Distinctively Christian Retirement: A Biblical call to serve Jesus well in older age

Author(s):

Most of us simply assume that we have a right to retire from work and spend the rest of our lives doing whatever we want. While the idea of a long holiday sounds wonderful, this is not the whole truth. Retirement is a relatively new concept in world history and often brings relationship challenges, health problems, and crises of purpose and motivation. It is often not the paradise we have been promised.

God’s word never encourages us to take an extended holiday towards the end of our lives; while the concept of retirement is not found in the Bible, God’s word remains very helpful for us as we prepare for our later years. God speaks to us through his Word about important issues like purpose, death and identity that make sense of the struggles many retirees face. The book of Ecclesiastes is a particularly rich source of wisdom for us as we consider the best way to live out our lives in God’s world.

This book aims to give Christians a Biblical vision for how our later years might be used to serve Jesus.