Sunday, April 22, 2012

There is a time for everything...

Ecclesiastes 3:1 There is a time for everything, 
   and a season for every activity under the heavens:

There are times in life when we hear these words and they comfort us in bad times and others when we remember them in times of celebration. They also are words that are viewed only at these times and in those times in between we miss the importance of Ecclesiastes 3:1 - 8.

There is a time for everything and you all probably know how the Byrds version goes: 



I would ask you how does yours go?  What do you see in the song you would write?  What are your highs and lows?


In the life of a church some of the biggest highs are celebrations, but they can be the biggest challenges also.  In September 2011, one of our Pastors retired from ministry after 40 amazing years of service.  At UDLC, we celebrated his 17 years at UDLC, but more importantly we celebrated the 40 years of his and his wife's service in ministry.  Yes, we were excited for his future and what retirement would mean, but we hurt because we would be without them.


We were lead through a interim process and through all of it our pastor Dyan was a point of light and walked us through it all.  She was helped by council and by our call committee and lay leaders of the congregation.  While there was stress, we always found reasons to celebrate the small things.


This Sunday we will meet a candidate and their family who the call committee has voted on, the council voted to approve a congregational vote, and now the congregation will vote on if this is the right fit for UDLC.


This is a time for event this.  Should we vote yes, then it is to celebrate our newest family.  If not, it means we will look for where the spirit is leading us toward and what is the best candidate for UDLC.


Stay tuned to learn more, but you should also know that out of respect for all those involved, we will probably not be posting the response and information here for a while, but know that in all of this there is a time for this.


Sometimes we pray for an answers or help.  When people feel lost or wonder where the answer is, it is probably because we don't realize that God has provided the answer we are just not slowing down and looking.


Now listen to this song again and listen to the words.  Think about what time it is in your life.