Communion With the Christ:: All of Our Seasons

"But I trust in you, Lord; I say, “You are my God.” all of my seasons are in your hands; ."Ps:31:14-15a

All of us in our lives here upon the Earth pass through different seasons. These seasons arise, often slowly and blending one into another then come to full maturity and then they fade and give way to another. Often these seasons through which we pass in life are a part of our time here upon the Earth, we all have various seasons in which in our lives.

Seasons of Life

The Preacher, who it is generally believed to be King Solomon and who authored the poetic Book of Ecclesiastes, describes these contrasting seasons of our human lives.

"There is a time for everything,and a season for every activity under the heavens:a time to be born and a time to die,a time to plant and a time to uproot,a time to kill and a time to heal,a time to tear down and a time to build,a time to weep and a time to laugh,a time to mourn and a time to dance,a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,a time to search and a time to give up,a time to keep and a time to throw away,a time to tear and a time to sew,a time to be silent and a time to speak,a time to love and a time to hate,a time for war and a time for peace." Eccl: 3:1-8

These seasons of life we see, are contrasting, that is, some are positive and some are negative. The Preacher tells us from the very start that these will be a part of all human lives, that is under normal circumstances and is true for most of us here upon the Earth.

"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:"(1)

We find theses seasons cataloged as times or seasons "a time to be born time to a time to plant , a time to heal,and a time to build, a time to laugh, a time to dance, and a time to gather ,a time to embrace a time to search ,a time to keep , a time to sew,a time to speak, a time to love a time for peace."

We find as other seasons or times, are converse, "to die, to uproot, a time to kill and a, a time to tear down, a time to weep, a time to mourn, a time to scatter stones, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing, a time to give up, a time time to throw away, a time to tear ,a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to hate, a time for war"

Ordained by God

All these seasons, or times, are common to us all, they are God ordained seasons through which we all must pass in our individual and collective sojourn upon the Earth. These seasons rise and wane, come and go and often arise again thru out our lives. These seasons or times have a God ordained purpose in our lives.

These God ordained seasons, or times, are to teach us to trust in God and look to him as we pass through them, whether the season in which we now find ourselves are good or bad. The bad or difficult seasons which include death, loss, tearing down mourning and weeping or even war, are to teach us to turn our eyes upon our Lord Jesus and trust in his gracious providence to see us through these seasons. The seasons in which rejoices such as birth, building up and laughing and dancing and peace are seasons which we are to learn to thank and bless our Lord.

Made Beautiful

The seasons of rejoicing in which we might be in are certainly easier for us to pass through. Those of more difficulty may cause up to look heavenward and ask "why, has this come upon me?" or "what purpose do this serve?”. When we find ourselves facing such difficult seasons in our life upon the Earth, we should find divine solace to the truth that our Lord Jesus is in control and that in the end he will bring redemption into whatever season thru which we find ourselves.

In Eccl: 3:10-11 we find this divine promise of God regarding the seasons or times of our lives, both good and bad.

"I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race. God makes everything beautiful in its time" (10-11)

That is, even our seasons of suffering will be touched by the redemptive power of Jesus Christ and will be redeemed for his glory and our eternal good. The suffering and will be made beautiful in its time. Even death and loss and mourning and weeping and war will be transformed by his redemptive power.

In His Hands

David, who wrote so many Psalms which express so much of what we all pass through in our Earthly seasons, wrote a Psalm during a time of intense suffering which arose out of the persecution by his critics.

David went to God and prayed, and in this prayer to his Lord, he confessed his trust in God knowing that his Lord would redeem the suffering and make this season or time "beautiful”.

"But I trust in you, Lord; I say, “You are my God.” All of my seasons are in your hands; Ps: 31:14-15a

David knew that he could trust God even in seasons of persecution. David knew, that all of his seasons were in the hands of God, and that God would not let him go, but would pass thru these seasons with him, shaping David, through each of these seasons, even the times which arise to persecute him.

In Our Seasons

When we, that is Christians, face seasons such as David, or described by the Preacher do we trust in our God knowing that our seasons are in our Lord's hands?

Do we trust that our Lord is not only with us, but has, in himself, chosen to share these seasons with us through the incarnation of God's holy Son Jesus? Do we keep in forefront of our minds that Jesus has bound himself to us and has made an eternal commitment to each and all of us, to believers, and even to all humanity?

Do we, each and all, trust Jesus when the critics of circumstance, tear down, scatter, and bring us mourning, weeping and even war against us? Do we keep in mind Jesus' eternal commitment to us spoken in the Hebrews Epistle

"I will never leave you nor forsake you" Heb: 10:5

Do we embrace the truth that Jesus has embraced us and will never let us go that we are in his hands?

Look to Jesus

When we find ourselves in the seasons of difficulty we should look to our Lord and keep Jesus ever in our hearts and minds, knowing that he will redeem our seasons of challenges that he "will make all things beautiful”.

Again, the Hebrews Epistles speaks to us when we are in such difficult seasons advising each and all.

"let us fix our eyes upon Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith" Heb:12:2a

Beyond the Seasons of the Cross

Jesus faced many seasons of suffering and challenges in his Earthly life and ministry which culminated at the Cross, but Jesus looked beyond the season of the Cross knowing that beyond it was an eternal season of glory.

"For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."(2b)

Jesus knew that his Heavenly Father would make his season of suffering “beautiful in it's time" through the resurrection.

The same is true for each and all as we each face our own season(s) of the Cross. We, like our Lord Jesus, should lift our eyes above and beyond the season(s) and the suffering, and trust our Lord for the full redemption and glory which awaits us in an eternal season of glory in which God "make all things beautiful".

The Eternal Season

Beyond the sufferings of our seasons upon the Earth there awaits an eternal season with our God, the Holy Trinity. St. John writes for us about this eternal season where all things have been "made beautiful" by our Lord.

"Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”

He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children" Rev:21:1-6

Here, in the eternal season with our God, we will find, a time to be born time, a time to plant, a time to heal, and a time to build, a time to laugh, a time to dance, and a time to gather, a time to embrace a time to search, a time to keep, a time to sew, a time to speak, a time to love a time for peace."

There will be no more of death or loss or tearing down or war, but only rejoicing with our God and each other, this is the eternal season which awaits each and all through Jesus.

We can give glory to our God knowing that all our seasons are in his hands as we look beyond all the sufferings of this to that eternal season where God has made "all things beautiful".

Benediction: May we each and all ever trust in our God knowing that all of our seasons are in his hands today, tomorrow and forevermore. Amen.