The Changing Seasons

"There is a time for everything, a season for every activity under heaven. A time to be born and a time to die. A time to plant and a time to harvest. A time to kill and a time to heal. A time to tear down and a time to rebuild. time to cry and a time to laugh. A time to grieve and a time to dance. A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones. A time to embrace and a time to turn away. A time to search and a time to lose. A time to keep and a time to throw away. A time to tear and a time to mend. A time to be quiet and a time to speak up. A time to love and a time to hate. A time for war and a time for peace."

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

I've been reflecting on the seasons recently for several reasons. The main reason being that in Scotland we've been very suddenly confronted by the changing seasons - leaves are plummeting in great numbers from the trees, the wind has been much stronger and the temperature has dropped so I have finally set the central heating timer! We've also been celebrating Harvest Thanksgiving in church and thinking about world issues of food distribution as well as local issues. Living in rural Scotland in a farming community we still have a sense of the traditional harvest - we have the combines in the fields, livestock are being moved around and every Monday we see the farm vehicles transporting animals to market.

The passage from Ecclesiastes is one I often turn to when there are very visible signs of the changing seasons. I love the symbolism in it and the way in which it paints a picture of how God sees everything that is happening in the world. While people may question God's involvement in what we see on the news, we can be confident that God is involved in world affairs and that he cares about his creation. It can often be difficult to understand why things happen but as Christians we can be confident that God is involved in the world and is calling us to follow Jesus' example to be salt and light in the world (Matthew 5:13-16).

I hope that as the seasons change around the world that you will trust in God and know that He has given us all gifts to use for His purpose. We cannot see the whole picture in the way God can but we can be confident of His love for us.

Pauline

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