To everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven. (Ecclesiastes 3:1)
Except for about three years of my life, I have lived in the land of four seasons.
Reaching way back to my earliest years, I can remember how everyone seemed to look forward to this time of year. It meant being outside, doing all sorts of activities that were impossible or very difficult to do during the frozen days of winter: going without a coat, swimming, camping, gardening, waking up to the sun instead of in darkness, sitting outside late into the evening, and the list could go on and on.
Even though our work schedule goes right on through all four seasons, there is still something different, something special about spring and summer. Feeling the warm sun on your back, the sounds, the smells, and the beautiful sights. It is a different world. There is so much to be thankful for, to be truly grateful for.
It is a new life that seems to awaken all of your senses. In Revelation 21, John’s vision reveals God speaking to him and saying, “Behold, I make all things new!” And that is SOOOO true!
There are special moments of faith that are a lot like that. Moments when our awareness of God’s love in our life seems so real, so powerful, that it is like our faith is SHOCKED AWAKE out of a deep slumber. It is like we reach a new depth of understanding how BLESSED we are and how GREAT it is to be loved by God and by others; how blessed we are to be able to love. We feel our connection to God and to others in a new way, and it is so powerful that we recommit our lives to caring for each other.
We understand in a renewed way that forgiveness for us and forgiveness for others is so essential for an abundant life. How INSANELY WONDERFUL it is to be forgiven and to be set free from the pain of past mistakes and set free of the grudge-filled feelings that we have harbored toward others.
Have a wonderful summer! Take time to worship, to be grateful, to immerse your senses in creation, to allow God to make you NEW!!!
Go in Peace. Serve the Lord.
Pastor Dennis
