“To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to uproot what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to gain, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.”
(rf. Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 MEV)
When we initially read this text, we tend to view it in terms of a “reality check”, that things we don’t like (such as death, destruction, sadness, losing, hatred and war) are as much a part of the fabric of life as the good things, like the birth of a child, joy, dancing and love. This is very true and a reminder we all need from time to time. However, as with much of Scripture, there is more here in this text than meets the eye.
There is an equally valid reality that we often need to recall and, yet, when we do, it makes us feel quite uncomfortable, especially for those temperaments that greatly enjoy the status quo. This reality as expressed by Solomon is the endless actuality of change. We know that change will undoubtedly come in our earthy experience. How we welcome it and adjust ourselves to it is at the heart of what Solomon is trying to convey. He is sharing with us that not only is change a part of life, it is also to be expected and, when it comes, whether it represents blessing or pain, it should viewed as God’s hand at work within us to bring about His will in our lives.
For historical churches, such as St. John’s, this can be a very difficult pill for us to swallow. Parishioners in historical churches tend to relish and live in the past, make decisions as based on past experiences, and desire to chart a path that leads the church “back to the good ole days”. Churches that do this are failing to recognize that Christ’s Church was never designed to live in the glory of experiences of old. Rather, we as His people are to hold on to the truths of the past that are timeless while moving forward, always seeking the Lord as to His direction.
In reference to this, all we have to do is review how the Israelites responded to the Lord as Moses lead them through the Wilderness into the Promised Land. For more times than we would care to count, the Israelites wanted to return to bondage in Egypt whenever they were faced with difficulty or change. Not wanting to remember that God was leading them on to a place of freedom in their own land, they chose over and over again a return to the past, believing it would be better “back there” instead of gaining God’s best for them. Moses even lost his privilege to enter into the Promised Land himself because he was so angry with this backward-looking crowd (rf. Num. 20:1-13). This desire for the past in the face of God’s moving us toward the future has been around for a very long time. If we choose wrongly, we face serious consequences for disobeying the Lord.
Because of the recent pandemic, His Church has been forced to reckon with a new, exciting, and, yet, challenging future. Things that were taken for granted are now relics of the past and, in fact, should stay there. God has placed His people in the unique position of being able to repackage the timeless message of His Word and His Gospel, using technology as a viable means in much better and more efficient ways that we have before. He wants to use His Church to reach generations who are now living in a purely secular, humanistic world with the eternal truths of His Holy Word. He wants His people to create a new future on the foundations of our history and to go upward and onward in our quest to build His Church so that “all the powers of hell will not conquer it” (rf. Matt. 16:18 NLT).
In order to fulfill God’s will for His Church, we, especially as fellowships with a long and appreciated history, must move our perspective from the past to the future if we are to continue and be fruitful for the Lord. We need to view our facilities as means to reach others while making sure the sanctity of God’s house remains. We must view technology as a friend to accomplish these efforts and not with fear because it can be so easily abused. We must desist from viewing ourselves as a long-standing social club where few are allowed into the group. Rather, we must be welcoming to all who are in our immediate community and to those who enter our doors, sharing with them the same love of Christ that we ourselves have experienced. We must be proactive and creative in our formation of new and exciting ministries to reach these very people who need desperately to hear Christ’s promise of salvation. We need to see others through eyes of Jesus whose own heart is “moved with compassion for them, because they…(are) scattered, like sheep without a shepherd” (rf. Matt. 9:36 MEV). He desires for His people to be “(His) laborers (sent to gather)…His harvest” (rf. Matt. 9:38 MEV).
The choice then for us as historical churches will be one of the following: (1) Will we live in the past and hold to our treasured perspectives and actions that seemingly worked to build our church then, but will only result in an assured death now? (2) Or will we view our past as a secure foundation and look to other avenues in which to build bridges of understanding and communication with present generations so that they can know Jesus and His Word, thus ensuring that our church will continue for many years to come? As Solomon stated, there is a “time to break down and a time to build up” (3:3). God wants His people to grow, build and prosper, leading us to new lands and opportunities. Will we choose to follow Him or to remain as we are presently, longing for our past?
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