On the brink of a new season
The First Letter

Alexander Mills • Pastor
May 21, 2023

4 Minute Read

Rebecca and I asked each other a question the other night – what’s one thing you’ve learned in the last year?

It’s an odd time of year to be asking that question I know, there’s no snow on the ground or fireworks overhead. I just recently joined her by stepping into a new decade however, so we’ve been doing a bit of reflecting on the decade behind and looking ahead to the decade before us.

Her answer was simple. “Everything is seasonal”, she said plainly. “Nothing lasts forever, and for everything there is a season”.

It’s not hard to perceive the burgeoning season around us. Lilacs are blooming, and some of your sinuses are doing a blooming of sorts in response. The birds are singing, and maybe some of you are finding your song again too. This season in our little corner of Niagara is splendid, albeit short. The tulips have already traded their brilliant tops for wilted bottoms, the first preview of summer’s relentless heat.

Everything is seasonal, it’s true. The rhythms of the earth confess that too.

Our springtime bulbs wouldn’t burst with colour if it wasn’t for the rest they receive under winter’s snow. In our Christian community, we’re drawing to the end of a season as well and entering another that will lead us into summer.

This past Sunday was the seventh Sunday in Easter, the last before Pentecost. This coming Sunday will mark the end of a 6-month journey that we began on the first Sunday in Advent. These seasons serve to help us mark time through the course of the year by telling the story of Jesus Christ. We have a secular calendar to coordinate our lives within a secular age, and we have a sacred calendar to form our lives through the gospel story. Beginning before Christmas and ending after Easter, this season is drawing to a close.

The season ahead of us moves at a different pace. Just like the grass slows due to summer’s heat, so we also slow during these next few months of ordinary time as it’s commonly known. That’s not to say we become complacent in our rhythms or trajectory. It is only to agree that everything is seasonal, and this next season is rather ordinary. Advent will come again in due time.

There are some folks in our community who are stepping into new seasons as well that I wanted to tell you about.

In addition to welcoming sweet Hazel into the world just 12 weeks ago, Jess has also been busy completing her fourth degree in seven years, graduating this past week from Niagara University with her Master of Science in Education.

Kayla’s dad, Chris, has been battling cancer on and off for the last couple of years. He just recently got approved for a new chemo treatment, and he begins that this Thursday.

Avarie, Anugraha, and Vienna have been in Nepal for the last few weeks visiting family. They’re enjoying 5 weeks there, and they’ve been busy working with orphans, introducing Vienna to a new country and culture, and hiking any mountain top that they can climb.

Rebecca and I are 13 weeks along with the next addition to our family. Talk about being on the brink of a new season! We’re thrilled to be growing our family a little larger, and we’re thankful to have a church family to which we belong as well.

I hope to see you on Sunday, the last Sunday of this season and a preview of the next. My heart is full of expectation for what God has in store for us.

Grace and peace,
Pastor Alexander

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May 21, 2023 • 4 Minute Read
On the brink of a new season
Rebecca and I asked each other a question the other night – what’s one thing you’ve learned in the last year? It’s an odd time of year to be asking that question I know, there’s no snow on the ground or fireworks overhead. I just recently joined her by stepping into a new decade however, so we’ve been doing a bit of reflecting on the decade behind and looking ahead to the decade before us. Her answer was simple. “Everything is seasonal”, she said plainly. “Nothing lasts forever, and for everything there is a season”. It’s not hard to perceive the burgeoning season around us. Lilacs are blooming, and some of your sinuses are doing a blooming of sorts in response. The birds are singing, and maybe some of you are finding your song again too. This season in our little corner of Niagara is splendid, albeit short. The tulips have already traded their brilliant tops for wilted bottoms, the first preview of summer’s relentless heat. Everything is seasonal, it’s true. The rhythms of the earth confess that too. Our springtime bulbs wouldn’t burst with colour if it wasn’t for the rest they receive under winter’s snow. In our Christian community, we’re drawing to the end of a season as well and entering another that will lead us into summer. This past Sunday was the seventh Sunday in Easter, the last before Pentecost. This coming Sunday will mark the end of a 6-month journey that we began on the first Sunday in Advent. These seasons serve to help us mark time through the course of the year by telling the story of Jesus Christ. We have a secular calendar to coordinate our lives within a secular age, and we have a sacred calendar to form our lives through the gospel story. Beginning before Christmas and ending after Easter, this season is drawing to a close. The season ahead of us moves at a different pace. Just like the grass slows due to summer’s heat, so we also slow during these next few months of ordinary time as it’s commonly known. That’s not to say we become complacent in our rhythms or trajectory. It is only to agree that everything is seasonal, and this next season is rather ordinary. Advent will come again in due time. There are some folks in our community who are stepping into new seasons as well that I wanted to tell you about. In addition to welcoming sweet Hazel into the world just 12 weeks ago, Jess has also been busy completing her fourth degree in seven years, graduating this past week from Niagara University with her Master of Science in Education. Kayla’s dad, Chris, has been battling cancer on and off for the last couple of years. He just recently got approved for a new chemo treatment, and he begins that this Thursday. Avarie, Anugraha, and Vienna have been in Nepal for the last few weeks visiting family. They’re enjoying 5 weeks there, and they’ve been busy working with orphans, introducing Vienna to a new country and culture, and hiking any mountain top that they can climb. Rebecca and I are 13 weeks along with the next addition to our family. Talk about being on the brink of a new season! We’re thrilled to be growing our family a little larger, and we’re thankful to have a church family to which we belong as well. I hope to see you on Sunday, the last Sunday of this season and a preview of the next. My heart is full of expectation for what God has in store for us. Grace and peace, Pastor Alexander

Alexander Mills

Pastor