Seasons
“For everything there is a season.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1)
Do you have a favorite season? I can tell you what my favorite season is NOT, and that is late spring with high temperatures in the low 50’s.
How about seasons in the church year? Do you have a favorite? By the time you read this, we will be coming up on the last Sunday in the season of Easter. Easter is all about the resurrection of Jesus, his post-resurrection appearances, and the impact of his resurrection on humanity and all creation. Easter offers promise and hope to all of us, no matter how bleak our circumstances.
June 8th is the Day of Pentecost, and begins the longest season of the church year. Pentecost is about the activity of the Holy Spirit poured out on the church and its members. Pentecost covers half of each calendar year, with all of the changes that we go through. As days first lengthen and then shorten, as temperatures (around here) eventually rise and then lower, as rains sometimes give way to early snow, as one school year ends and the next begins…the Holy Spirit is ever-present within and among us, directing our days and our deeds.
The church year ends as what our culture calls “The Holiday Season” begins. For the church, the New Year does not begin on January 1st, but on the First Sunday of Advent. Advent anticipates the arrival of Jesus, first in his incarnation, but primarily in his promised return. It is a season of hope in the midst of shortened days and often unmet expectations.
The season of Christmas lasts twelve days. It doesn’t end December 24th or 25th, it begins December 25th. God is with us, in the birth of Jesus.
We move quickly from Christmas to Epiphany, a season acknowledging Jesus as the light of the world.
Lent is a time of renewal and devotion, also historically a time of preparation for baptism. Lent leads into Holy Week, which ends on Easter Sunday.
While each season has its own emphases and character, global events and our family and individual lives do not always align with the seasons of the church year. We may find ourselves in Easter but experiencing something less celebratory. Or in Christmas but feeling more Lent.
Thankfully God’s presence and promises are constant across seasons and across our celebrations and struggles. I am grateful to be sharing all of these with you at Alpine.
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Don Wink