To everything, turn, turn, turn
There is a season, turn, turn, turn
And a time to every purpose under heaven
A time to be born, a time to die
A time to plant, a time to reap
A time to kill, a time to heal
A time to laugh, a time to weep
The band ‘The Byrds’ wrote these lyrics in 1965 into a song that became famous. But the lyrics weren’t totally original. They are based on poetry found in a chapter of the Bible called Ecclesiastes. This ancient Hebrew wisdom was penned possibly as long as 900 years before Jesus was born.
For time immemorial people have enjoyed seasons to mark their lives. Typically, these were tied to the weather seasons. Today the Christian church calendar is still divided by seasons – mostly aligning with norther hemisphere weather seasons. The season of Easter, for example, is matched with Spring in the northern hemisphere. It is a time of celebrating life over death, love over hate, hope over despair. After a snowy, dark winter, it feels pretty natural to be noticing a revival of life in nature. In Aotearoa we have to use our imaginations to celebrate Easter in beautiful autumn days – the message is the same, the imagery upside down.
But before Easter (Sunday 5 April) there is another season called Lent. Traditionally this has been a time of taking stock of one’s spiritual health. Historically, it was associated with some measures of physical austerity and deprivation. People were expected to give up something dear to them. In our culture of convenience and comfort today this sits uncomfortably with many – myself included. (Don’t ask me to give up my morning flat white – for anything!) But, like many wisdoms from the past that we may want to dismiss as being out of date, or irrelevant, there is some value in any stock-take – whether of one’s physical health, intellectual health, emotional health – so why not spiritual health?
At St Andrew’s the church is decorated in purple during Lent to signify that this is a time in which to pause and reflect on our relationship to a loving and forgiving God. Why purple? Purple is a colour of leadership, of kingship – a colour to say “take notice, this season is serious”. And it is a serious season. At the end of this season 2026 years ago Jesus, a Palestinian Jew, was crucified because he had a message of love and forgiveness that was subversive to the occupying Roman rulers.
We will celebrate Easter on Sunday 5 April at 10.00am. It will be a time to remember that love is stronger than hate, that life is stronger than death and that there is always, always, a new day as forgiven followers of Jesus.
