Retread Heroes

I'm taking a few days off work and one of the first things I did was turn off the alarm clock. Sometimes I wake up even before the alarm, so it's not that I'm averse to early hours, but the possibility of sleeping in just seems to be one of the benefits of vacation and retirement. Sadly, I seem to do better with structure to my day because I ended up watching a marathon of movies on TMC. (Who knew there were so many Edward G. Robinson movies??) But other people have the ability to seize the day and accomplish tasks of great use. It seems like our parents became busier after retirement, with more free time to take classes and volunteer. Retirees often swap one line of work for another, becoming a retread, a person who is called back or returns to service, and some with no monetary payment - babysitting grandchildren, sharing professional medical skills, maintaining buildings and grounds, or running disaster relief camps in another state. There are numerous retread heroes I know and they all seem to follow the belief that their opportunity to work didn't stop when their identity in the paid workforce changed to retirement. They aren't sitting back remembering the times they already gave, but they are planning ahead to the next task, the next aide, the next chance to be the hands of Christ.

My prayer for the congregation?

Dear God, How diligent you work on our behalf! Your expert craftsmanship is evident before our eyes. Let us refurbish our skills when we think they have become stale. Let us rekindle our passion for giving when we think we have given enough. Let us restore our priorities to your primary concerns. Let us revive our energy to reflect the tasks at hand. There is a time to remember the wonderful acts of righteous deeds, but let us continue to add to the memory table and never be satisfied with a standard that does not meet your values and goals. We are called into your service, retread, renewed, and reborn. Amen