For Everything a Season

By Rev. Terry Davis

Delivered at Northwest Unitarian Universalist Congregation on 

Sunday, October 7, 2012  

As we read today’s Responsive Reading together – and whenever I encounter these ancient words from the Hebrew Scriptures – it’s hard for me not to think of the Byrds . . . that’s b-y-r-d-s . . . and nuns with guitars.

That’s because the first time I was introduced to this passage was not when I read it in the Bible, but rather when I sang it as a 7-year-old at contemporary mass at Holy Family Catholic Church in Hillcrest Heights, Maryland. The song “Turn! Turn! Turn!,” which was adapted entirely from the Book of Ecclesiastes and put to music by Unitarian Universalist Pete Seeger, was a big hit for the American folk rock group The Byrds during the mid-1960s and the escalating Vietnam War. And, while I don’t know exactly what the political views of the Holy Family nuns were during this time, Seeger songs like “Turn! Turn! Turn!” and “Where Have All the Flowers Gone?” made their way into our Saturday evening services . . . leading me now to believe that these nuns and our young priest Father Frank were on the side of peace.

The ancient words found in Ecclesiastes are gentle and powerful, stark and hopeful. They give the impression that there’s a rhythmic order to the things that happen in the world.[i] They remind us that life’s joys and sorrows ebb and flow. They underscore the temporal nature of our existence and our experiences. And, they tell us that for every hardship or death, laughter and life will come again . . . and that this cycle will continue.

As we move into fall and a time of seasonal transition, it seemed only appropriate that we might pause this morning to consider the rhythms and changes that are all around us . . . those rhythms and changes that define what it means to be alive and to be part of our living planet. I believe this time of year is a rich, soulful time . . . one that invites us to turn inward as the season turns. It’s a time to consider in what season of life we may be and what this season may be calling us to do now.

To begin, I’d like to start by revisiting Ecclesiastes 3. To thoroughly explore the meaning of a scriptural passage, one of my Emory seminary professors used to tell me that I should also pay careful attention to the texts right before and immediately after it. So I applied this advice when preparing my sermon. And, I found that the speaker in Ecclesiastes (who the book claims to be King Solomon) was doing his own inward turning. He seemed to be examining his past actions and reflecting on what life was asking of him now.

In Chapter 2 of Ecclesiastes, King Solomon describes how he decided to run a little experiment on his life. He wanted to see whether dedicating himself to a life of building up his wealth and pursuing pleasure was indeed a worthwhile aim. The King begins by declaring “I said to myself, ‘Come now, I will make a test of pleasure; enjoy yourself.’”[ii] He then describes how he worked hard to acquire wealth. King Solomon says that he built houses and planted vineyards for himself . . . he created gardens and parks . . . he bought slaves and acquired great herds and flocks. In his words, “I became great and surpassed all who were before me in Jerusalem . . . I kept my heart from no pleasure, for my heart found pleasure in all my toil, and this was my reward for all my toil.”[iii]

However, upon further reflection, King Solomon realizes that kings and fools alike will not escape the fate of death. And so he says he regrets toiling under the sun all those years . . . he regrets it because he hated it and because he had no control over whether a wise or foolish man would inherit the fruits of his labor. He ultimately concludes that “there is nothing better for mortals than to eat, drink and find enjoyment in their toil.”[iv]

The text immediately following Ecclesiastes 3 also affirms that the best thing for a person to do is to fully enjoy life. “I know that there is nothing better for them to do than to be happy and enjoy themselves as long as they live,” says King Solomon. He believes this is important because, while human beings have a sense of the past and the future, they cannot fully understand God’s timing of events or what will become of them after death. “Who knows whether the human spirit goes upward and the spirit of animals goes downward to earth?” he questions. “So, I saw that there is nothing better than that all should enjoy their work.”[v]

Reading these additional Ecclesiastes passages reminded me that life indeed has its rhythms and cycles . . . and that I always have an opportunity to find joy and peace no matter what season I may be in. In my 12-step recovery program, we call this living “one day at a time.” Persons in recovery are reminded not to regret the past nor worry about the future, but to live in the moment – a simple concept, but one that I sometimes find difficult to do.

In fact, I believe that living in the moment is the invitation this season of my life is offering. As I embark on so many new things, I’m mindful of how uncomfortable this makes me feel at times. I’m also finding that if I give myself over to the ebbs and flows of my experience, my days take on a richer hue. I believe the less I second-guess myself, the more I’ll gain in wisdom and resiliency.

An inspiring example of how to live in the moment was modeled for me this week during a visit I had with a young mother. She arrived to meet me with her 10-month old daughter Emma in tow. As we sat and talked, Emma was wobbling and crashing her way around my office – to her mother’s horror and to my delight. While we were discussing serious matters of faith, Emma shrieked happily as she flung Cheerios, gnawed on her Clifford the Dog cardboard book, banged her sippy cup on my glass coffee table, and made a beeline for the computer cords behind my desk.

To me, Emma was life in full swing. She was fully immersed in the moment. She was bursting with energy, exploring the unknown corners of my office on chubby feet and round fists without hesitation. I was mesmerized. Quite honestly, I remember more about watching her than I do about my conversation. My apologies, Sandy! Where did Emma’s bravery and sense of wonder come from? And, where did mine go? How might I recapture my own fearlessness?

Educator and author Parker Palmer wrote, “Autumn is a season of great beauty, but it is also a season of decline: The days grow shorter, the light is suffused, and summer’s abundance decays toward winter’s death. Faced with this inevitable winter, what does nature do in autumn? She scatters the seeds that will bring new growth in the spring — and she scatters them with amazing abandon.”[vi]

In thinking about this quote and my desire to regain my fearlessness, I think little Emma’s exuberance in my office on an October afternoon was like lots of tiny seeds . . . tiny seeds that were scattered with amazing abandon into the soil of my heart. Emma showed me that it’s better to act as if negative consequences don’t exist. It’s better to get low on the floor of life and take in every nook and cranny. And, it’s better to crawl to places you’ve never been to before – even if you dead-end into a wall – than to sit in your Pampers and do nothing. So what if I encounter a few bumps and bruises along the way? Emma’s toothless cheer made a strong case for not holding back.

So, what’s a grown, sometimes overly cautious woman like me to do? What might we all do to overcome our fears and plunge into life on our hands and knees? How might we move into this season of beauty and decline and invite in whatever experiences it may be holding for us?

King Solomon advises us to live in the moment. He recommends that we enjoy the journey as much as possible, knowing that joy will turn eventually to sorrow and cycle around again. I imagine Emma might advise us to throw our Cheerios around and bang our sippy cups. She might tell us never to miss an opportunity to check out a new situation in life . . . even if your mother is sitting over in the corner freaking out. She might remind us to scatter our seeds of curiosity with abandon.

In thinking about Northwest, I believe that we are in a seed-scattering time . . . a time that holds the promise of new growth and change. I believe that seeds are being scattered by the ministries at Northwest.

The Community Ministry team, for example, is launching its newcomer classes today. The Adult Second Hour classes are underway. Children’s RE is in full swing, and the nursery is filling up with new visitors. On Saturday, the Youth Group delivered meals to persons living with HIV/AIDS through Project Open Hand. The Outreach Ministry team will witness justice for LGBT persons at next weekend’s Pride with a drumming circle, marchers, and volunteers. The Earth Ministry team is planning a series of worship services for 2013 that will get us thinking about how sustainability and our spirituality are interconnected. The Gardens and Spaces Ministry is continuing to transform the grounds and interiors of Northwest into space that is functional and aesthetically pleasing. The Art Gallery has installed a wonderful new exhibit to inspire our minds and spirits. And, the new Northwest website is well underway – I’ve seen the preliminary site myself, and it’s fabulous.

These and so many other activities are our fearless seeds of faith . . . they are the autumn plantings that we believe will help us grow spiritually, grow our community, and grow in service to the wider world.

So, let us embrace this seed-scattering time, this season of transition. May we know that we can find beauty and meaning each moment . . . including those times of loss and decline. May we remember that for everything there is a season . . . and may we find comfort and peace in knowing this truth.

May it be so. Amen.