Ecclesiastes 3:1-14 “Seasons
of Our Lives”
The Sunday in between
Christmas and New Year’s Day
is always one of my favorites.
This week very often is a
slower-paced week for many of us.
Because it is just a few days
away from a new year,
it can give us a chance to reflect on where we’ve been
and where we’re headed.
In the language of today’s
scripture passage, we can ask ourselves,
“What season are we in?” “What season are we moving towards?”
Most of you are probably
familiar with the verse
“For everything there is a
season and a time for every matter under heaven”
that we just heard from the Book of Ecclesiastes.
Parts of this were even set
to music in the 1960s by Pete Seeger,
which we just heard today as our anthem.
The other familiar line from
this book from the Bible (which we didn’t hear today)
comes from chapter 1, v. 2 of Ecclesiastes.
You probably have heard this line:
“Vanity of vanities.
. . all is vanity!”
Which roughly translated
means “all of human experience is senseless, incomprehensible even.”
This rather uncheerful theme sets the tone for the whole book.
In fact, if we read the whole
book, the 12 chapters could be summed up in this way:
Life is incomprehensible and
full of toil; God is in charge of it all;
but with a bit of wisdom, a person may find some
happiness;
still, don’t forget that death is inevitable.
No wonder we hardly ever hear
prosperity preachers using this text.
Because in this book, good
deeds are not necessarily rewarded;
and bad things happen to good people.
We may long for truth, but
the truth is that God alone
understands the mystery of life and death.
This book, part of the wisdom
tradition, is not so much about gaining knowledge.
It’s about the unknowability of God.
The man who was doing all
this rather pessimistic reflecting,
mostly in poetry and some instruction, probably wrote this
book in about 250 B.C. We know his
name, Qoheleth, which is a Hebrew word for Teacher/or
leader of an assembly.
So even from his name, we get
the point that this man’s reflections
might have something to teach us.
In verses 1-8, in a beautiful
poem of contrasts, we hear 28 experiences of what it means to be human.
Birth and
death, war and peace, weeping and laughing, and everything in between.
But getting past the music and the poetry,
leaves us with a stark reality. If, like
this passage says, time is set by God and pretty much incomprehensible, where
does that leave us?
In verses 9-14, we get an
answer. In Readers’ Digest condensed
form
here’s what Qoheleth, the Teacher,
says: The good news of this passage is that God is in charge.
The bad news is that we
cannot know how.
But in the end, that keeps us
where we need to be -- in worshipful wonder and awe of God.
Now this may not be an answer
we like --especially we who fancy ourselves to be in control of our lives.
But this passage is NOT
saying we are puppets on a string.
Yes, God ordains the seasons, there is a dependable order to time.
But only the first two -- a
time to be born and a time to die -- are clearly out of human hands.
All the other times involve
human choice. And one of the most
important choices we make is whether or not we are going to align ourselves
with God’s seasons and God’s timing.
This is what it means to let
God’s will direct our lives.
How do we do that? How can we discern whether our actions are in
keeping with God’s seasons?
How do we know for sure if
it’s God’s will or our own will that is directing us?
We need to begin by asking
for God to guide us.
And then we need to continue
by paying attention.
By
listening to God. By talking to God. Prayer.
Now for rational mainline
Protestant people, the thought of consistent, disciplined prayer may be a new
thing.
But a deeper prayer life is the path to a deeper
relationship with God.
Through prayer, God’s spirit
sometimes gently nudges us into a new season.
Through prayer, we sometimes
get a clear inner sense of direction.
There is a peace to this
inner sense. We need to also be open to
the idea that God can speak to us through other people. A particularly helpful
way of discerning God’s direction for me
has been to think of the two words “driven” and “drawn”
and apply them to a particular circumstance of my life. I simply use these two words to sort through
a decision:
Am I being driven towards this decision by
unhealthy desires?
Is this decision motivated by
fear, selfishness, greed, envy, power, anxiety?
Or am I being drawn towards this decision by
God?
Do I have a sense that God is
in this, that God’s promptings are leading me,
that this is part of God’s purpose for me?
If you prayerfully apply this
process to a decision, you will gain clarity.
Anyone of course, can claim
to be hearing a message from God.
But it is only through
persistent and faithful prayer - communication with God -
that we learn to release our own agendas and understand
God’s timing for our lives.
If we are doing this, we can
become more assured that the season we are in is the right season for our
lives.
We can be assured that we are
in line with God’s seasons and God’s timing.
As we look ahead to the New
Year, I invite you to do some reflecting about the seasons of your life.
Knowing where we are can help
us see if our timing is lined up with God’s season.
Reflecting about the seasons
of our lives can help us see the big picture of life.
The church actually
understands this very well.
We heard and saw the reading
on the Church seasons and we see that the church seasons lead us through the
whole story of Jesus – birth, life, death and resurrection.
Today we are going to take
some time and do this as part of our worship together.
I am going to invite you to do something now as part of this
message.
Get ready,
this is going to be the active part of this sermon,
and it’s going to involve the two cards you were handed
as you came in this morning.
Begin by reflecting on what
season you’re in?
Think about your personal
life, your family life, your work, and your church.
Reflect on the roles you play
in all these places. Use that poetry in
today’s scripture as a starting point.
Is it a time to be silent –
or a time to speak at home?
Is a time to weep – or a time
to laugh in your family life?
Is it a time to build up – or
a time to tear down at work?
Is it a time to plant or a
time to harvest here at church?
Is it a time to leave
something behind - a time to walk into something new?
Although this scripture
teaches us that there is a certain inevitability to
life,
all is not vanity, as we who are Christian live our lives
a New Testament perspective.
The resurrected Christ has
brought a new reality, a new creation.
Through Christ, “God can make
all things new - even you”
as Will so wisely put up on our church sign for the
week.
Are you stuck in a season
somewhere that needs to be left behind?
Is there something you need
to leave behind with Christ who can make all things new?
Now take one of those cards
you were handed and write that down on the card.
When you have done this, fold
it in half, and lay it at the foot of the cross.
No one will see these
cards. We’re going to spend a couple of
minutes in silence with this activity.
Come to the cross as you are
ready.
SILENCE
Now we’re going to continue
this reflection on the seasons of our lives.
Is there a new season that
God is drawing you towards?
Is there a change that you
need to embrace?
Does this change have a sense
of peace and purposefulness about it?
Spend some time right now
talking to God about this.
When you are ready, take the
second card you were given
and write this new season down on that card.
We’re going to use a couple
of minutes of silence to do this now.
SILENCE
This is the card I want you
to keep.
Put it in your wallet or
purse.
Tape it to your computer
monitor or your bathroom mirror.
Attach it to the dashboard of
your car.
Keep this season in front of
you as you move into the new year.
For everything there is a
season,
and a time for every matter under heaven.
My prayer for all of us here
at PCCC in 2008
is that we will look at the seasons of our lives.
That we will see the seasons
that need to be left at the cross,
That we will have the courage
to embrace new seasons
May God bless the coming
season of your life. Amen.