Changing Seasons and New Opportunities
Whether the coming of fall fills you with joy or brings challenge, you are not alone; we are a community of love and grace.
While the summer heat lingers, there are clear signs that fall is on the way. For some of us this is great news. We feel better when the air is cooler and the leaves are falling.
For others, fall can be a difficult season. The days grow shorter and darker, and a feeling of heaviness, despair, or depression settles in. Season change can be hard on many of us.
I’m one who enjoys the change of seasons and the coming of autumn particularly. I suspect it has more to do with my (too) many years in school and the joy the start of the school year always brought with it, rather than any aspect of the season itself.
For me, September brings a feeling of newness and possibility. As the days grow shorter and eventually cooler, I experience an growing expectation of change in something, somewhere.
For the rest of the month, our worship services will focus on regathering, renewal, and new beginnings. This week the scripture is James 3:13 – 4:3, 7-8a and the focus will be on self-care and community care leading to wholeness.
Don’t forget to bring a reading that can be used for Invoking Spirit, Acknowledging our Need for God, or a Now Testament. These readings can be your original poetry or prose, or they can be the words of others. There’s no wrong way to do this.
Whatever the season change stirs up for you, my hope is that we will all continue to come together to build community and care for one another as we seek to bring Divine Love into the world.
In the meantime, please comment with what helps you breathe more deeply these days. What keeps you going when it’s hard to catch your breath? What had filled you with gratitude or joy?
About Rachael Keefe
Rev. Dr. Rachael Keefe is the pastor of Living Table United Church of Christ. She was called to Living Table in 2015 after serving in many varied ministry settings since her ordination in 1992. She holds graduate degrees from Princeton Theological Seminary and Andover Newton Seminary at Yale (formerly Andover Newton Theological School). Her ministry and leadership often center around advocacy and accessibility. Her writing has been published by Chalice Press, The Christian Century, Red Letter Christians, Working Preacher, RevGalBlogPals, and others. She is grateful to be in ministry with Living Table today.
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I’m still getting used to being retired. Having so much discretionary time is something I am grateful for. As I breathe deeply, I also recognize how fortunate I am to have my health.
When I was at a reunion a couple of weeks ago I was asked what keeps me in Minneapolis. My answer was the community at Living Table.
I have so much to be grateful for!
Sandy, I’m grateful you are part of Living Table.