Seasons Change

      A Time and Season        

"For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:

a time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
a time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to build up;
a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
a time to throw away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
a time to seek, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to throw away;
a time to tear, and a time to sew;
a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
a time to love, and a time to hate;
a time for war, and a time for peace."

                                          Eccl 3:1-8 NRSV

 

There is a time and season for every purpose under the sun. Every spring and fall I look for the trumpeter swans to spend a few days in the river behind the house as they make their seasonal journey either north or south. For the last two years, pelicans have also made this a place to spend a day or two. The sight of them brings me much joy.

Every season brings change. Some of the changes are most pleasing like welcoming back the trumpeter swans. Other changes are not quite so pleasing. Even as the natural world around us changes, so do we. We change with time. We grow older; hopefully, we grow wiser. And, even more hopefully, with each season of life's experiences and challenges, we grow closer to the Lord.

Our journey through the wilderness of this world can be quite a challenge. We have good times and bad. Know that whatever befalls you, the Lord is with you in every time and season.

God's Peace - Pr. J

John 12:1-11 Celebrate Life! Celebrate Christ!

John 12:1-11 NIV
You are celebrating with friends. You are having a very pleasant time and suddenly someone begins to complain about something - maybe it's because you are having too much fun - maybe they are a bit jealous. Who knows? There seems to always be someone who wants to insert a bit of drama into the party so that it is not so enjoyable for others.

Judas was the party pooper at the party that was held in Jesus' honor. Can you imagine! Jesus has just raised Lazarus from the dead and Judas finds something to grumble about. Lazarus' sister, Mary, celebrated with a gift of expensive perfume poured on Jesus' feet and then let her hair down and wiped Jesus' feet with her hair. Judas was not happy. What a waste, he thought, and he let his opinion be known. Jesus has just brought a man back from the grave and rather than trust Jesus to be able to care for others, he tries to ruin the party by denigrating this gift from this woman who is rejoicing because her brother lives. Jesus excuses Mary by telling Judas to “Leave her alone, it was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.” (vss. 7, 8)

As the writer from Ecclesiastes wrote:
"There is a time for everything,
    and a season for every activity under the heavens:

    a time to be born and a time to die,
    a time to plant and a time to uproot,
    a time to kill and a time to heal,
    a time to tear down and a time to build,
    a time to weep and a time to laugh,
    a time to mourn and a time to dance,
    a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
    a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
    a time to search and a time to give up,
    a time to keep and a time to throw away,
    a time to tear and a time to mend,
    a time to be silent and a time to speak,
    a time to love and a time to hate,
    a time for war and a time for peace." (3:1-8)

There is a time to weep and a time to laugh. There is a time to rejoice and to dance. There is a time to be silent and to speak. There is a time to tear down and a time to build things up. Just because you may feel like it's time to tear things apart, doesn't necessarily make it so. Put a clamp on your desire to destroy other's joy in the LORD. Let those who rejoice in the LORD, continue rejoicing and worry about the lesser things at another time. Do not let your jealousy or greed get in the way of others rejoicing in the gifts of God; namely, the gift of life. We who were once dead in our sins, now live. What is more important than worshipping God, thanking Him for the gift of life, and celebrating in His presence?

God's Peace - Pr. J

Luke 23:26-31 Take Up Their Cross

Luke 23:26-31 NIV
"Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep for yourselves and for your children." (vs 28)

Life is tough! What makes it even sadder, at times, is that some don't seem to have enough of a clue about the reality of what is going on in their children's life to even weep for them. They are just too busy to be able to notice what is going on. They do not comprehend what the children are going through and have even less of a clue how to help them.

A part of the solution can be found in today's reading. Simon Cyrene was compelled to carry the cross for Jesus. Do you love your children, your neighbor, your spouse enough to help carry the load when they are stumbling under the weight of it? This is not about covering up their sins for them. It is about setting aside your own desires (not by compulsion; but, out of love) so that you have the time and the energy to help others carry their cross. It is about teaching the way in which they should go and then and only then will they know real peace. And... the way is the way of the cross. Show them that your love for them is so great that you would carry their cross for them and they will, in time, have the courage and strength to do the same for others.

Life is tough. But, it doesn't have to be as tough as it is, at times. Help carry your loved one's (and even your enemies) cross and make their load a little lighter.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Jeremiah 9 - What's Justice Got To Do With Sagging Pants?

Through the weeping prophet, Jeremiah, the LORD calls women to weep and wail. The people are a mess! They have turned their backs on God and on one another. They worship the Baals and they lie to one another. Even the land has been made desolate. The judgment to come is well worth weeping and wailing over, even now.

"This is what the Lord says:

“Let not the wise boast of their wisdom
    or the strong boast of their strength
    or the rich boast of their riches,
but let the one who boasts boast about this:
    that they have the understanding to know me,
that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness,
    justice and righteousness on earth,
    for in these I delight,”declares the Lord." (Jer 9:23-24 NIV)

It appears humankind has sought after it's own desires, turning their backs on God and all of God's creation. And..... they boast about it. They brag about it without ever recognizing the damage they have done. Everyone is right in their own eyes. But, the LORD says, if you really want to brag about something... brag about me. Tell the world "I am." If there is any wisdom, it is in those who have the understanding to know Me. And... when you know Me; when you understand Me; when you are in a right relationship with Me; you will know that I desire justice and righteousness on earth.

OK... so that's what probably a good majority of us say... that we want justice for all people. Really? Pretty much what I hear on the news is that we want our own brand of justice, what is good for us, and not justice according to God's will. The people clamor for more laws. The politicians are busy creating them. One law on top of another until no one can even understand them all, let alone try to obey them. And... take a good look at those laws. Some of them are pretty discriminatory favoring one group or class of people over another. That, I don't believe is very conducive to justice.

I could not help but laugh as I read a news article about a parish in Louisiana that wants to make it illegal to wear sagging pants (you know wearing your pants so your underwear show). Now, I'm not a big fan of those sagging pants. I usually break into a smile whenever I see them. I once followed a group of teenage boys as they ran up a flight of fire escape stairs, carrying school books in one arm and holding their pants up with the other hand. They were really struggling to get up those stairs. I haven't quite figured out why anyone would want to spend their days holding their pants up with one hand. It seems like it would kind of impede their opportunities to live life. But, on the other hand... Is justice really all about dictating what kind of clothes others are to wear? Don't we have better things to do than make one law upon another law upon another? How can those sagging pants be distracting to others (except to cause us to smile)? All the sagging pants I've seen have had some fully covering boxers underneath and if we're honest we would acknowledge that boxers cover a whole lot more than some of the shorts and shirts we've seen out in public.

We're so busy making new laws to fit our own senses of morality, that we forget to just love God and love our neighbor as ourselves. The lack of love that is evident in this world is enough to make one weep.

Well, I guess those sagging pants did distract me. After all, I did get a little side-tracked here today... But, I am smiling thinking about those sagging pants!

Wisdom is this: having the understanding to know God, that He is the Lord and it is He who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Ecclesiastes 3 - Turn! Turn! Turn! to Everything There is a Season

There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens:

a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,

a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace. (Eccl 3:1-8 NIV)

 

"Turn! Turn! Turn! to Everything There is a Season." Many of you probably recognize Ecclesiastes 3 from actually reading it before. Some of you may have heard parts of it a funeral or maybe on Ash Wednesday when we hear words similar to "from dust you are, to dust you shall return." Some of you may remember these words from the song Pete Seeger wrote in 1959, which was recorded by various artists. Seger basically put the words from Ecclesiastes 3 to music and added 2 things:  the words "Turn, Turn, Turn" and "a time for peace, I swear it's not too late." In 1969 the Byrds' recording of it became a hit, making Ecclesiastes 3 one of the oldest lyrics (written by Solomon) to become a hit on the pop charts.

There is a time for peace, I swear it's not to late. There is a time and season for everything. It is not to turn our hearts away from the injustice of the world and turn toward the path which God intends for us to follow so that we might truly live life. It is not to late to turn our lives around and live in His presence and in His peace.

Let there be peace on earth. Let us treat one another justly, causing no one more anxiety. If there is to be anxiety, it will come in its allotted time and season for God's purpose. We do not have to manufacture it for ourselves or others. Let us take each day as it comes before us and learn to live life as God intended us to live, enjoying the fruits of the garden, enjoying the fruits of the day, even as we labor to eat and drink, to provide for the necessities of our lives. May God grant that we should be happy and find satisfaction in our toil. May God grant us peace with Him and with one another even as we strive to live life in this world accepting every thing that comes to us in whatever time or season.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Nehemiah 8 - Faith Comes By Hearing

I love it... "...all the people listened attentively to the Book of the Law." (vs 3 NIV) and "Then they bowed down and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground." (vs 6)

These people gathered together to hear the word.  They took it seriously.  They bowed before the LORD and they wept.  But, Nehemiah, Ezra, and the Levites told them, “This day is holy to the Lord your God. Do not mourn or weep." (vs 9)

So often, I hear others say that you don't have to attend worship to believe.  Well, here we have the children of God and until they gathered together to hear the word found in the book; until they heard it proclaimed; they did not, seriously, take it to heart.  But, when they hear it, they wept.  But, this news that they hear is for their edification.  They are to rejoice that the LORD cares for them so much. 

So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.  (Rom 10:17 NKJV) 

Please, wherever you are, find a place to worship the LORD, in the community of God's people.  Hear His Word.  Hear the Good News of the kingdom, so that you too may rejoice in what the LORD has done for you.