“A Time for Then and a Time for Now” – Eccl. 3:1-8 – January 6, 2008

The preacher of Ecclesiastes lists twenty-eight experiences that are all common to our human experience. Each one of them is coupled with its antitheses. We are born and we die, we mourn and we dance. There are times of war and there are times of peace. The preacher’s words remind us that life is a paradox. To fully appreciate all of life we have to embrace both the good and the bad. Some may bring us joy while others are painful, but they are all a part of life. Ultimately there is a time for everything. The challenge for us is to accept that life does not remain constant. It is constantly changing. Nevertheless, God is with us in all of our times.

The preacher begins his list by saying, “For everything there is a season.” Life is seasonal and cyclical. At the beginning of a new year we have the perfect time to close the books on the year that was and make some fresh starts.

Since we are beginning a new year I would like to add a pair that isn’t on the list. There is a time for then and a time for now. Last year is history. In that year you may have made some mistakes. You might have experienced some painful moments. Perhaps you failed or the year did not meet your expectations. Perhaps you suffered some setbacks and you regret some of the choices you made. This is the perfect time to remember that God forgives you. You are free to move forward, to embrace the new year with hope and joy. Lamenting over the past will only hold you back. This is a new day so “Let us rejoice and be glad!”

On New Year’s Day, 1929, Georgia Tech played the University of California in the Rose Bowl. In the first half, Roy Riegels recovered a fumble for California, but he became confused and ran the wrong way. One of his teammates tackled him just a few yards before he crossed the wrong goal line. When California tried to punt Tech blocked the kick and scored a safety which became the winning margin. During halftime, the California players sat quietly and listened to their coach. He was very quiet. Riegels put a blanket over his shoulders and stayed in a corner. He put his face in his hands and cried. Coach Price looked at his team and said, “Men, the same team that played the first half will play the second half.” The players filed onto the playing field except for Riegels. The coach looked at Riegels and said, “Riegels, didn’t you hear me?” Riegels told the coach he couldn’t face the crowd after his stupid mistake. Coach Price put his hand on his shoulders and said, “Roy, get up and go back in there, the game is only half over.” To this day, men of Georgia Tech say you will never see a man play football in the second half like Roy Riegels did that day.

The game is only half over. There is a time for then and there is a time for now.

Most of the “times” the preacher lists are a result of the choices we make. Perhaps we spoke when it was better to keep our mouth shut. Perhaps we were silent when we should have said what we truly felt. New years’ resolutions are all about making choices. On the one hand we may choose to start some activity that only takes more of our time and energy. On the other hand we could choose to let go of a habit that adversely affects us.

For example, one of my resolutions is to take things in stride. I have resolved not to sweat the small stuff especially when it comes to bad drivers. On New Year’s Day I drove almost 700 miles and I almost completed the trip without getting aggravated with a bad driver. Some woman was driving too slow on route 29 during a snow storm and I was unable to pass her and I grumbled. Imagine that. Like many of you my resolution didn’t last a full day, but I can still work on it.

There’s a time for everything, such as a time to drive fast and a time to drive slow. When our timing is off we might choose to be driving fast when we should be driving very slow. We therefore have to live with the consequences. Since the preacher describes times and their opposites, I believe he is helping us to accept all the realities of life. To only laugh and never cry for example is to deny a time of grief that is essential for us to process a loss.

Making resolutions for the new year can be a good thing. It helps us to make changes that will improve our lives and hopefully the lives of those around us. Notice that there are some things the preacher doesn’t say. There is not a time to be angry. There is never a time to take advantage of others. There is not a time to be careless about our lives.

When it comes to being successful, being happy and enjoying life to the fullest, timing is everything. Sometimes we are impatient and move too quickly. The century plant is a common sight in the Southwest. It has an interesting growth cycle. For 20 or 30 years the plant will remain the same height. Then, suddenly, a bud will sprout. The bud will shoot straight up into the sky, like a giant asparagus spear, at the amazing rate of seven inches per day. It will eventually reach a height of 20 to 40 feet, crowning itself with clumps of beautiful yellow blossoms. Like the century plant, great things in our lives happen only after years of patience and preparation.

Other times we procrastinate and therefore miss out on opportunities. I used to put things off but my wife, Lin, is a planner. She is definitely not a procrastinator.

A week before our trip to South Carolina, my wife suggested we make a hotel reservation in Charlotte, North Carolina. We decided to use Price Line and see what we could come up with. By chance we selected a 4 star hotel for a price of $50. The normal rate was $149 per nite. We thought that on Christmas Day they wouldn’t be very busy. Fortunately our offer was accepted and our reservation was at the Doubletree in South Park, on the south side of Charlotte. We didn’t know what our room would be like. We expected a typical hotel room with two queen beds. What could they possibly give us for $50? After we checked in we opened the door to our room and we were in shock. They had given us a four room suite, complete with a king bed, a full service kitchen and free internet service. We were stunned. Fortunately, by not procrastinating we were pleasantly surprised.

By realizing that life can change in an instant, God keeps us humble. We want to know what is the best time for this or the best time for that. Sometimes we have to wait and sometimes we are totally surprised. That’s where faith comes in. We have to trust that whatever decisions we make, God will be with us.

One of my favorites on the list is “a time to keep, and a time to throw away.” Although it is important to take care of ourselves it is also essential that we give things away. “Throwing away” is about being generous. It could also be about letting go. We are a society who likes to stockpile and save. We also like to fill our calendars with events, activities and various things to do. Perhaps the preacher should have added, “there is a time to make deposits and a time to clean out our closets.”

A man once had a friend who was a skilled potter. Each day he molded his clay into various vessels. One day he asked his friend how he determined what to make. The potter said he had discovered that when he was rested, he tended to make beautiful things, but when he was tired, he made ordinary things. As the potter reflected on this he concluded that when he was relaxed, had had both the ability to focus and the patience to make something very special. So it is with our lives. The more stressed we are, the less likely we are going to create something of beauty.

Notice that the last season the preacher lists is “peace.” Ultimately God wants us to be happy. God wants us to live in harmony with the rest of the universe. In verse 12, the preacher goes on to say, “I know that there is nothing better for them than to be happy and enjoy themselves as long as they live; moreover, it is God’s gift that all should eat and drink and take pleasure in all their toil.” In other words, God has given us the possibility of human happiness. Happiness is ours to choose. Happiness is made possible through forgiveness and letting go of the past. Happiness is ours when we embrace Jesus’ words when he said, “The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand.”

God’s time is our time. God can intervene in our lives at any moment and bring us salvation and fulfillment. Resurrection can come from death. Eternal life comes from giving our lives away. There is a time for everything, especially a time for then and a time for now.

Dr. Keith Wagner, St. Paul’s United Church of Christ, Sidney, Ohio