposeStrong later-life drivers need spiritual expression

Readjustment of ‘dreams’ & resulting feelings

Accepting, forgiving and moving on from failures

Continuing to develop – as person and as a disciple

Urge to prepare & protect a ‘legacy’ (influence or achievements)

Longing for a higher goals or greater cause

Outward orientation versus self-absorption


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+How faith / church can help

Valuing the later faith / spiritual journey

Responding to life-stage transitions

Enabling and expecting continuing development

Being the place where meaning & purpose can be reassessed or negotiated

Neither taking advantage nor excluding

Encouraging later life vocation & ministry

Being a supportive community


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Discipleship – a relationship

Calling & discipleship AT ANY AGE primarily to do with relationship and membership – truly open to all; recognise it in yourself and others

Faith stages can help illustrate times of light & dark – be aware of where you are

Journeying is in the company of Jesus, co-operating with God’s mission in his world, drawing on his Spirit

“Part of the good news of Jesus Christ is being set free from rules, and not having to prove that we are good enough. We are not meant to live in obedience to the old, written law, but in the freedom of God’s Spirit. It is about having the impossible burden of getting life ‘right’ replaced with an invitation to follow the Lord of love.”

Christina Rees, 2006, ‘The Divine Embrace’


23+Key messages?

Later life and older age are gifts

Unprecedented longer lives need meaning and purpose

Older people of faith can show the way

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SPLENDID ARE THOSE ---a vision for later life ministry?

Who take sides with the poor: they are citizens of the Bright New World.

Who grieve deeply over misfortunes: the more deeply they grieve, the stronger they become.

Are the gentle: the world is safe in their hands.

Who have a passion for justice: they will get things done.

Who make allowances for others: allowances will be made for them.

Who seek the best for others & not themselves: they will have God for company.

Who help enemies to be friends: they will be recognised as God’s true children.

Who have a rough time of it because they stand up for what is right: they too are citizens of the Bright New World.

MATTHEW 5.3-12, Good as New translation, Henson, 2004

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Who is called? – a reflection

Because all human beings are made in the image of God, they are called to become the People of God, the Church, servants and ministers and citizens of the Kingdom, a new humanity in Jesus Christ. ---- God’s wonderful grace and love offer us all this common Christian vocation. God leaves everyone free to refuse this call; but the call is there for all without exception.

The young are called; the elderly are called. There is no retirement from the Christian pilgrimage. The beautiful are called, and also the unlovely. The sick are called as well as the healthy and the energetic. Activists are called and also quiet people.

We are called regardless of our intellectual abilities or our formal education. We are called regardless of our race or nationality or social class.

Women are called, and men are called. The poor are called, (with) the gifts which they have, and what we may learn from them. Yet God ‘has no favourites’ and equally calls to discipleship the rich and the comfortable.

COMMON STATEMENT FROM ‘All are called – Towards a theology of the laity’ (CIO 1985)


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Disciplines – rediscovered? Fasting - Attention, SympathySilence - FocusSacrifice - GenerosityCelebration - JoySolitude - Hearing God’s VoiceConfession - HonestyStudy - WisdomFrom Tomlin, ‘Spiritual Fitness’ 2006

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Contact information

Jo Walker, Post Graduate Researcher at Centre for Research on Ageing, Faculty of Social Science, University of Southampton, Highfield Campus, Southampton.

Reading list and copy of this presentation available

[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

+ Faith in Later Life: Sustaining the Journey The Gathering Thinking Zone Saturday 16 May,...

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