Ep 46: Centennial Light

Speaker1: Well good morning I'm Daniel Dopp and this is for your Sunday morning drive. The short podcast with the goal of providing your motivation, your drive on your way to worship and recentering your mind on the spiritual things on those hectic Sunday mornings. We are brought to you in partnership with the Ministry League Network of Podcasts. Ministry League offers many great free spiritual resources and many other great podcasts. And as always, you can check them out in the show notes of today's episode. Or for more information you can go to for your Sunday morning drive.com. I'm so thankful that you chose to ride along with us this morning, or are tuning in whenever you have the chance. If you do have a moment, go ahead and share us with a friend. That's the best way to help us grow. Let's go ahead and get this show on the road this morning. This is episode 46, Centennial Light. Let's go to church.

Speaker2: Are we there yet?

Speaker1: My parents just had a new barn constructed and it's impressive. The most beautiful aspect, in my opinion, of this barn is the cupola at the top and what is housed within a gorgeous chandelier. You see, my dad sent me a picture of it a few weeks back, and I'll be sure to include one on the website. And the first thought that struck my mind was, how are you going to get up there and change the light bulbs? That thing's at least 20ft up in the air. And he said they used LEDs, so hopefully he won't have to worry about it. Well, that caused me to do some cursory searching on what is the longest lasting light bulb. And somehow, after going down that rabbit hole, I came across an interesting oddity known as the Centennial Light. It's a light bulb that was first turned on in 1901. That's over 120 years ago, and it's still continuously operating today. It's housed in a fire department in California, and it can still be visited today. But what's really interesting about the Centennial Light is the contributing factors that many attribute to its longevity. High quality of manufacture and seldomly being turned off. And while, yes, it has dimmed significantly over the years, it still serves its purpose of providing light in dark spaces, going from a bright 60W to about the equivalent of a nightlight? But hey, that's not bad work for being over 100 years old. Well, that got me thinking about the correlation and comparison that is drawn out of Scripture about light, especially in terms of our own very brief lives on this earth.

Speaker1: Now, I haven't met someone that has spent 120 years in service to the master, but I have had the pleasure of sitting at the feet of men and women that we could both say are certified Centennial Lights for Christ. And even though they've, in some cases, spent many decades in service to God and are maybe even nearing the end of their lives, their light still burns so bright. Their example, their drive, commitment, all of that still bringing glory to God. Well. And I've also met those that have let the years calcify their hearts and turn them bitter, and have seemingly pawned off the call to service onto the younger generation. Matthew 516 says, let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works and glorify your father who is in heaven. Notice the lack of caveat there. Jesus didn't say we can stop because of old age. Or on the other hand, because of the inexperience of youth, just like the Centennial light. Our purpose is shining. That light is the same. But how we accomplish that might change, perhaps for brothers and sisters that might have been heavily involved in physical acts of service to the Lord, while they might have to switch gears and become a mentor. Titus chapter two, verses two through eight says, older men are to be temperate, dignified, sensible, sound in the faith, in love, and in perseverance. Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips, nor enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good, so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be sensible, pure workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands so that the Word of God will not be dishonored.

Speaker1: Likewise, urge the young men to be sensible in all things. Show yourself to be an example of good deeds with purity and doctrine, dignified sound in speech which is beyond reproach, so that the opponent will be put to shame, having nothing bad to say about us. Instead of quitting and turning off their lights, doesn't it make sense to help the next generation burn brighter old bulbs? You can still burn bright. You still serve a purpose and you can still help others find the way. But new bulbs? You better be willing to listen. How many people does it take to change a bad light bulb? Well, good news, only one you. And just like that Centennial Light attribute your longevity in the master's service to seldomly being turned off and high quality of manufacturing. And that's good news, because we are made by the best light maker in the business. Well, those are my thoughts for your Sunday morning drive. Now it's time to hear yours. Our discussion questions for this week are do we let the challenges that come with old age steal our joy or effectiveness for the kingdom of God? Older Christians, who can you mentor or encourage in the church to help them grow spiritually? Younger Christians do we sometimes discount the wisdom of the older generation? And can you ask someone this week to help be your mentor?