“To everything (turn, turn, turn)
There is a season (turn, turn, turn)
And a time to every purpose, under heaven.”
(adapted in song from Ecclesiastes 3)

I had forgotten how beautiful the colors of Autumn can be – oranges, reds, yellows, purple hues and more – falling to the ground, announcing that a new season will soon be upon us. In many ways the leaves model for us the need to pause and renew so that we might continue on this pilgrimage we call life. It was my first visit to Montreat, North Carolina – and notwithstanding it being late in the season, the foliage did not disappoint. I walked on blankets of a mosaic of colored leaves crackling beneath my feet, covering invisible pathways of stone. I experienced a quiet sense of gratitude for the changing seasons and the rhythms of life, as I found myself singing the words of Ecclesiastes 8 as interpreted and sung by Pete Seeger – “To Everything Turn, Turn, Turn.” The words of the first two verses summarize the movements of our life’s journey.

To everything (turn, turn, turn)
There is a season (turn, turn, turn)
And a time to every purpose, under heaven
A time to be born, a time to die
A time to plant, a time to reap
A time to kill, a time to heal
A time to laugh, a time to weep

To everything (turn, turn, turn)
There is a season (turn, turn, turn)
And a time to every purpose, under heaven
A time to build up, a time to break down
A time to dance, a time to mourn
A time to cast away stones, a time to gather stones together

Although we will not always know when and how these seasons of life will come upon us, I find some reassurance in the words of wisdom offered in Ecclesiastes. We will all experience the complexities of these seasons in one way or another. None of us escape this truth. There will be seasons of building up new lives and ideas – and there will be seasons of breaking down what has been. There will be seasons when we laugh so deeply that our bellies hurt – and there will be seasons where our weeping is so profound that it takes away our ability to breathe.

But for me these words also serve as a humble reminder that our time on this earth is finite. The gift of our time is precious – compelling us to intentionally consider what it is we will do with our individual season, journey or virtual moment in life. What will we do with our brief moment in time? As a people of faith, this question is critical. Will we embody the teachings of our faith – building up a world that reflects God’s hope for all creation – of loving one another? Will we care for those who cannot care for themselves? Will we welcome the stranger in our midst? Will we cherish and care for the earthly home we’ve received? Or do we allow the negative narrative of the culture around us to divide us – distracting us from the work to which Jesus calls us. This is not and has never been an easy choice for a people of faith.

Like many of you I watched the election results – and one thing continues to be evident, we are in a season of great division in our nation. Dangerous hyperbole and vitriolic tones take the lead in the many public discourses, fueling hate and isolation. Fear and anxiety continue to be woven into the fabric of our society. Friends, those are powerful emotions that can call us into self-preservation.

There are no quick fixes to this particular cultural season, but this I do believe: You and I are called to not be held in bondage by our fears. We, like Jesus, are called to resist all forces that separate us from God and one another. We are called to lean into hope with how we engage this season. The alternative is one that makes us, if not participants, then silently complicit in the distractions, words and actions that break down the possibility of relationships and the building up of a world that cherishes all that God has created – creation and we, the creature.

I choose to believe that through the power of the Holy Spirit, we can together find a way forward – to make this world a place that reflects a grace and love for all. We are bound by a love so powerful that its light breaks through in resurrection hope – even in the darkest of nights. This is a season to lean into that powerful Spirit – transforming the world together.

I close with the words of the young poet-laureate Amanda Gorman as she describes the dawn of a new season.

“The new dawn blooms as we free it
For there is always light,
if only we’re brave enough to see it
If only we’re brave enough to be it.”

May we both see it and be it!