This is my favorite time of year. The weather begins to cool down. On Friday nights we find ourselves cheering for our team. Excitement is high and you can just feel the electricity in the air. We have Friday night football, Saturday football, Sunday football, Monday night football, Thursday night football…any others? It’s also a time of year we “close” things…pools, cottages, campers, motorcycles, and boats. So it’s sort of a beginning and ending time of year.

Now I realize that this cool weather is not here to stay. I’m writing this on Wednesday and by the time you read this it will have warmed up at least ten degrees already. But I just can’t help but love the fall. One of the reasons I am so over-the-top when September rolls around is because I’m a pastor, and this time of year brings to life built-in signals for us all.

Let me give you an example: bear hibernation. Who exactly tells a bear when it’s time to hibernate? Are park rangers extra busy because they are running around the woods with a bullhorn shouting, “It’s time to hibernate!” Or maybe, the “Hibernation Fairy” is flying around the woods sprinkling fairy dust on all the bears. No, nobody makes an announcement and there is no such thing as a “Hibernation Fairy”…bears just hibernate.

I see this played out in the church. Vacations are over. Kids are going back to school. Families are getting back into a routine. The beach is a lonely, cold place. Generally it’s a good time for the church because everyone is coming back. It’s just exciting…I love it! I’m not saying that most people are absent from church all summer, not at all. I just notice people missing for a week or two because of family plans and other obligations in the summer that don’t happen any other time of year.

What I’m trying to say is that I love to see you all on Sunday morning. It refreshes my soul and brings a smile to my face. My point is that you never know what your presence will do for someone; you never know what a kind word will mean. Just being present may be the encouragement someone needs to get them through a difficult week. I hope you don’t take that for granted.

Grace & Peace, Scott