Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 says,...

Today's verses are Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 which read,

There is an occasion for everything, 

and a time for every activity under heaven:

a time to give birth and a time to die;

a time to plant and a time to uproot;

a time to kill and a time to heal;

a time to tear down and a time to build;

a time to weep and a time to laugh;

a time to mourn and a time to dance;

a time to throw stones and a time to gather stones;

a time to embrace and a time to avoid embracing;

a time to search and a time to count as lost;

a time to keep and a time to throw away;

a time to tear and a time to sew;

a time to be silent and a time to speak;

a time to love and a time to hate;

a time for war and a time for peace.

This is probably one of the most beautiful passages of the Scriptures as Solomon puts in a poetic form the seasons of life or the events that occur during life.  He will mention this concept again in verse 17 which reads,

I said to myself, "God will judge the righteous and the wicked, since there is a time for every activity and every work."

And again in chapter 8 verse 6 which reads,

For every activity there is a right time and procedure, even though a person's troubles are heavy on him.

The first time is a time to give birth and a time to die.  This encompasses all of life and is the most general statement about life given at the start of this run of "a time"s.  Job 14:5 and 6 says,

Since a person's days are determined and the number of this months depends on You, and since You have set limits he cannot pass, look away from him and let him rest so that he can enjoy his day like a hired worker.

We have a time to plant by putting seeds into the ground and a time to uproot what we have planted for harvest.  I have rode both the planter and the harvester at our second church in Breckenridge, Michigan.  One of our parishioners owned a 1500 acre potato farm and working both ends of the season showed me this "time" in the sense of a complete cycle.  

We start something in life but it then it comes to completion.  We become "empty nesters" because our children are uprooted from our homes to start new ones.  We plant the seed of the gospel in someone's life and then maybe we have the opportunity to harvest a soul into the body of Christ as they in faith call Jesus their Lord.  

A lot of the "time"s deal with change.  A time to tear down something and a time to build something up; a time to tear apart something and a time to sew or put something together; or a time to search for something and a time to move on to something else.  Change is hard but it is a part of life.  It is a part of your life personally, socially and even in the church.  Change happens in the church because of these "time"s and especially that first one of living and dying.  Those who were here and gave fuel to this ministry are no longer with us and new ones God will and has supplied are to shoulder the effort.  With the new come some tearing down and building up to see the ministry go on to a new generation.  

A great cross reference to a time to weep and a time to laugh is Romans 12:15 which reads,

Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep.

Also a great cross reference to a time to mourn and a time to dance is Exodus 15:20 which reads,

Then the prophetess Miriam, Aaron's sister, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women came out following her with tambourines and dancing.

Another part of life is our range of feelings and our opportunity to join in the emotions of others God has put around us.  We are a family of God and therefore we are brothers and sisters with a common Father God.  We have a genuine love for one another to sit by one of the family and shed tears when they are over a loss and also take their hands and dance with them when a child comes into the family of God.  A "like" or "love" or sad face emoji on Facebook is nice but it doesn't go far enough for this passage of Scripture.  Our interaction with others is a part of life that has purpose.

There are also some difficult "time"s in this passage like a time to embrace and a time to avoid embracing.  1 Corinthians 7:5 says, 

Do not deprive one another--except when you agree for a time, to devote yourselves to prayer.  Then come together again; otherwise, Satan may tempt you because of your lack of self-control.

We live in a world that we need to exercise self-control.  We need to say "yes" to some things and "no" to other things.  There is Satan crouching at the door waiting to come in when we have not embraced something we should have embraced or embraced something that we shouldn't have.  Our life will involve choices that we need to strive to be godly following after His wisdom, walking in His footsteps.

Another difficult "time" is a time to be silent and a time to speak.  Sometimes we say too much and sometimes we don't say enough.  Sometimes we need to listen more and speak less and sometimes we need to say that crucial "I love you" at a time of great hurt or maybe the hug, a physical touch does more than the spoken word.  

Amos 5:13 gives one half of this "time" which reads,

Therefore, those who have insight will keep silent at such a time for the days are evil.

It is hard at times to not say our piece but wait for a better time when our heart is softened to say it with love and not just justice.  Many times damage is done when we have not held tightly to both grace and truth or truth and love.  We injure each other when we get selfish and leave off how this might affect them or how this might help them to grow instead of just putting them in their place.  There are things we need to say but there a times and ways in which we should say them and there are things we need to be silent about and if they warrant being said then it will be a time when it can be said like God wants us to.

We finish with the last "time" of a time for war and a time for peace.  Matthew 5:9 finds Jesus giving us the Beatitudes and speaking about peacemakers.  It says,

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.

Later in the last gospel, Matthew 10:34, Jesus says,

Don't assume that I came to bring peace on the earth.  I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.

There is a war going on against evil and there is a peace in our security of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.  There is a peace to follow His words and way and a war to put on the spiritual armor of God each day.  There is a war because there is Satan and there is peace because there is our Savior.  Jesus came to do both: to bring peace through His sacrifice for our salvation and also a war against Satan for our very souls.  Following what is right brings peace but it also looks like war in a world that is following hard after what is wrong.  

That's enough for this Christmas Day.  I hope you have a great day with your family and friends.  Let us pray.

"Lord, help us to see what "time" we are in.  Help us to see the changes in life that need to be made for Your glory and Your advancement of the gospel.  Help us to be under Your control to say and do what we say and do for Your glory so it will plant seeds and pull up plants for Your gospel.  Amen."

Pastor Adam