Intro: Do you remember the Homecoming basketball game our senior year?

1. Maybe not the specific game but do you remember the recognition of those celebrating their 50^th reunion – the class of 1916

1. The women were all given those gigantic mum corsages

1. Then they all stood at half court, men and women alike, as we applauded

2. And what did we, the soon to graduate class of 1966 think?

1. Wow! They are really old!!
2. And now … well, they are now us

2. We were a pretty diverse group back in the day

1. We came from many different places

1. Holland, Zeeland, Hamilton and Borculo, East Saugatuck and Drenthe
2. We came from farms and the city, from big families and from small ones
3. Some arrived by bus, some walked or came on their bike and some by parental taxi

2. We came from many different churches

1. Most were Christian Reformed churches with a few Reformed Church folks (like me!) thrown in for good measure

3. And we’ve become an even more diverse group of people in the last 50 years

1. We walked across the stage of the Civic Center, received our diploma from Mr. VanderArk, and we headed off …

1. Many went to Calvin and others to Hope
2. Others went to “JC” or Dordt or one of a dozen other schools
3. Some headed off to their first job and some went to VietNam

2. Since that day in June of 1966, we’ve become teachers, bankers and machinists

1. Nurses and business owners
2. Farmers and stay-at-home moms

3. Some have traveled the world and others have stayed within 20 miles of their childhood home

4. I’ve wondered, as I anticipated our reunion, what is it that united us in high school and what, if anything, unites us today?

1. I don’t think it’s a diploma

1. Or that we all took Reformed Doctrine with Mr. Bratt
2. Or that we were all shocked when Zeeland beat us in the districts our senior year

2. No, I believe that our unity, both then and now, can be summed up with one word: FAITH

1. For four years we gathered on a regular basis in the old gym for a chapel service

1. While many were forgettable, there were one or two for each of us that made a powerful impact

2. For four years we joined our voices in song, singing the traditional hymns of our day in worship of the One True God

1. Long before praise bands were in place, we had chapel pianists
2. Including Sharon Nienhuis Kleinheksel who played for our worship today

3. For four years we prayed together

1. Not just in our chapel services
2. The first class of each day would start with prayer
3. The final class would end with prayer

5. But our journey of faith is not yet over

1. The faith that marked our lives in those early days, for most of us, continues to mark our lives today

1. Today we worship in churches of many different denominations – or no denomination at all
2. We sing hymns and praise songs, some w/organ and piano and others with praise bands
3. And prayer, for most of us, continues to be of high value as we journey through life

2. The faith that was part of our lives in the 1960s is different 50 years later

1. But it is no less important

3. When I was in my early 50s, I read an excellent book by Bob Buford titled, Halftime

1. He challenges the reader to make the second half of his or her life more meaningful than the first
2. Talks about moving from “success to significance” in the second half of life

4. Then, a few years ago, I read the book, The Third Third of Life, by Walter Wright

1. Addresses how we navigate the time from 60 to 90 years of age

5. I benefitted from Buford’s book but was challenged by Wright’s

1. First third: education and self-discovery
2. Second third: family and work
3. Third third: retirement – finishing the legacy by which I want to be remembered

6. Which leads me to a question:

 

Main Idea: What will you and I do in this final third of life to craft the legacy by which we will be remembered?

 

1. To help us begin to answer that question, I want to look briefly at the life of Moses.

1. Moses was 3 months old when he was abandoned and sent floating down the Nile River

1. In the providence of God, he was rescued by an Egyptian princess and given to his mother to be cared for until he was old enough to no separated from his nursemaid

1. When that day came, Moses was adopted by the princess and raised in the luxury of Pharaoh’s palace

2. Raised as an Egyptian, Moses still knew that he was a Hebrew

1. So, one day, when we saw a Hebrew being mistreated by an Egyptian, he stepped in and killed the Egyptian

 

2. The next day he saw two Hebrews fighting and again he stepped in to stop it

1. One of them looked at Moses and asked who made him ruler & judge over them
2. Then he asked if Moses was going to kill him like he killed the Egyptian

3. At that, Moses knew he needed to run away or he would likely be killed

1. The first third of Moses’s life can be summed up in four words: Abandoned, Adopted, Murderer and Fugitive
2. Not exactly a recipe for successful life

2. The second third of Moses’s life finds him marrying, having children and working for his father-in-law as a shepherd

1. It was a harsh life and far removed from life in the palace of the Pharaoh

1. He had to move his family frequently in order to find good grazing for the sheep
2. Keeping the sheep safe from animals and thieves was always a challenge

1. And could be life-threatening

2. It was while he was tending the sheep that Moses was confronted by God and given the orders for the third third of his life

3. It is the third third of Moses’s life that is most significant

1. It started that day when he saw a bush burning but not being consumed by the flames

1. Closer examination brought him in the presence of God himself

2. It was then that he was told what God had in mind for Moses

1. To stand before the Pharaoh and demand the release of the Hebrew people

4. You probably have a pretty good idea of how things go from here

1. Pharaoh says, “No way!”

1. And we begin with the plagues, each one more dramatic than the first

1. Water of Egypt is turned to blood
2. frogs, gnats and flies
3. livestock die and people get boils
4. hail destroys crops and then locusts come to eat what the hail didn’t destroy
5. the sun goes dark for 3 days

2. Still Pharaoh refuses to let the people go

2. Finally the angel of death comes to claim the life of every firstborn of every Egyptian

1. And Moses leads the people out of Egypt and to the Promised Land

 

 

5. What was different in Moses in the final third of his life?

1. Don’t know for sure but I have some suspicions

1. He is more humble than in his youth

1. Living in the luxury of the Pharaoh’s palace could make one pretty arrogant
2. But when God tells Moses what he is to do, Moses says

(IL) “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring Israel out of Egypt?” (3:11)

2. He is more aware of his own limitations

1. The man who thought he was above the law, that he could get away with murder
2. Admits that he isn’t a very good speaker

3. He understands that God meets us in our humility and he overcomes our limitations

1. When he is willing to acknowledge his insufficiency, God says that he’ll be with him every step of the way
2. When he is willing to admit his limitations, God provides him with a spokesperson, his brother Aaron

2. And so it is that Moses embarks on the most significant period in his life – his third third

1. Taking the people from Egypt through the wilderness (a 40 yr journey!) to the Promised Land

 

2. Our Third Third

1. I believe that you and I are entering what could be our most significant third of life

1. Instead of sitting back and surrendering to a comfortable retirement, I want to challenge us to ask:

(IL)      What can I do in this third third of life?

2. We are not the same people that walked across that platform 50 years ago

1. We’ve been humbled

1. Not all of our plans and dreams have been realized – and they never will be

(IL) I once thought I would be a university president but God had other plans

2. We’ve experienced failure in marriage, in business and in life

(IL) Divorce, firing, downsizing, physical limitations and disabilities

3. We’ve lost spouses; we’ve lost children
4. As a result, we are more tender, more forgiving, more gracious

2. We know our limitations

1. When we were younger, we thought there was nothing we couldn’t do
2. Now we know what we can do and we know full well what we cannot do

3. And God comes to each of us to say

1. I am with you
2. With me, you can do what I ask of you

 

2. In this third third of life, there is more we can yet do as we continue to write our legacy

1. Some of us are blessed with grandchildren

1. We can love them, play with them, encourage them and cheer them on
2. We can teach them of God’s love and even tell them of God’s grace as we’ve stumbled along the way of our journey with him

2. We can mentor a younger man or woman

1. Sharing the lessons we’ve learned, sometimes painfully, in our own journey
2. Helping him or her to be a better spouse, parent, worker

3. We can build friendships with those who are not yet following Christ and become a redemptive influence in their lives

1. They may be our neighbors or former coworkers or just people we’ve met along the way
2. We can be their friend, we can speak words of faith into their lives

4. We can encourage someone with a meal, a visit or a phone call or a note
5. We can lend our gifts and experience to the church, a community org or a local charity
6. We can pray for others

 

Concl: We are building our legacy, you and me. We are building the way that we will be remembered after we are gone.

1. To be sure, how we’ve lived the first two-thirds of life contribute to that legacy

1. There is more to our legacy than the list of children and grandchildren spelled out in an obituary
2. But there needs to be more to our legacy than the accomplishments of our work experience

2. Make this third third of your life significant

1. Nourish your faith and allow it to mark your life in this new season of life
2. May we love God deeply and fully,

1. may we serve the King humbly and willingly
2. may we walk in faith, even when the path is hard or unclear
3. and may we do what he asks us to do as we enter our third third of life

 

Intro: Do you remember the Homecoming basketball game our senior year?

1. Maybe not the specific game but do you remember the recognition of those celebrating their 50^th reunion – the class of 1916

1. The women were all given those gigantic mum corsages

1. Then they all stood at half court, men and women alike, as we applauded

2. And what did we, the soon to graduate class of 1966 think?

1. Wow! They are really old!!
2. And now … well, they are now us

2. We were a pretty diverse group back in the day

1. We came from many different places

1. Holland, Zeeland, Hamilton and Borculo, East Saugatuck and Drenthe
2. We came from farms and the city, from big families and from small ones
3. Some arrived by bus, some walked or came on their bike and some by parental taxi

2. We came from many different churches

1. Most were Christian Reformed churches with a few Reformed Church folks (like me!) thrown in for good measure

3. And we’ve become an even more diverse group of people in the last 50 years

1. We walked across the stage of the Civic Center, received our diploma from Mr. VanderArk, and we headed off …

1. Many went to Calvin and others to Hope
2. Others went to “JC” or Dordt or one of a dozen other schools
3. Some headed off to their first job and some went to VietNam

2. Since that day in June of 1966, we’ve become teachers, bankers and machinists

1. Nurses and business owners
2. Farmers and stay-at-home moms

3. Some have traveled the world and others have stayed within 20 miles of their childhood home

4. I’ve wondered, as I anticipated our reunion, what is it that united us in high school and what, if anything, unites us today?

1. I don’t think it’s a diploma

1. Or that we all took Reformed Doctrine with Mr. Bratt
2. Or that we were all shocked when Zeeland beat us in the districts our senior year

2. No, I believe that our unity, both then and now, can be summed up with one word: FAITH

1. For four years we gathered on a regular basis in the old gym for a chapel service

1. While many were forgettable, there were one or two for each of us that made a powerful impact

2. For four years we joined our voices in song, singing the traditional hymns of our day in worship of the One True God

1. Long before praise bands were in place, we had chapel pianists
2. Including Sharon Nienhuis Kleinheksel who played for our worship today

3. For four years we prayed together

1. Not just in our chapel services
2. The first class of each day would start with prayer
3. The final class would end with prayer

5. But our journey of faith is not yet over

1. The faith that marked our lives in those early days, for most of us, continues to mark our lives today

1. Today we worship in churches of many different denominations – or no denomination at all
2. We sing hymns and praise songs, some w/organ and piano and others with praise bands
3. And prayer, for most of us, continues to be of high value as we journey through life

2. The faith that was part of our lives in the 1960s is different 50 years later

1. But it is no less important

3. When I was in my early 50s, I read an excellent book by Bob Buford titled, Halftime

1. He challenges the reader to make the second half of his or her life more meaningful than the first
2. Talks about moving from “success to significance” in the second half of life

4. Then, a few years ago, I read the book, The Third Third of Life, by Walter Wright

1. Addresses how we navigate the time from 60 to 90 years of age

5. I benefitted from Buford’s book but was challenged by Wright’s

1. First third: education and self-discovery
2. Second third: family and work
3. Third third: retirement – finishing the legacy by which I want to be remembered

6. Which leads me to a question:

 

Main Idea: What will you and I do in this final third of life to craft the legacy by which we will be remembered?

 

1. To help us begin to answer that question, I want to look briefly at the life of Moses.

1. Moses was 3 months old when he was abandoned and sent floating down the Nile River

1. In the providence of God, he was rescued by an Egyptian princess and given to his mother to be cared for until he was old enough to no separated from his nursemaid

1. When that day came, Moses was adopted by the princess and raised in the luxury of Pharaoh’s palace

2. Raised as an Egyptian, Moses still knew that he was a Hebrew

1. So, one day, when we saw a Hebrew being mistreated by an Egyptian, he stepped in and killed the Egyptian

 

2. The next day he saw two Hebrews fighting and again he stepped in to stop it

1. One of them looked at Moses and asked who made him ruler & judge over them
2. Then he asked if Moses was going to kill him like he killed the Egyptian

3. At that, Moses knew he needed to run away or he would likely be killed

1. The first third of Moses’s life can be summed up in four words: Abandoned, Adopted, Murderer and Fugitive
2. Not exactly a recipe for successful life

2. The second third of Moses’s life finds him marrying, having children and working for his father-in-law as a shepherd

1. It was a harsh life and far removed from life in the palace of the Pharaoh

1. He had to move his family frequently in order to find good grazing for the sheep
2. Keeping the sheep safe from animals and thieves was always a challenge

1. And could be life-threatening

2. It was while he was tending the sheep that Moses was confronted by God and given the orders for the third third of his life

3. It is the third third of Moses’s life that is most significant

1. It started that day when he saw a bush burning but not being consumed by the flames

1. Closer examination brought him in the presence of God himself

2. It was then that he was told what God had in mind for Moses

1. To stand before the Pharaoh and demand the release of the Hebrew people

4. You probably have a pretty good idea of how things go from here

1. Pharaoh says, “No way!”

1. And we begin with the plagues, each one more dramatic than the first

1. Water of Egypt is turned to blood
2. frogs, gnats and flies
3. livestock die and people get boils
4. hail destroys crops and then locusts come to eat what the hail didn’t destroy
5. the sun goes dark for 3 days

2. Still Pharaoh refuses to let the people go

2. Finally the angel of death comes to claim the life of every firstborn of every Egyptian

1. And Moses leads the people out of Egypt and to the Promised Land

 

 

5. What was different in Moses in the final third of his life?

1. Don’t know for sure but I have some suspicions

1. He is more humble than in his youth

1. Living in the luxury of the Pharaoh’s palace could make one pretty arrogant
2. But when God tells Moses what he is to do, Moses says

(IL) “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring Israel out of Egypt?” (3:11)

2. He is more aware of his own limitations

1. The man who thought he was above the law, that he could get away with murder
2. Admits that he isn’t a very good speaker

3. He understands that God meets us in our humility and he overcomes our limitations

1. When he is willing to acknowledge his insufficiency, God says that he’ll be with him every step of the way
2. When he is willing to admit his limitations, God provides him with a spokesperson, his brother Aaron

2. And so it is that Moses embarks on the most significant period in his life – his third third

1. Taking the people from Egypt through the wilderness (a 40 yr journey!) to the Promised Land

 

2. Our Third Third

1. I believe that you and I are entering what could be our most significant third of life

1. Instead of sitting back and surrendering to a comfortable retirement, I want to challenge us to ask:

(IL)      What can I do in this third third of life?

2. We are not the same people that walked across that platform 50 years ago

1. We’ve been humbled

1. Not all of our plans and dreams have been realized – and they never will be

(IL) I once thought I would be a university president but God had other plans

2. We’ve experienced failure in marriage, in business and in life

(IL) Divorce, firing, downsizing, physical limitations and disabilities

3. We’ve lost spouses; we’ve lost children
4. As a result, we are more tender, more forgiving, more gracious

2. We know our limitations

1. When we were younger, we thought there was nothing we couldn’t do
2. Now we know what we can do and we know full well what we cannot do

3. And God comes to each of us to say

1. I am with you
2. With me, you can do what I ask of you

 

2. In this third third of life, there is more we can yet do as we continue to write our legacy

1. Some of us are blessed with grandchildren

1. We can love them, play with them, encourage them and cheer them on
2. We can teach them of God’s love and even tell them of God’s grace as we’ve stumbled along the way of our journey with him

2. We can mentor a younger man or woman

1. Sharing the lessons we’ve learned, sometimes painfully, in our own journey
2. Helping him or her to be a better spouse, parent, worker

3. We can build friendships with those who are not yet following Christ and become a redemptive influence in their lives

1. They may be our neighbors or former coworkers or just people we’ve met along the way
2. We can be their friend, we can speak words of faith into their lives

4. We can encourage someone with a meal, a visit or a phone call or a note
5. We can lend our gifts and experience to the church, a community org or a local charity
6. We can pray for others

 

Concl: We are building our legacy, you and me. We are building the way that we will be remembered after we are gone.

1. To be sure, how we’ve lived the first two-thirds of life contribute to that legacy

1. There is more to our legacy than the list of children and grandchildren spelled out in an obituary
2. But there needs to be more to our legacy than the accomplishments of our work experience

2. Make this third third of your life significant

1. Nourish your faith and allow it to mark your life in this new season of life
2. May we love God deeply and fully,

1. may we serve the King humbly and willingly
2. may we walk in faith, even when the path is hard or unclear
3. and may we do what he asks us to do as we enter our third third of life

 BOB NIENHUIS