On Sunday, November 25th, the Decorating Team is asking for volunteers to help decorate the church for the Christmas season. Decorating will begin after worship on the 25th, and a free lunch will be provided for everyone who comes out to help. If you have any questions, please contact Gwen Messer, 586-9416.
5K Turkey Trot
Five Seasons, Not Four
“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.”
-Ecclesiastes 3:1
November is a month of Birthday Bonanza! for the Mathises. All told, three of us will celebrate our birthdays within the span of a couple of weeks.
It’s a sweet, though hectic, few weeks as we scurry for party dates, gifts, and family visits. Oh, and then there’s this gathering at the end of the month that demands travel, cooking and feasting—perhaps you’ve heard about it? Although November unfolds at a frantic pace, it also proves to be a time to reflect and to consider the changing landscape of our lives. The timing of our Birthday Bonanza! is fitting as one season fades into another.
This year’s transition from summer to fall, and from fall to winter has felt schizophrenic. It’s as though summer overstayed its welcome, and autumn could hardly get in the front door. And once autumn did arrive, it had just hung up its jacket when winter arrived on the scene shoving it out the door.
The fall foliage has been the victim of our seasonal tug of war. Many leaves fast-forwarded their explosive yellows and reds and simply turned brown. Other trees dropped their green leaves as though they were surrendering to a summer tripped up on steroids. Yes, there was color in our mountains. But it was spotty and short-lived.
So, by my count, autumn lasted about three weeks. Hope you like winter!
But few of us do.
While winter brings beauty of its own, it is also marked by long stretches of grey, drizzly, oatmeal colored skies. Oh, and then there’s the cold.
The author of Ecclesiastes knows that the seasons can be a helpful a way to understand and to think about our lives. “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.” In addition to the multitude of seasons that we face in our lives, we can also see how our lives fall into the broader seasons of spring, summer, autumn, and winter.
In which season do you find yourself?
Those of us in springtime are enthralled with the newness of life—of growth and of promise. It’s important to note that springtime is not all sunshine and daffodils. Spring, like this season in our lives, can be marked by violent change and tumultuous events. In addition to the lovely warmth, springtime is the season of dramatic and ferocious thunderstorms.
Summer is a time of putting down roots, of settling, and of tending to the fruits of our labors. It can be a delightfully rich season in our lives. But it can also be demanding and hard. The days are longer, the sun is higher and hotter; our work can exhaust us.
Autumn can be a golden stretch in our lives. The change of wind brings any number of changes; most of which are bountiful and good. We have a renewed energy. The absence of summertime haze means that visibility improves. And the world is transformed by color each autumn—even if for a few weeks.
But we know that autumn inevitably fades, and that the wind will scurry the leaves from the trees. The ground will alternate between soggy and frosty. Illnesses, aches and pains reveal new fault lines in our frames and in our bones. Yes, snow will deck the trees and branches and we will gasp in astonishment at what God is able to accomplish even when everything seems dormant. But we know that’s fleeting. Winter means loss. Winter means hardship. Winter means death.
Not all of us will experience each season in succession. Some of our lives will tragically be cut short. But many of us will be blessed to travel through each stretch of the path.
Each season has its beauty, its trials and its terrors. We cannot change that. Frequently we stand in two seasons, if not three or even four. Like the summers of England, you can sometimes experience all four seasons in one single day. We get to rub elbows with other seasons because the ones we love often occupy different places on the journey. We are parents to those in springtime and summer. We are children to those experiencing autumn and winter. This is what life looks like. And it can be beautiful and terrible at the same time.
The challenge for us is to be gracious with ourselves and with those who accompany us along the way. The more we fight and tussle and resist the inevitable markers of each season, the more difficult the journey will be; for us and for our loved ones. We know this to be true.
But the good news is that we do not get four seasons—we get five! We begin our lives in springtime and it blossoms into a summer of adulthood. Autumn emerges as we are blessed to age and winter signals the end of our journeys. Each season can be short. Each season can be long. But winter is not the end. Four seasons are not enough.
In Christ Jesus, and because we have been baptized into a death like his, we will experience a resurrection like his!
And that springtime, that moment and season of rebirth, will be like no other. We get five seasons, friends, not four. This is our everlasting hope, and the source of our joy.
Why I Serve...
November always provides the opportunity of us to take the time to reflect on what we are thankful for. I’m most thankful for our families and staff that are part of the 1st Explorers community. We’re continually learning, sharing, and growing together here. Over the next few weeks, our newsletters will have a brief note from staff members sharing about why they serve in 1st Explorers. I hope you will take the time to read these and pray for our staff as they serve.
- Kelly Brown
Kayle Starnes, K-1 Group Leader from Hickory, N.C. Majoring in History at Western Carolina University
Why I serve in First Explorers is an easy question: the kids! I enjoy seeing their eyes light up when they know an answer about The Bible and I love watching them grow as children of God and help their friends out no matter their need!
Community Thanksgiving Worship Service
We will be hosting the annual Community Thanksgiving Service on November 18th at 6 PM. There will be a light reception in the MFC immediately following the service. Childcare will be provided in our nursery. We hope you and your family can come join us for this special worship service with our community.
Operation Christmas Child Shoeboxes
WMU appreciates your support of Operation Christmas Child! Please return your packed Shoeboxes to the Loving Kindness Room by this Sunday, November 18th. Boxes will be delivered to First Methodist immediately after worship on Sunday.
Cuba Team Update
The Cuba team has been meeting and we are excited about a possibility for some of our church members to go to Cuba this spring from March 9 through March 16. It is an excellent opportunity to build a relationship with other Christians in their home community and to support each other as we all journey on the path of discipleship. If you are interested please come to a brief meeting this coming Sunday Nov 18 after worship. We will be meeting in the gathering room. Also feel free to contact a team member if you have other questions.
Judy Seago 507-7489, Kelly Brown, Renee Coward, Debbie Higdon, Jerry Parker
HOW IS YOUR MATH?
If our attendance at church is 125 and we need 450 cans of Spaghettios and Ravioli to meet our pledge in filling the Christmas Break Bags, how many cans do YOU need to bring?
Answer: 450 divided by 125 = 3.6 cans PER PERSON
(family of 4 = 15 cans, family of 3 = 11 cans, family of 2 = 7 cans, etc.) Of course, you may bring more!
Donations go into the UCM box in the Loving Kindness Room.
A Note from SMHS Football Team
Pastor Jeff Mathis and First Baptist Church,
Thank you so much for partnering in the FCA/Church pre-game and adopt-a-team ministries in Jackson County! We are grateful for the amazing pre-game meal, but especially the ministry of our great Lord and Savior to our young athletes and coaches! God has used you to impact and transform many lives for the cause of Christ through both of these ministry opportunities!
Thank you again and God bless!
SMHS Football Program & Athletic Dept.
P.S. - Special thanks to Ruth McConnell and her awesome team of cooks!
Thank You from the Youth Group
"The youth would like to thank all the adults who helped to make Sunday's College Student Lunch a success. For helping us with our grocery shopping and transportation, Dee and Larry Grantham; for helping with organization and planning in the kitchen, Cheryl and Steve Beck, and Sandra and Leo James; and thank you to all the youth parents for making sure the cooks and prep crew were in their places ready to work!. Thanks for making it possible for us to cook and serve this meal!"
-The Youth and Carol