Don’t forget to set those clocks ahead this Sunday at 2:00 am or before you go to bed on Saturday night! Spring forward—Fall back. For those who remember to set your clocks, we will be worshipping at 8:00, 9:30 and 11:00. For those who forget to change your clocks, don’t worry we have you covered too, with worship at 7:00, 8:30 and 10:00.
It is cold today and wet, but the seasons they are a changing. We did not design the changing seasons, and we cannot control the silent march of time. The pages of the calendar continue to turn with or without our consent.
In a like manner, we did not create ourselves and we can do little to delay the changes in our bodies and minds. Like sands through the hour glass, so are the days of our lives. When we understand the sweet brevity of our lives, we are in a better position to treasure each season.
The seasons they are a changing. I love this time of the year. The signs of new life are all around us, the rhododendron outside my office window is filled with hopeful buds, plants are breaking through the soil as they reach toward the sun. The days get longer and warmer. It is a season of hope.
I am hopeful. I am filled with hope because all around me I see hopeful signs. The people of TLC are loving each other, reaching out to their neighbors, doing good deeds, making our church more hospitable, and our community more compassionate.
Now, life is not easy for any of us. Every person, every family has their own unique set of challenges, unique and universal at the same time. We worry about our marriages and our children. We face disease, assorted disasters, betrayal and hardships. No one escapes this aspect of the human journey. And yet, we are people of hope.
Saint Paul had a much harsher life than any of us and yet he remained a person of hope. Listen, “We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down but not destroyed….. So we do not lose. Though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed every day.”
Be people of hope. Look at the darkness and know that light is coming. Feel the cold air and dream of the warm sunshine that is just around the corner. Cry your tears, knowing that you will laugh and dance again. Be people of hope. The chaos of this day will give way to new chaos tomorrow and together we will weather the storms of the seasons.
I am hopeful this day. The signs of new life are all around us.
See you this Sunday! I trust that you will join me as we fill our hearts with hope.
Pastor Jim
