I am currently studying the “pastoral epistles,” which are Paul’s letters to Timothy. In the setting of the times they lived in, being elderly was considered being of more value. So, when Paul wrote to Timothy, “Let no one despise your youth, but set the believers an example in speech and conduct, in love, in faith, in purity” in 1 Timothy 4:12, it was unusual that Paul would consider a young person as worth listening to, as deserving respect.

Age was respected in the ancient world, far more than it is in the world in which we live. In our world, youth is considered a great benefit, but in the church, age still has precedence, in that older people are given respect because they often have more wisdom. Wisdom does not automatically come with age, but age gives people more time and experience to gain wisdom.

The Rev. Brian Sixbey is pastor of First United Methodist Church Fox Hill in Hampton.

As Grandparents’ Day is coming around the corner, it is important to recognize that older people have much to offer us and our communities of faith if we help them serve and guide, as well as be guided by, the younger people in our communities. We were not designed by God to live in silos of old, young or middle age — we were designed to live in complex intergenerational relationships, where every age has something to contribute, something to receive and something to offer. In this article, I am highlighting some of the blessings of wisdom and age, but I can just as easily highlight how invaluable the contributions of younger people are to our faith communities and larger communities.

I have been blessed for the past 15 years and some months to have benefitted from the wisdom, guidance and friendship of a faithful assistant pastor who is 92 years old. I offer these words not merely to honor him, but to encourage us to pay attention to and be grateful for the people God has placed in our lives. You may resonate with what I say about this servant of the Lord, in which case, I encourage you to let that special person in your life know how much they mean to you and your spiritual life. My friend is a humble man, so I will not use his name here. Instead, I will call him “George.”

George served a number of churches before “retiring,” and he served as an assistant in a Norfolk church before coming here. His ministry spanned the time of my predecessor, and his influence has spanned through many families on the Peninsula and in South Hampton Roads. George never made much of himself, preferring to elevate other people and help them grow in their service.

George has been solidly on the side of the Lord, no matter the situation — while he was always faithful and generous toward me as the “senior” pastor, and I knew he would remain so even if I made bad decisions, he was also truthful with me in private and counseled me away from bad decisions more than once — for which I am grateful. George has been a supportive and inspirational colleague, and by being faithful to God while respectful of my role, he has given me more than I could have hoped for. Loyalty to individuals is commendable, but loyalty to the Lord should be paramount.

George has stepped down from his position of leadership in the church, but his influence and blessing continue. No one knows how much time anyone has left on this earth, but as that time inevitably draws closer, it makes it even more important to pay attention to all the people in our lives. I pray that you have a George in your life, who like Paul, opens doors for you and helps you become the best person you can become, and I pray that you have a Timothy, for whom you are doing the same.

Whether that person is older or younger doesn’t matter — what matters is that we are doing life and ministry together.

The Rev. Brian Sixbey is pastor of First United Methodist Church Fox Hill in Hampton.

https://www.pilotonline.com/2025/08/31/faith-values-valuing-the-people-in-our-lives/