Changing of the Seasons

"I don't like this cold..." SERIOUSLY not even two weeks ago some of the same people who are saying this were more recently saying "I can't stand this heat, I wish it was cooler." You got your wish, quit complaining! 

Why is it we are never happy in the moment? It is too hot, too cold, too boring, too silly, too dry, too wet, too overwhelming, not overwhelming enough...the list continues. As I sit in my office this afternoon, reflecting on the past few week's events (funerals, Sunday school starting, children and youth activities starting, countless meetings, and moments(very few moments) of silence) I hear in the back of my mind a voice not my own reciting the beginning of Ecclesiastes 3 

  1 For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: 2 a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; 3 a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; 4 a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; 5 a time to throw away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; 6 a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to throw away; 7 a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; 8 a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace. (NRSV)

When I get to the end of verse 8 I think to myself I can reword this so that people will hear it in a way that causes them to stop and think and maybe STOP complaining...Here is my attempt at re-sounding the gospel for a new ear to hear.

“For every part of life that spans the universe there is a purpose. A time to come to life in the Spirit of God and a time to retreat from being alive to recuperate; a time for it to be warm enough and wet enough that creation can bloom and a time for it to be cool enough and dry enough to harvest the creation God has granted us. A time to be bored and a time to have fun; a time to seek out friends and a time for friends to seek us out; a time be overwhelmed and a time to find solace in our Maker. The possibilities are endless because of God every part of life that spans the universe there is a purpose.”

When we read the scriptures we have to keep in mind the context of the text we are reading; texts that were written in a particular time, for a particular group of people, for a particular reason…which we are not connected. This means in order for us to live into scripture today we must be aware of our own context and who we are a children of God. The scriptures are still speaking if we are willing to open our ears in a new way to hear them.

Now is the time to re-tune our hearing. In the changing of the seasons God is very present and WE (you and I- NOT God) just need to be aware of it! Instead of complaining that it is too hot or too cold or too whatever it is today…Thank God for the changing of creation, for the opportunity to experience the power and grace of God in the world around you.

For every season- FIND YOUR PURPOSE!