Devotional – September 27, 2013

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, Lutheran Study Bible

We in the Midwest are what I think of as “seasonal people.”  We are surrounded by farms, and can hardly not be aware of the planting, growing, and harvesting of the fields a short drive from our homes.  We care for our own yards and gardens according to the time of year and the weather, and the rhythm of the seasons is a natural part of our being.

The writer of Ecclesiastes speaks of the seasons in the lives of human beings, both as individuals and as communities. Virtually all human experiences are referred to in this poetic passage, and we can identify with those times of weeping, laughing, mourning, dancing, even loving and hating.  All are “matters under heaven” and part of God’s creation, whether times are easy or hard, frightening or comfortable.  They are the rhythms of human experiences, as natural as our physical existence.  These words tell us of the importance of  understanding that everything in life has its time and season, and that God is there with us every step of the way.

Your friend in Christ,
Mary Rogers