The seasons are changing

Last weekend I traveled to the Northeast for time with our son Benjamin, joining him for parent weekend at his school in Kent, Connecticut, and then traveling in upstate New York and Connecticut. The fall leaves were turning with the sudden beginning of cold weather, all of it picture perfect (except for the massive rainstorm that closed Six Flags New England, our intended destination!). I returned to San Diego to find that the season had changed here too: suddenly we need a blanket on the bed, and the mornings are chilly. It's a different kind of season here, but with the waning of the sunshine, fall does seem to be happening. In our family, fall and early winter brings everyone's birthdays, interlaced with the holidays. It's the season of baking, gifts, and preparation. I'm learning what that looks like when the sun shines every day and flowers are all still abloom!

One of the things I love about the church is the cycle of seasons. Every Sunday is a feast of the resurrection, a "mini-Easter" when we remember Jesus' offering of love and new life for all of us. But each week moves us further along in the calendar as well, hearing stories in scripture about Jesus' life and teachings as well as the writings of God's people throughout salvation history. Right now we are continuing the season after Pentecost, "Ordinary Time." But in just over a month's time, we'll begin the season of Advent, when we begin a new church year and prepare our hearts for the coming of Christ, both as the child at Christmas and as our loving Judge to come. Along the way we'll remember our ancestors and loved ones at the feasts of All Saints and All Souls, and bring forward our bounty at our harvest ingathering. So many gifts and traditions to celebrate together, all to come.