“Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.” (Matthew 10:39)

While I was away on Restorative Care, I spent some time reading Dr. Daniel J. Levitin’s book, Successful Aging. Levitin is a neuroscientist who argues that old age should not be seen as a period of inevitable decline, but as a unique stage of growth, contribution, and possibility. He suggests that successful aging is less about extending our lifespan and more about extending our “healthspan”—the years in which we remain engaged, curious, connected, and purposeful.

He introduces what he calls the COACH principle: Curiosity, Openness, Associations, Conscientiousness, and Healthy practices. The idea is that people continue to thrive when they stay interested in life, connected to others, and open to new experiences.

I picked up the book because I’m interested in helping all of us at Bethel move into the healthiest place we can possibly be. Let’s be honest: we’re an older congregation, mostly, with a few notable exceptions. Many of us are retired or moving toward retirement. Most of us would like to remain healthy, engaged, and active well beyond our working years.

At the same time, I’ve been reading a great deal about spiritual development in later life. Occupational hazard, I suppose. It’s the kind of thing ministers spend time thinking about.

What I’ve discovered is fascinating.

Many writers suggest that the spiritual task of later life is very different from the task of earlier adulthood. Earlier in life, we’re often focused on doing: building careers, raising families, accumulating accomplishments, serving on committees, and generally keeping all the plates spinning.

But as we age, the spiritual invitation shifts.

The focus moves from doing to being.

As professional roles and responsibilities gradually fall away, we’re invited to discover that our deepest identity was never rooted in productivity in the first place. Instead, we begin to learn what it means to be beloved children of God.

That sounds simple enough, but it’s actually a profound challenge.

Because our culture spends most of our lives teaching us exactly the opposite.

We live in a society that tells us our value comes from what we produce, what we earn, how busy we are, and how much influence we have. The ideal life, according to the culture around us, is one of constant achievement and upward movement.

And then along comes Jesus saying, “Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.”

I wonder if Jesus is describing exactly the lesson many people learn in the second half of life.

The life society tells us we should have is often not the life that ultimately brings joy, meaning, or peace.

The life society encourages us to pursue is built on achievement, status, and accumulation.

God’s good life is built on connection, purpose, gratitude, community, and love.

Those are two very different paths.

I’ve been thinking about this because I think that Bethel itself is moving into a new stage of life.

For years, churches often measured themselves by activity. More programs. More events. More committees. More people. More noise.

But now I wonder whether God is inviting us into something different.

Maybe our calling is not to work harder. Maybe our calling is to become more deeply who God created us to be.

When I think about what Levitin says about successful aging with what Christian spirituality says about later life, I am struck by how much overlap there is.  You see: 

Both describe a movement away from achievement and toward meaning.

Both emphasize relationships and community.

Both recognize that isolation, withdrawal, and loss of purpose are among the greatest threats to well-being.

Both encourage curiosity, openness, and continued growth.

Most importantly, both challenge the cultural narrative that aging is all about of decline.

Our society celebrates youth and productivity. We are told that newer is better, younger is better, busier is better.

The Gospel says something different.

The Gospel tells us that wisdom matters.

Faithfulness matters.

Compassion matters.

Presence matters.

The kingdom of God has never operated according to the values of the marketplace.

And that’s where Jesus’ words become especially important.

If we spend our lives chasing the version of success that the world promotes, we may discover that we’ve missed the deeper life God intended for us.

But if we’re willing to lose that story—to let go of the endless pressure to achieve, compete, accumulate, and prove ourselves—we may discover God’s good life waiting on the other side.

A life rooted in purpose rather than productivity.

A life rooted in belonging rather than performance.

A life rooted in grace rather than accomplishment.

So what does all of this mean for Bethel?

It means that even if we let go of some things we’ve always done, we are not losing our purpose.

In fact, we may be discovering it.

Whether it’s a beloved fundraiser, a long-standing program, or simply old assumptions about what church is supposed to look like, letting go is not always failure. Sometimes letting go is exactly how God creates room for something new.

Our purpose has never been found in keeping every tradition alive forever.

Our purpose is found in being God’s people.

We can be a community that offers connection in an increasingly isolated world.

We can be a community that helps people discover meaning beyond work and accomplishment.

We can be a community that nurtures practices of gratitude, prayer, friendship, and service.

We can be a community that offers wisdom and steadiness in a culture that often feels anxious and fragmented.

That’s no small thing.

In fact, it may be one of the greatest gifts we have to offer.

But to embrace that calling, we may need to let go of some old stories.

We need to let go of the message that younger automatically means better.

We need to let go of the idea that busier is holier.

We need to let go of the fear that our worth is tied to attendance numbers or the number of programs we can sustain.

Because the future of the church has never depended on our ability to keep up with the culture around us.

It depends on our willingness to follow Christ.

And sometimes following Christ means losing the life that society says we should have in order to receive the life God is actually offering.

From where I stand, that feels like a worthy and honourable place to be.

Blessings today, my dear Bethel Family and remember you are Loved.

~Rev. Lynne

Audio Link: https://audio.com/lynne-gardiner/audio/losing-one-life-gaining-another