Freedom to Serve

A Reflection on the Psalm for Sunday, March 2nd, 2025:
Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time

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Psalm 92

R. Lord, it is good to give thanks to you.

It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to your name, O Most High; to declare your steadfast love in the morning, and your faithfulness by night. 

R. Lord, it is good to give thanks to you.

The righteous flourish like the palm tree, and grow like a cedar in Lebanon. They are planted in the house of the Lord; they flourish in the courts of our God. 

R. Lord, it is good to give thanks to you.

In old age they still produce fruit; they are always green and full of sap, showing that the Lord is upright; he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him. 

R. Lord, it is good to give thanks to you.

Pause. Pray. Reflect.

Lately I feel my age creeping up on me. A creak in my bones. An ache in my muscles. I don’t have a foot in the grave by any stretch, but I feel the start of a shiver down my spine these days. And my mind brings up the old “freedom 55” commercials that filled the ad spots in early evening television when I was a kid. A promise that at the age of 55 I could be sipping cocktails poolside at some fabled resort, collecting dust.

But “freedom 55” isn’t exactly what it sounds like. It’s tied up in worldly views that there’s a point at which our contribution is less valuable. Better to make way for the young folks (who are less than 30 years out from being treated like the old dinosaurs themselves). If we call retirement “freedom,” will you look the other way when we act like the elderly have less to contribute to than the young?

Today’s psalm reminds me that even if I could retire at 55, the Kingdom view of my life is very different. No matter what age I am when I finally retire from my day job, there’s no version of life as a Christian where we also retire from our vocation and our service of the King. There’s no age at which I have less to contribute. 

We’re lifelong servants – cradle to grave. That doesn’t mean that whatever ministry I picked up when I came of age is the one I would stay with my whole life, of course. In different seasons of life, I might find myself more or less available. When I first had my kids, there was no way I could stay in music ministry. My family was at full capacity and there was no time for rehearsals, let alone being separate from my breastfed baby for hours. But I was able to help start and coordinate a ministry for other young parents, which blessed myself and other young parents with much-needed community.

In this season, where our family’s health has been such a challenge, I’ve been able to find ministries that don’t require consistent in-person members – writing, editing, and giving reflections over Zoom. During the early pandemic, before everyone had figured out how to do online outreach, I was able to dedicate myself to prayer for those around me. When the world would want to write me off, the Lord always has a mission for me.

In every season of life, God makes a way for us to serve Him. There is an area of service no matter what your ability, challenges, or time constraints. And even when the world has decided it’s best for us to go out to pasture, there is a mission in that field too. No matter how many grey hairs I have or how my physical ability changes, I can still overflow with the Holy Spirit in service of others. The Lord will prune me and nourish me so that I will flourish in the Kingdom.




Stéphanie Potter​

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