“To everything there is a season and a time for every purpose under heaven.” So proclaims the writer of Proverbs, using “seasons” metaphorically to speak of the changing circumstances of our lives. Scripture also speaks of the seasons more literally, as in Genesis 8:22: “As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.” In this promise, following the flood, God pledges from that time forward to preserve the earth and its seasons. And so we, as part of God’s creation, continue to live our lives within the context of that rhythm of changes.
Each season brings its own delights, the colors of autumn, the freshness of spring, and winter’s invitation to hibernate and restore ourselves. Summer, too, bestows its particular blessings. This congregation experiences some of those in a unique way through your garden, “Emmanuel Farm.” Here summer means harvesting the fruit of your labor and sharing the earth’s bounty with others. Sometimes we have reminders of that, as when fresh sprigs of basil from the garden were offered last Sunday, alongside the cookies at coffee hour. That’s not something that happens at every church! Those sprigs were a reminder of the gifts of God’s creation.
While there are invitations in every season to appreciate those gifts, summer issues a particular summons to many. It’s a time to travel, to take in new sights, to hike in the mountains and enjoy the waters, or simply sit on our porches at night and gaze at the stars – the heavens which proclaim God’s glory. I encourage you to take time to behold that glory, which is all around us here in the Pacific Northwest and is especially evident this time of year. Our outdoor worship service on August 11 will focus on God’s creation. Your mindfulness to the ways God speaks to you through nature will help you prepare to enter fully into that time. Since that service won’t be “zoomed,” I hope some who usually join us online will join us in person that day and stay afterward for the barbeque.
Meanwhile, there are other events happening in August, which you will read about in this newsletter, opportunities for learning and for service. These various ways of being together strengthen your fellowship, and build up the body of Christ, which we’ve been hearing about in our series on Ephesians.
Happy summer!
Pastor Janet