We have made it through another time change! I am always amazed at how one hour makes such a difference to us and our routines, and the passion that people have around it. I can understand the resentment in the spring when we lose an hour. Every hour of sleep is a precious gift.
But, I have to admit, in the fall when we gain an hour, I do enjoy the gift of an extra hour of sleep along with the opportunity to watch the sunrise in the morning. Others, however, do not agree. My favorite memes that appeared on Facebook over the last week responded to the time change with these declarations: “Don’t forget to set your clocks from sunshine and happiness back to misery and despair this weekend.” And “I will not turn my clock back. I will then be living one hour in the future…I greet you people of the past. Your ways are quaint.”
Until we have a disruption to our schedules, it’s easy to think that we are in control, that we are able to act independently of “external” factors such as time and seasons. And then we shift our clocks one hour, and we are confronted with a different reality. Our energy changes, and we’re ready for bed at 7pm. Maybe we are less independent and more interconnected to the whole and the flow of creation, and one another, than we like to admit.
Over these first few weeks of November, we are reflecting on the words of Ecclesiastes 3 with the theme, “For Everything there is a Season.” The writer shares great wisdom with us, stepping back and reflecting on God, time, and the seasons.
What an amazing thing it is that God has made time and the seasons in a way that changes gradually throughout the year, just a small bit each day, so that we can see the changes and adjust to new rhythms and routines. On our own, we tend to either change to quickly, never settling in, or never change at all, missing out on new opportunities.
There are many highlights to this time and season in the life of the church that we look forward to. We have celebrated and given thanks for all of the saints, and particularly those loved ones we have lost this year. We give thanks for our veterans who have served faithfully on our behalf. We will celebrate baptisms, and Thanksgiving through serving others and gathering together with family and friends. And in just a few weeks on Nov. 27th, we will begin the season of Advent.
I’m so glad to be a part of this time and season with you through Hyde Park Community UMC as we witness together to the truth that God has made “all things beautiful in God’s time.”
Pastor Suzanne