For everything there is a season,

and a time for every matter under

heaven…

So begins one of the most beautiful passages, recorded in the Old Testament book of wisdom: Ecclesiastes. The season of autumn comes with endings and new beginnings. Fruits are harvested while leaves that provided summer shade die and fall to the ground. On the one hand we reap the fruits of our spring labor. On the other hand, that which seems no more than decaying waste prepares the soil for next spring’s growth.

Seasons come and seasons go. We talk about seasons in life and seasons in marriage…environmental cycles and economic cycles…the old giving way to the new and the new maturing into the old…seasons of growth and seasons of grief… “a time to plant and a time to pluck up what is planted…a time to weep and a time to laugh…a time to seek and a time to lose…a time to keep and a time to throw away…”

In what season are you? What are you gathering…and what must be discarded so new growth can be nurtured? In a world of gains and losses, successes and failures, isn’t it good news to learn God is present at all time?

Life is filled with questions, and Jesus encourages us to keep asking and seeking. While having all the answers may seem comfortable, growth comes with change…and change comes by asking, “Lord, how am I fulfilling your purpose?” And if you wonder where God is in your life, remember the word “Emmanuel” translates to “God With Us!”

We at Emmanuel invite you and your questions to our fellowship. We trust the Spirit will guide our journeys together. Thank you for visiting our website, and may you know in this season the harvest of blessings only God can provide!