A Season of Change Could Mean a World of Change
by Stephen Sterner, Interim Minister and President
October/November 2005
It has been almost 25 years since
I have experienced the beauty of a
true autumnal season. I look forward
to the experience this year.
Changing seasons measure the
cycles of nature and the passing of
time in ways that provide both
renewal and an awareness of the
beauty of Creation. Sometimes we
live in other seasons, seasons of our
creation that are not so renewing or
beautiful.
It feels like
we have been in
such a season as
individuals, as
churches, and as
a nation for some
time. I do not
know exactly when this season started.
It is the season of the culture
wars, the season of the terrorists, the
season of disinformation, the season
of a dimming hope for what the
future might hold. I am ready for that
season to change.
But as I think
about it, I wonder if the human season
has ever been much different. I
imagine there have been times of
less danger and violence, times of
more hope and optimism, but the
underlying issues of power and
greed, of control and conquest
remain, even if under the surface of
our lives.
It occurs to me that our Christian
faith is really a call to seasonal
change. It is not a call to look past
the realities of our world in hopes for
something better ahead. It is not a
call to give in to the forces of the
human season that seem so hard to overcome. It is a call to remember
both God’s continuing love for us
and for Creation, and
the reminder that the
way to change the
human season is to
embody that love and
compassion in our ministries of mercy
and justice as well as in the rhythm
of our lives. For too long a season
internal conflicts and external powers
have marginalized the church.
The world hungers for a season
based on abiding hope more than fleeting
optimism. Our communities await
the Good News that God still speaks to,
cares for, and calls back the whole of
Creation. Many people long for the
peace and reconciliation found in the
Good News of Jesus Christ. It is our
mission to proclaim it. It is our call to
live as if we believed it to be true. I am
ready for the season to change.
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