“Learning to Get into the Winter”

Sunday, January 16, 2011: Isaiah 55:10-13

Series: Let Your Life Speak, from book by Parker Palmer

Introduction: Since I have lived in California all but 3 years of my life, I am not that familiar with “seasons.” Although I did live in Colorado for 3 years, so I got a taste of the seasons while living there. If we think about seasons, we can understand that there is a change of weather and conditions that are good and healthy for creation. It also keeps things more interesting, instead of it just being hot all the time, or cold all the time, or dark all the time, or light all the time.

This morning I want to use the illustration of seasons to help us continue to understand how our lives can speak for the Lord, in that we too have “seasons” in our lives. As we seek to answer the questions “Who am I?” and “Whose am I?” we can understand all the more as we see the cycle of our lives.

Up to this point we have been talking about the meaning of our lives using the metaphors of vocation and finding our true self. The metaphor of seasons can also be a helpful way to understand who we are. People use metaphors all the time to describe life.

There are some who think that life is a game of chance: some win, and some lose. One of many problems with this metaphor is that it is fatalistic. If life is a game of chance, then there is no rhyme and reason to it, and what we do won’t matter much at all, since things will happen by chance anyway.

Or others see life as a battlefield: you get the enemy, or the enemy gets you. I find that people who think this way are people who are angry, or who feel they have many enemies. Life then is constantly being concerned with who your enemies are.

I believe that the metaphor of seasons is a much more constructive way of looking at life, and filled with far greater hope for our lives. Today we will look at the seasons of autumn and winter, and then next week we will finish the series up by looking at spring and summer.

I. Autumn- (Philippians 4:6-7; Isaiah 55:10-11; John 12:23-25)

As we begin to think about the seasons of this world in relation to the seasons of our lives, we need to understand that God grows our lives, not us. We in the United States have the tendency to think that we manufacture everything. This is not true in every culture. It has been found that a Chinese child will ask: “How does a baby grow?” but an American child will ask: “How do you make a baby?” It might seem to you a subtle difference, but it really is the difference between being caught up in ego and self, and allowing creation to shape us. We have to allow ourselves to be transformed if we are to hope to live a true life and let our lives speak for the Lord.

a. Great beauty- Autumn is a season of great beauty, but it is also a season where the days grow shorter, and we slowly move from warm weather to colder weather. An even deeper truth of autumn is that it is a time where seeds are planted: seeds, which will bring new growth in the spring.

Now if you are anything like me, you probably are unaware of the seeds that are being planted. And often times this is how it is in life as well; there are seeds being planted all the time that we are unaware of. These seeds are being planted in our minds primarily. Paul warns us to plant the kinds of seeds that will be helpful for us to live for the Lord, as he says in Philippians 4:6-7, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think about such things.”

Here in California there are many who feel some loss at the leaving of summer and the coming of autumn, because we like the long days and the warm weather. We are not so concerned with the seeds that are falling into the ground. But we should be, because without this change, and the planting of the seeds, there would be no growth; there would be no new life.

This is where the power of this metaphor comes into play. We are all too often concerned with the visible, with appearances: the ending of a relationship; the struggle of our job; the difficulty of our finances. But if we were to look more deeply, we would see that there are a myriad of possibilities that can blossom from the seeds that have been and are being planted in our lives. There is fruit that will be born if we trust the Lord and walk in faithfulness.

As our passage says in Isaiah 55:10-11, “As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, ¹¹ so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.”

b. A hidden wholeness- Sometimes we lose a job, but then find another

job that is even more right for us. If the first job had not been lost, then the second one would not have been found. I have talked about this before in my own life, where I know that if I had not decided to leave the church in Colorado when I did, I would not have come here to Community. Of course, if this process takes some time, then it is difficult to feel good about what is happening.

This process is the hopeful notion that “living is hidden within dying,” and certainly fits within the metaphor of the seasons of autumn and winter. Jesus, Himself gives us a helpful teaching about this in the gospel of John, 12:23-25, “Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. ²⁴ Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. ²⁵ Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.” Jesus is telling us that only by death comes life. This might be a hard teaching for us who fear death, or think it to be ugly or obscene. As long as a seed is kept in safety, out of the ground, it will not bear fruit. To bear fruit the seed must be buried in the ground. IT WAS ONLY BY THE DEATH OF JESUS THAT WE HAVE LIFE!

We think we have to be in control of our lives so that good things will happen. We cannot bear to give control over to anyone; even God. But by holding on to what we think is life, we lead ourselves to death, because we keep ourselves from really having a fruitful life. We cannot overcome the challenges and obstacles on our own. We must lose our life in the Lord so that He can give us new life. A life that is truly worth living; a life that makes a difference; a life that speaks for the Lord.

Thomas Merton, who was a monk and great spiritual writer once said: “There is in all visible things… a hidden wholeness.” In other words, in the visible world of nature, darkness and light, diminishment and beauty, death and life are not opposites. They are held together in the paradox of “hidden wholeness.” In a paradox, opposites do not negate each other—they coexist in a mysterious unity. Deeper still, they need each other for health.

We have trouble with this, because most of our thinking believes that we want light without darkness; life without death; the glories of spring and summer without the demands of autumn and winter. But if we let this paradox reign true in our lives, they will bring wholeness and health to our lives.

The season of autumn in our lives is the daily dying that is necessary to bring about fruit and new life.

II. Winter- (Psalm 23:6; Isaiah 55:12-13)

a. Divine retribution- Southern humorist Roy Blount once said about the

weather in the Upper Midwest: “What we got in winter is not weather but divine retribution.” He believes that someone must have done something very bad to God, and now all who live in the Midwest are paying the price!

And we have seen in the news, the weather in the Midwest is pretty brutal during winter. It is a demanding season. There are not too many creatures that stir during the winter, as God has created many animals that hibernate during the winter months. The plants do not visibly grow. Nature can feel like the enemy for those who have to deal with the snow, and ice, and cold, and wind chill!

And yet, like autumn, the rigors of winter are accompanied by many gifts. One is the gift of beauty. There is a definite beauty of falling snow. Some of the most beautiful pictures are where snow covers the landscape, the mountaintops, and even the trees. Another gift is the reminder that times of dormancy and deep rest are essential to all living things. Despite all appearances, nature is not dead in winter—it has gone underground to renew itself and prepare for spring.

I have talked to many people who believe that God’s retribution has come upon them because of some sin they have committed. They feel like they are walking in death, as one feels that the bitter cold is like death. But anyone who is concerned about their relationship with God is not one on whom God will bring His retribution. If you are concerned with your relationship with God, then you are sensitive to your actions, your sin, and your acceptance of God. It only takes a confession to bring forgiveness, and when forgiven, God will not punish us.

This concern over God’s retribution is also a perfect time to practice the season of winter in your life; the season that leads you to a deep rest before God. This deep rest helps you to evaluate what you are doing in your life; it helps you to recognize what God wants you to keep, and what God wants you to get rid of. This deep rest allows you to build up your strength for what God has for you to do next.

The mystic, Rumi, in talking about God teaching us from our sin, instead of punishing us for it, says this: “God doesn't have to punish pride; pride will make it impossible for us to learn from anybody else. Lust will make love impossible. Greed will make contentment impossible. Covetousness will make serenity impossible. Anger will make inner peace impossible.”

b. Getting into winter- Story: Shirley and Marcy.

There is a story of a mother who was concerned about her kindergarten son walking to school. He didn't want his mother to walk with him, so she had to find a way to watch over him without him knowing. She wanted to give him the feeling that he had some independence, but wanted to make sure he was safe. So she had an idea of how to handle it. She asked a neighbor if she would please follow her son to school in the mornings, staying at a distance, so that he wouldn’t notice her. The neighbor agreed to do this for her, believing it to be best for the boy.
The next school day, the neighbor and her little girl set out following behind Timmy as he walked to school with another neighbor girl he knew. She did this for the whole week. As Timmy and his friend walked and chatted, kicking stones and twigs, Timmy 's little friend noticed the same lady was following them every day.
Finally one day she said to Timmy ,'Have you noticed that lady following us to school all week? Do you know her?'

Without missing a beat, Timmy replied, 'Yeah, I know who she is.'

The little girl said, 'Well, who is she?'
'That's just Shirley Goodnest ,' Timmy said, 'and her daughter Marcy.'
‘Shirley Goodnest ? Who the heck is she and why is she following us? the girl asked. 'Well,' Timmy explained, 'every night my Mom makes me say the 23rd Psalm with my prayers, 'cuz she worries about me so much. And in the Psalm, it says, ‘Shirley Goodnest and Marcy shall follow me all the days of my life', so I guess I'll just have to get used to it!'

The grace of God is with us, and as the Psalm says, “Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life.” And in the times of winter, where we are led to go deeper with God, we thank God for how this time clears the landscape and gives us a chance to see the very ground of our being.

I’ve heard that when people are new to the Midwest, someone who has lived there for a long time will tell them: “The winters will drive you crazy until you learn to get into them.” If you live in the Midwest long enough, you have to learn that a daily walk in the winter cold will fortify the spirit by overcoming the very heart of the season that is feared.

Our inward winters take many forms—failure, betrayal, depression, as well as the death of a loved one. But every one of these forms should lead us to understand this: “The winters will drive you crazy until you learn to get out into them.” Until we enter boldly into the fears we want to avoid, those fears will dominate our lives.

As Isaiah tells us in Isaiah 55:12-13, “You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands. ¹³ Instead of the thornbush will grow the juniper, and instead of briers the myrtle will grow. This will be for the LORD’s renown, for an everlasting sign, that will endure forever.”

Conclusion: Autumn and Winter are two seasons that can be seen by many as undesirable. They aren’t necessarily on people’s “top of the list,” when talking about favorite seasons. But just like the seasons of the year have their important aspects to life as a whole, so these seasons in our spiritual life play an important role.

Without the planting of the seed, there is no growth. Without the seed going into the ground and in essence dying, there will be no new life. Without slowing down in our lives to plant the seeds that need to be planted, there will be no growth. Without the seeming failures in our lives, there will no new life. I know this is a paradox, but remember, in a paradox opposites work together to bring about God’s desired results for our lives.

The cycle of the seasons is trustworthy and life-giving. God knew what He was doing when He created 4 seasons, and these seasons will manifest themselves in our lives for our benefit. If we walk directly into them, we can learn to let them teach us, instead of destroy us. We might even come to long for them, instead of fear them.

So, knowing that there is still spring and summer to go, we thank God for what autumn and winter bring to us: the planting of the seed and the time of deep rest. As 2 Cor. 9:10 says- “He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness.” May you look for autumn and winter, acknowledging what it brings, and how it allows you to “let your life speak.” Amen.