I can feel it. It’s finally here. Where I live fall has arrived.
One day last week a friend and I walked in the heat. We both were sweating. Our water bottles drained after the walk. But, we said to each other: this is the last hot day. Fall is coming. Cooler weather will greet us tomorrow.
Now as I walk outside each morning the crisp air greets me. Yet, it’s not only the change in temperature that I’m feeling. As we move from summer to fall, it’s the possibility for all that this season brings that excites me. I believe each season offers its own gifts. We can say that every season has its own theology.
The season of fall meets us in a time of transition and newness. There are new school schedules and new sports and activity schedules. If you have small children you’re back to early mornings with breakfasts, getting dressed, packing lunches, and getting out the door to school and work. Fall enters in a rush of busyness, but quietly reminds us: this is a precious time in your life. Savor it. Welcome it. Be open to the gifts it offers.
Fall celebrates the harvest. The long days of summer working in the gardens and fields brings a bounty. But also a prayer for everything that is placed in God’s hands. Fall bears witness to the beauty of creation and says to us: this is your world to care and tend to; honor it. Be open to the gifts it offers.
Fall recognizes change. The trees will blaze with their fiery colors and soon enough will fall to the ground. The plants and grass will lose their color. The animals will find their way to warmer weather. Fall paints a beautiful canvas for us and then lays it on the ground. Fall reminds us: See the glory of this earth, the change in nature, and the preparing for the next season. Be open to the gifts it offers.
Where I live fall gives us pumpkins, warm drinks, and hay rides. With family and friends the season invites us to give thanks for the simple and ordinary in our midst. A warm drink sharing conversation with a friend. Carving a pumpkin with children. Hay rides and farm visits full of laughter. Fall hopes we savor this time and these experiences: Be open to the gifts it offers.
We know the season won’t last forever. We know the cooler days will get colder. The sun will be less present. The days will get longer and darker. Yet, it will not be the end. Fall teaches us to trust that as the darkness comes, so will it give way to the light. We enter this season knowing that God will continue to make all things new. That what dies will be brought to life again. That everything will be transformed.
Fall is here. Be open to the gifts it offers.
Kimberly Knowle-Zeller is an ordained ELCA pastor, mother of two, and spouse of an ELCA pastor. She lives with her family in Cole Camp, MO. You can read more at her website: http://kimberlyknowlezeller.com or follow her work on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KimberlyKnowleZeller/