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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.