For everything there is a season,and a time for every matter under heaven… -Ecclesiastes 3:1

As a life-long Midwesterner, born and raised in the Hoosier state, I grew up appreciating the changing of the seasons. The new life of spring. Summers spent running barefoot through the yard catching fireflies. The nostalgia of cool, crisp fall days and nights. The glory of a snowy winter day – and the excitement of a possible extra day off school! Yes, the natural rhythm of the seasons is one of the things I appreciate most about the Midwest.

It seems our historical weather-related seasons don’t quite follow the pattern they used to. As the years go on, it feels as though we move from summer to winter and back to summer. More and more, we only get glimpses of spring and fall – with the exception of a very defined pumpkin spice season!

For those who depend on the predictability of the seasons to make a living, this change must be all the more frustrating. Farmers rely on a season to prepare the ground, plant seed, care for crops, and harvest. One season cannot happen without the others, and they must happen in sequence for full flourishing to occur.

In some ways, our lives, including our lives in Christ, are structured with similar patterns. It’s not always so linear, but one thing is often built on the solid foundation of another. To reap a harvest, one must first sow seeds and tend to the crop. I suppose one difference for us is that we’re usually sowing, tending, and harvesting a variety of things at any given moment.

As the Crews family enters a new season, I am grateful for all the good sowing, tending, and harvesting we did together at FPCV as a faithful and creative community. We shared in seasons of transition and pandemic, seasons of Advent and Lent, and all the Ordinary Time seasons between. The fruits of our labor will surely flourish for years to come!

We are all entering another season. It is a time for creativity, hard work, and hope! So be creative. Work hard. And live in hope. The God of all creation, who works in and among the seasons, is at work through you!

May the raindrops fall lightly on your brow,

may the soft winds freshen your spirit,

may the sunshine brighten your heart,

may the burdens of the day rest lightly upon you,

and may God enfold you in the mantle of His love.

Peace and love,

Pastor Ken