What does it truly mean to honor someone while they are still with us? That question sits at the heart of this powerful celebration of 56 years of faithful pastoral ministry. Drawing from 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13, where we are called to esteem our spiritual leaders highly in love for their work's sake, we are challenged to move beyond hollow words and empty gestures. Honor, we are reminded, is not worship. It is the public recognition of the value God has placed in a person's life. It is how we respond to their labor. It is how we treat them while they are still among us. There is a sobering truth woven throughout this message: we live in a generation that knows how to celebrate people at their funerals but struggles to show up while they are alive. The contrast is striking and convicting. We are invited to ask ourselves what it would look like to give someone their flowers now, to let them see the fruit of what they have poured into us. This is not merely a sentimental idea. It is a biblical command, and it carries weight for every one of us as we consider the spiritual leaders, mentors, and faithful servants in our own lives.