A Time For...

Introduction: Changing Diapers

“After bringing their first baby home from the hospital, the wife suggested to her husband that he try his hand at changing diapers. “I’m busy,” he said. “I’ll do the next one.”

The next time the baby was wet, she asked if he was ready to learn how to change diapers. He gave her a puzzled look, then said finally, “I didn’t mean the next diaper; I meant the next baby!””

As a soon to be father to a son, I found that pretty funny. I also thought, would “Rachel approve if I wait to learn to change diapers until the next child?!”

We are in our second week of our new series called “Changes” and last week we dropped some news that changes are coming. I announced that Rachel and I will be transitioning out as your Youth Pastors and will be stepping into a new role as your PennDel Youth Alive Missionary/Evangelist. As we process and walk through this change, some of you might have been asking, “Why does this change need to happen?” or maybe just the general question, “Why does change happen?” Tonight, we are going to answer that question by looking at the book of Ecclesiastes.

Now, the five minute video we just watched gave you a brief overview of the entire book of Ecclesiastes. Tonight, we are going to look specifically at chapter 3 and the main thing I hope we take away from tonight is “God’s Timing Is Perfect.”

Ecclesiastes 3:1–13 NLT

For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven. A time to be born and a time to die. A time to plant and a time to harvest. A time to kill and a time to heal. A time to tear down and a time to build up. A time to cry and a time to laugh. A time to grieve and a time to dance. A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones. A time to embrace and a time to turn away. A time to search and a time to quit searching. A time to keep and a time to throw away. A time to tear and a time to mend. A time to be quiet and a time to speak. A time to love and a time to hate. A time for war and a time for peace. What do people really get for all their hard work? I have seen the burden God has placed on us all. Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end. So I concluded there is nothing better than to be happy and enjoy ourselves as long as we can. And people should eat and drink and enjoy the fruits of their labor, for these are gifts from God.

(Prayer)

A Season For Everything:

In the opening line of this chapter we read that there is a season for everything and I couldn’t help but think of the four seasons we go through here in Pennsylvania; Spring, Summer, Winter, and Fall.

Spring - Seeds take root and vegetation begins. Weather is warm and wet and animals are waking from hibernation.

Summer - Temperatures increase to hottest temperatures of the year. More rainfall in some areas. Plants can grow quickly, unless extreme temperatures cause a drought.

Fall - Temperatures fall again. Plants start to go dormant. Leaves change and animals start to store food for hibernation.

Winter - Usually brings cold temperatures. Nothing usually grows during winter. Animals are hibernating and adapting to the weather.

Now there is one thing I want to point out regarding the four seasons I just described and the seasons of life we go through. They all change, but in the four weather seasons, we know that they are coming. We expect them. In the changing of seasons in life, sometimes we don’t expect them. Sometimes, we can fall trap into a lie that the season of life we are currently in will always be like this.

Something to Consider: “Every Season Has A Starting Point and An Ending Point.”

(We see this in verses 2-8)

“When these seasons start and when they end are perfect timing by the Lord.”

Enjoy The Season:

Ecclesiastes 3:9–13 NLT

What do people really get for all their hard work? I have seen the burden God has placed on us all. Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end. So I concluded there is nothing better than to be happy and enjoy ourselves as long as we can. And people should eat and drink and enjoy the fruits of their labor, for these are gifts from God.

Since every season has a beginning and an end, we are encouraged here in the text to enjoy ourselves in those season and trust the Lord through each season. Simply put, we should live life in the present, and not in the past or the future.

(Example of Two Extremes: “The Good Ole Days” and “I Can’t Wait Until.”)

Something to Consider: “Joy is found by living in the present season. We can’t change or go back to the past and we can’t control the future.”

Conclusion:

“The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails.”—William Arthur Ward

I love this quote because there is a wind of change happening here in the student ministries and we can act in one of three ways;

We can kick and scream through this change.

We can pretend this change isn’t happening.

We can adjust to the change.

My hope in prayer is that we all will adjust enjoy and adjust in this season of change. The winds here within the ministry are shifting and a new season is coming. My hope and prayer is that you take courage in this season of change because the Lord’s Timing is Perfect.