since my youth

One of our older members died a week or so ago.

She was 98 and she'd lasted well - it's only been in these last few years that she's needed extra help. Today there was a 'celebration of her life' along at the crematorium. The tribute was given by the lady's great niece, and the passage from Scripture was read by her great nephew.

I wasn't exactly redundant, but there was less for me to do than sometimes there is. I took the chance, at any rate, to say just a bit, before we prayed, about the person's faith.

I've not really known her the bulk of her life, of course. About a mere fifth of her life, and the latter, frailer part at that. But I knew her enough to know that her life was rooted in faith in Jesus Christ.

Psalm 71 says it all. It's an old person's song and I hope when I'm old (I mean, really old) that this will be the song that I'm singing. At least metaphorically.

Since my youth, O God, you have taught me, and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds.

That was so true of the lady whose life we were joining together to celebrate there in the service today.

She'd had a good grounding in the faith from early days.

She was one of nine (though I think only six had survived into their adult years). It would have been a busy, noisy home, I guess. Her parents were good and honest working folk, who taught their children well. There were books galore in the home and her father made sure that they learned, not simply to read, but to value a literary education and to 'mine' the books they had.

A lot of that pattern's been lost, I fear, in the rush and the short-cuts which life in our world today brings. Fathers, especially, are not always good at giving their children that time. And when mothers as well have to juggle a job as they try to attend to the home - it's this grounding in faith that can often be one of the casualties families know.

This lady today had been taught. Taught in those days of her growing up. Taught in the truths of the Scriptures. Taught by the Lord.

Former generations were a whole load better at this than we are now.

Which is strange. We have so many more resources. So many books and booklets to help us.

And yet ... and yet, we don't seem nearly so good at giving our children this grounding, whereby they know full well the content of the Bible, whereby they know the very substance of the faith, whereby they understand the whole great panorama of the gospel's potent message.

Whereby they are taught by God.

This lady had been well taught, as I say. And right on through to the end of her life she was glad to sing the Lord's praise. To this day I declare your marvelous deeds.

Whenever I'd call on the lady, she'd invariably speak of the way that the Lord had provided and helped through the course of her many years. There was much that she might have griped about, because things had hardly been easy for her. But she chose instead to declare just how good God had been.

Even when I am old and grey, do not forsake me , O God (I think we sometimes fear that may conceivably be the case, that once we lose our usefulness the Lord will lose his interest in ourselves), till I declare your power to the next generation, your might to all who are to come.

That was this lady, right down to the proverbial 'T'. Each year she paid for the Bibles we gave to the children.

Books. She'd been brought up on books herself, remember.

And, specifically, the book.

Passing it on to the next generation of children. Declaring the power of God to those who were to come.

That's the way to live, all right. Getting things clear about God from the start in our lives and passing it on to succeeding generations as the years go by.

That's how I'm wanting to live. I had the massive benefit and privilege of being taught by the Lord from my youth. I'm seeking now each day from the Lord the grace to be passing that on. Declaring to fresh generations the grace and the power of God.

The grace whereby he looked with such great mercy on a wayward guy like me, and drew me up from all the slimy mire of sin's destroying pit, and set my feet upon the rock of Jesus Christ, and opened up a whole new life for me, and poured into my heart and mouth a rich and always resonant new song.

The power whereby he made the world and raised his Son and made me new and set me free and opened up a future which is bright beyond the telling of it all.

That's how I'm wanting to live - however long or short may be the years I still have left.

It seemed rather fitting that after the funeral service I went straight to the school for the SU group.

A whole crowd of children all eager and desperate to learn.