Minister's Musing

Rev. Mark Ward
Unitarian Universalist Church of Asheville

October 2009

There is always something about autumn that wakes me up. After drifting in the languor of summer, the cooler temperatures pull me out of myself and whatever castles I may be building in my head and bring me back to the present moment. And to be honest, I welcome it. Everything in the garden has gotten all leggy and withered, and, even ahead of those first killing frosts, I’m ready to tear out last season’s plantings and begin preparing beds for the year ahead. And, of course, life at church gets busy again. We are back at all the tasks involved in building a community that supports the work of spiritual growth within ourselves, between each other and engaged with the larger world.

Part of what wakes me up, I think, is the recognition that with the changes that autumn signals comes loss. In the natural rhythms of the world, fall is when things die back.

We become more aware of the passing of time, that this moment is ours, but then it passes on, and that in time all of us will pass on. So, that’s good reason for us to hold this moment as precious and to focus on how we might use it to advance what brings us hope.

There are times to drift, relax, go with the flow, and times to take hold of the moment and use what power we have at our disposal to influence the drift of things. Autumn serves as a reminder not only that our time is limited, but also that our time is ours. We are in charge of how we use it. So, as our church year gets under way, let me invite you to make use of your time here in this intentional community. Bring your gifts, your inspiration, your epiphanies to help us realize the kind of life we want to live and the kind of world in which we want to live.