Seasons

“COVID-19 is reminding us that after every difficulty, there is always ease. Life is cyclical, and this is just a phase in this great cycle. We do not need to panic; this too shall pass.” Attributed to Bill Gates

What the writer calls cycles, I call seasons. Seasons are something with which we Anglicans can surely identify. Our church year is made up of seasons, giving a rhythm to our daily and weekly life as the Body of Christ. Whether it’s the preparatory season of Advent, the penitential season of Lent, or the upcoming celebratory season of Easter, all the seasons of the church mark a period of time that gives us the chance to focus on God in different ways. Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 says in part, “For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven... a time to be born and a time to die... a time to tear down and a time to build up, a time to cry and a time to laugh... a time to grieve and a time to dance.... a time to search and a time to quit searching, a time to keep and a time to throw away... a time to be quiet and a time to speak.... a time for war and a time for peace.” Brother and sisters, we find ourselves in a unique and uncertain season in our common life together. Yet as God reminds us in this passage, God is in all seasons and will bless them for His glory... we just have to seek God and ask God to reveal these blessings with a clarity that only He can provide. God walks with you, in all seasons. Call upon God, and God will answer, through the power of the Holy Spirit.

May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you. May the Lord lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace. May the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, keep you safe and make you strong, this night and always. Amen.

Fr. Brian+