God has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. Ecclesiastes 3:11
As I begin this August edition, I am mindful that yet one more summer season is nearing its conclusion. Soon, children will be returning to school having advanced to the next grade level. Family vacations will have provided their lifetime of memories, and yes, even the activities of the Church will shift, kicking it up a notch as they say. Choirs will resume weekly rehearsals. Sunday school students may experience the moving on from one classroom to another, and some of our youth members will begin taking the next steps toward affirming their baptism as they engage in catechetical classes with their pastor. Yes, the author of Ecclesiastes was right, “to everything, there is a season.”
The verse above reveals the wonder and mystery of living as a child of God. We reap the many blessings of this earthly life, blessings our loving Father has provided from his own hand. As we read the third chapter of Ecclesiastes, and I recommend you do, we soon discover that our God provides so much in the way of blessing for his children so that inescapable joy may be ours.
Even through all the seasons of life, God is never far away from us. His love rains down like that sweet mid-summer sun shower which cools and refreshes. Sometimes the weight of the world might seem too much to bear, but not so with God. The third chapter of Ecclesiastes teaches us that God governs the times and seasons, and that nothing is outside of his control. This can be a source of comfort and trust in both times of celebration and times of sorrow.
The verse I shared above, Ecclesiastes 3:11, speaks of God placing eternity in our hearts, a longing for something more than this life. This can be a reminder to seek God and to live with an eternal perspective. None of us knows when the end of this earthly life will transpire, but through faith, and God’s blessing of love and his presence, we need not worry about it. Eternity in the kingdom of heaven is ours.
The seasons of earthly life are just that, seasons to be lived, experienced, and enjoyed. Each season of life has its own purpose. With each sunrise comes the opportunity to embrace the blessing of one more day, one more season through which we may relish the time and times we have been provided to love, serve and share with our family, friends, and neighbors. Yet, none of these can compare to the endless joy we will share in the company and presence of our Lord and Savior.
God has put eternity into our hearts and minds. He has promised that through all the seasons of life, the good times, and yes, even the most difficult, he is with us and the blessing of his love can never be taken from us. Reading Ecclesiastes chapter 3 encourages us to appreciate the present moment and to find joy in God’s gifts, recognizing that these seasons are temporary. Understanding such can lead us to living each day with a spirit of gratitude for all God has done and continues to do.
To everything there is a season. A season to give thanks for the ever-present love and joy that is received through goodness and mercy of our God. In these seasons of life, I invite you all to live among your fellow sisters and brothers in Christ, worshiping, serving, and learning joyfully as we grow in our relationships with one another and especially with our lord who promises to be with us forever and ever.
Grace to you and peace,
Pastor David Nuottila
