“A Time For Everything”

There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under the heavens...I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God - Ecclesiastes 3:1, 12-14

These daily meditations began almost a year ago if you can believe it. They started as part of my Lenten Series last year about “Giving Up Worry For Lent.” Talk about irony...little did I know what kind of year we were about to have! Folks asked me if I’d continue to write them after Lent was over, and here we are almost a year later. Lent begins again a week from next Wednesday.

As Ecclesiastes 3 so beautifully reminds us, there are seasons for absolutely everything in all of Creation. Everything has a life cycle, and after almost of year of writing these each morning, I feel that their life cycle has come to an end. As we are about to begin getting back to our sanctuary for worship tomorrow, as we continue to move through our process of finding a new director for our Preschool, and as a new year with new challenges, hopes, and possibilities waits before us, I feel that it is the right season to re-direct energies and focus.

Of course, as I gave this some thought I deeply considered how much some folks out there who have been kind enough to let me know look forward to these. I get it. I hate when something I enjoy comes to an end. Our family has been thoroughly enjoying the new version of “All Creatures Great And Small” on PBS and I hated when the last episode ended! I wanted more, and for it to go on forever.

Yet for all things, the life within and of churches included, there are times for beginnings and times for endings. No matter what season, though, Ecclesiastes also reminds us that above all there is nothing better than for us to be happy and to do good; that we may find satisfaction for our good work, for that is a gift from God. I feel that these meditations were good work, and I feel that way because you all told me. That was a gift, too, and I thank you for it.

It is now time to be happy and find good work in another way. I have no doubt that something will manifest itself out of the new challenges we face in the coming year, and it is always true that new doors of opportunity open to us when we decide to close some behind us. I look forward to finding out what they are and having us all together in the process.

Thank you for all of your support with this endeavor. It has meant a great deal to me in trying times.

PRAYER

Thank you, God, for life’s seasons and for journeying with us through them all.

Amen.

Peace,

Shawn