Blessings to you as we continue this journey of these days. I pray that you are finding way to experience the joy of God's blessings as we see the signs of spring in our gardens and in the air. They are real indicators to us of new life that come with new hope. And we certainly especially this year need that sign of life and hope. I encourage all of us to continue to pray and ask for eyes to be open and ears too that we may appreciate tha abundance of God revealed all around us and thereby within us too.

"For Everything There is a Season ..."

We are a people who are very aware of the changing of seasons and how we are impacted moving from one to another. And, for many of us we pine for certain seasons of the year and want to hibernate from others. I long for spring and summer and don't mind fall; but I know all too well for myself that I trudge my way through winter and the hardship I feel during those months of the year.

The wonderful and inspiring passage from Ecclesiastes speaks to us about the reality of various seasons we go through throughout our lives ... 

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. (Ecclesiastes 3: 1-8)

I appreciate how Eugene Peterson translates this passage in The Message ...

There’s an opportune time to do things, a right time for everything on the earth: A right time for birth and another for death, A right time to plant and another to reap, A right time to kill and another to heal, A right time to destroy and another to construct, A right time to cry and another to laugh, A right time to lament and  another to cheer, A right time to make love and another to abstain, A right time to  embrace and another to part, A right time to search and another to count your  losses, A right time to hold on and another to let go, A right time to rip out and  another to mend, A right time to shut up and another to speak up, A right time to love and another to hate, A right time to wage war and another to make peace. 

There is no doubt that we are in a time right now, or season of life and faith, when we are crying out because of what we are going through. However, the reading reminds us that we will again experience the season when we can laugh. Right now we are lamenting, but eventually we will cheer; we're not embracing at the moment due to social isolation (except those in our own home). But we will experience the closeness of a hug from friends and parishioners. 

Today I read a chapter in a book that's titled "The Grace of Patience", and in particular the section subtitled "The Practice of Surrender". I found the words of Margaret Whipp to be relevant especially when it comes to knowing what we need to hold on to and what we need to let go of. We are in a time when things are being ripped from us, some of which we have treasured for a long time. But what is life like without them, both now and perhaps into the future too.

Whipp suggests ... " the pattern of Jesus in the wilderness is willing surrender ... He chooses to leave behind the 'normal structures of time and space, to be driven into the wilderness, and freely>'" relinquish the need for certainty and control. In his protracted wilderness of waiting, he learns to surrender fully to the word and will of God"

She also suggests further spiritual wisdom that we need to hear and internalize in such a time as this ... "everyday frustrations and delays are a kind of holy wilderness and include small roadblocks or major tragedies that through our whole lives into meltdown. This is an invitation to enter the sacred arena of God's wilderness where God grace waits to be discovered."

For many of us, this time right now feels like one huge meltdown and all  we long for is for it to end. And yet in this wilderness imposed upon us because of Covid 19, there is opportunity to experience the grace and blessing of God as we surrender fully and completely to God who loves and cares for us far more than we can ask for or imagine. 

I wonder ... if we allow God to turn this dark time into radiant light; if we allow God to bring hope into our despair; if we allow God to comfort us in our anxiety and frustration; if we allow God to be God, what can this season bring alive for us that in the end will be like nothing we've experienced before.

I wonder what it might be life if we reworded Ecclesiastes 3: 1-8 given the context of our time and Covid 19. Maybe it would be something like ...

For everything there is a time and a season that we experience in our everyday lives ... a time for anxiety and a time for calm; a time for watching the news and a time for turning the news off; a time for looking at statistics and a time to refrain from wanting to know more; a time to criticize our leaders and more importantly a time to applaud all they are doing; a time to stay in bed and a time to throw open the curtains and greet what the day brings; a time to mourn the losses and a time to celebrate the joys; a time to be busy and a time to stop, reflect and pray; a time to complain and a time to listen to others complain; a time to look at the big picture of weeks and months and a time to look at the moment of right now; a time to complain and a time to give thanks.

We're in this together ... and we are in this with God, no matter what the season brings upon us. May we always trust that God's desire is to bring to life in us and for us such joy, peace and faith that sees us through no matter what.