Finding God in the Season of Change
Matthew 7:24-27
Last spring a friend of mine referred me to a book he had read concerning five life experiences each of us face and cannot change as much as we might desire otherwise. The book was written from an eastern philosophical perspective. As I reviewed the book I wondered how the followers of Jesus might face, cope with and grow from these five unchangeable and unavoidable experiences of life.
The writer of Genesis records a promise God made to Noah following the flood,
As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.
God’s promise was that the seasons of the year would be unalterable and unavoidable. Like the earth, life has its seasons. The seasons of life are unalterable and unavoidable.
The writer of Ecclesiastes acknowledges the unalterable and unavoidable seasons of life with his words in the third chapter of Ecclesiastes,
For everything there is a season, and a time for ever matter under heaven:
For the next four weeks I want us to ponder the unchangeable seasons of life and how we find God in each of the seasons of life:
the season of detours, when life doesn’t go as we planned it; the season of unfairness, when life is unfair; the season of pain and suffering, when hurt comes our way; the season of disappointment, when others disappoint us.
This morning I want to introduce us to these topics by beginning with the season of change. Change is unavoidable, so how we can find God in the midst of the unavoidable changes presented to us by life.
TWO MEN AND THE SEASON OF CHANGE
Jesus told a story once about two men who faced a season of unalterable and unavoidable change.
Two men built houses for themselves and for their families. Like any one who builds or purchases a home, they were overjoyed at having a piece of what we refer to as the American dream. No doubt they had invested much of their life’s financial resources in the building of these houses. They were providing for their families a place for their families to be at home and relaxed, comfortable and secure against the pressures and stresses of the outside world.
Then the unexpected and unavoidable happened. The rains fell, the floods came and the winds beat and battered the two houses. The image Jesus gives us of the fury of the storm is, in my mind, similar to Hurricane Katrina. Many of us have in our minds the images of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the most destructive natural disasters in U.S. history. Thousands of homes and businesses destroyed in its quake. Hundreds of thousands of people were dislocated across the U. S. because of the hurricane. This is the image Jesus is giving in this story – two men build houses and unexpectedly, unavoidable the storm comes and with the storm comes change. No more will there be business as usual.
The unexpected and unavoidable change that had suddenly come upon them revealed something vital about the men and their houses. It revealed the unseen, the invisible, what was underneath that was so vital to the houses’ strength and endurance. Jesus explained it this way: the wise man built his house upon a foundation of rock and when the rains, floods, and winds came, the house stood strong. But the foolish builder built his house on a foundation of sand and when the rains, floods and winds came, the house collapsed and great was its fall.
Jesus is not talking in this story about houses but about life. He is talking about the unseen, invisible foundation of our lives that is able to hold us steady and strong against the unavoidable rains, floods and winds of life that come our way. He is talking about the foundation upon which we build our lives that is solid and strong enough to hold us steady against the seasons of change that comes our way.
Change happens. Change is unavoidable. The seasons of life are a necessary part of the life God has given to us. Let me share with you a quote from the book my friend shared with me that highlights the reality of unavoidable change:
The first given of life is that changes and endings are inevitable for any person, relationship, enthusiasm, or thing. Nothing is perfect, permanently satisfying, or permanently anything. Everything falls apart in time. Every beginning leads to a finale. Built into all experiences, persons, places and things is a life span. Our relationships pass through phases, from romance through struggle to commitment. Then they end with death or separation. Our interest in hobbies or careers passes over a bell-shaped curve of rising interest, cresting, and decline. Our bodies age. Our possessions deteriorate. Our memories wane. The world of nature changes too. Species of animals disappear. Earthquakes realign the continental plates. Seasons change. Even the rose will fade after her stunning debut. 1
Given the unavoidable seasons of change Jesus invites us to build our lives on a firm foundation. He says, “He who hears and acts on my words will be like this wise man who build his house on a solid rock.” Jesus is not talking about keeping a checklist of commandments or rules to follow. He is talking about life built upon a foundation of trust in the grace and goodness of God regardless of the seasons of life that come our way.
A few minutes ago we shared together the words of the 46th Psalm. In the midst of traumatic and unavoidable changes taking place the psalmist declared,
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth should change, though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble with its tumult.
Amid the unavoidable and unalterable changes around the psalmist, he stands on a firm foundation of trust in the presence and power of God. God is our refuge and strength.
Life built on the firm foundation of trust in the grace and goodness of God will endure and triumph over any season of unavoidable change that comes our way.
A DEEPER STRENGTH TO PULL US THROUGH
January 28th of this year marks the 25th anniversary of the space shuttle Challenger explosion shortly after launch. The Commander of the Challenger was Dick Scobee. Recently his wife, June Scobee Rogers published a book recounting her encounter with the season of change that she was immersed into through the death of her husband. The January issue of Guidepost Magazine carries an article about her experience. In the article she writes,
All these years later I can still vividly see what came next: the Challenger exploded. Flaming debris burst into the perfect sky as the orbiter shattered into a mission pieces.
In one terrible instant our lives had been completely and irrevocably changed. I kept trying to turn the clock back to that last conversation (with Dick)…as if i could change things. Yet reality kept imposing itself. I was a widow. (Guidepost Magazine, Jan. 2011)
Through the months of darkness that came following the Challenger disaster June struggled to fine a reason to continue to live. At one point she prayed that God would simply take her life and reunite her with her husband in heaven. Then she said, “God if you will not take me give me strength to live.”
Her prayer was answered and she began to discover the grace of God giving her the strength to live and to find meaning and joy in life once again.
She ends her article in Guidepost with these words:
I know that there is life after tragedy, and a deeper strength to pull us through.
Through the season of change, June Scobee, now June Scobee Rogers discovered a firm foundation upon which she could find hope and peace and strength.
IN EVERY CHANGE GOD FAITHFUL WILL REMAIN
This morning we will end our service by singing the hymn Be Still My Soul. I chose this hymn because of its alignment with our theme for this morning. Listen to the first stanze of this hymn of faith and hope:
Be still my soul, the Lord is on your side. Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain; leave to thy God to order and provide; In every change he faithful will remian. Be still my soul: your best, your heavenly friend through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.
Life built on the firm foundation of trust in the grace and goodness of God will endure and triumph over any season of unavoidable change that comes our way because in every change God faithful will remain.
Amen? Amen!
1 The Five Things We Cannot Change . . .and the Happiness We Find by Embracing Them, David Richo, Shambhala, 2005. pg. 3.
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Thanks for this post. I by far agree with what you are saying. I have been talking about this subject a lot lately with my father so might this will get him to see my point of view. Fingers crossed!