Princeton Presbyterian Church (EPC) Sermon # 1713
December 28, 2025
Ecclesiastes 3.1-8 Click here for audio worship.
Dr. Ed Pettus
(This is an extended outline, not a verbatim transcript.)
“Time After Time”
For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace.
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A Season For Everything
What would be your response to the question, “what is your favorite season?” There are times that people favor for a variety of reasons. Some might say, “my favorite season is Springtime when it is time to plant flowers and enjoy warmer weather after a long winter.” Others might favor Summer for the warmest weather and outdoor activities. Another loves Fall when the leaves are turning. Some love Winter with snow and warming up at the fireplace. I would guess that most who live here in Princeton appreciate that we get to experience all four seasons. If you live in Florida you get 3 days of winter and 362 days of summer. I read this quote from Jeff Foxworthy, “If you know all four seasons: almost winter, winter, still winter, and road construction, you may live in Canada.”
There are other seasons we enjoy. Football season, baseball season, basketball, and, of course the best one of all, golf season! We also speak of seasons of life. As we age we speak of particular seasons. We will sometimes define those seasons from our youth, or through education in preparation for a career, or the season of raising children, or a season of retirement. Those seasons of life might be defined by us or shaped by our circumstances. A season of illness might invade our seasonal plans and yet, through that time, we might grow to new levels of faith.
Ecclesiastes 3.1 says for everything there is a season. In one sense I think of the Bible revealing the rhythms of life that we might define as seasons. Life’s seasons are often compared to the seasons of nature.
Spring can be a season of life where we might experience new growth or renewal. Spiritual awareness might spring forth in new insights or awakening. Like the old spring cleaning urge in our homes, we might also have an urge to do some spring cleaning in our hearts. I think of 2 Corinthians 5.17 where Paul speaks of being a new creation.
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”
Summer might represent a spiritual time of abundance and enjoyment of blessings.
(2 Corinthians 9:8) “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.”
Autumn or Fall could symbolize the harvest, a time of gathering and giving thanks.
Psalm 106.1, “Praise the Lord! Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!”
Winter might be seen as a season of waiting or even a darker time of life. Perhaps a time of journey through the valley rather than the mountaintop. Like the hours of winter with more darkness, so too this could be a spiritual time of winter darkness. St. John of the Cross, the sixteenth century Christian mystic, gave us the phrase “dark night of the soul”. His writing reflected the times we might go through a period of darkness and yet affirming this can be a time when we experience most the light of God’s love.
Isaiah 50.10, “Who among you fears the Lord and obeys the voice of his servant? Let him who walks in darkness and has no light trust in the name of the Lord and rely on his God.”
For everything there is a season. We need not despair over the rough seasons in life and we can appreciate every season, in nature, in sport, in life, and in spiritual life.
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Time for Every Matter
It follows that, “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.” Seasons give us time for all matters. Life is filled with these times: birth/death, weeping/laughing, scattering/gathering, silence/speaking, and all that the poet gives us in this list. We do not always respect time. We too often think do not have enough time. We hurry when we should be patient or waste time when we should be expedient. People will often observe that time slows down in the South. I remember learning as a youngster that we move a little slower in the South and time may have different meanings. We might say we are “fixin' to” get to it, whatever it might be. That is a time frame that could be right away or who knows when?
The Bible has some important concepts of time. In the Greek language there are two kinds of time, chronos and kairos. We are familiar with chronos as actual time in the sense of it is nearly 12 o’clock. If you wear a chronograph watch that is time that measures seconds, minutes, and hours. Kairos time is a moment in time as in, “that time we spent at the beach.” Chronos is linear and kairos is qualitative. Ecclesiastes is revealing kairos time. It is all about the seasons that are not measured by the clock, but by events and circumstances. The times that we go through when we determine if it is time to embrace or refrain from embracing.
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Time After Time
We might also recognize the times we experience as negative or positive. On the negative side: things like doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. Perhaps in a struggle with sin we would seek a time to repent. There are times when we might ask God to change our hearts and minds to more Kingdom awareness. On the positive side: we could pay closer attention to each verse in Ecclesiastes and recognize the time, discern the time, honor Sabbath time, respect rhythms of time, know that in time, Jesus will return, and make the best use of the time. Ephesians 5.15-17, “15Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, 16making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. 17Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” That could be seen as both chronos and kairos time! Paul also reminds us in Romans 5.6, “For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.” Just in time! God’s time. The right time.
Ecclesiastes 3.1-8 moves us from looking at the whole of our lives and into the seasons within the whole. There is a time for all things. It begins with the whole of life, a time to be born and a time to die. We are all under this time, some longer than others, but all of us limited in our time on the earth. This section of the chapter is often read at funerals for believers and non-believers alike. Part of the reason is because of its poetic nature and rhythm that reflects all of life. It give us pause to reflect on the seasons and matters of life that come with our years. All who have experienced many seasons and times will often advise those younger about what to expect throughout the seasons of life. This is especially true when that first child is expected and those who have had a season of rearing children will talk about how it changes your life in many ways and brings certain seasons of life to light in new ways. Lately I’ve been getting the grandfather discussion and how that season changes us once again.
Between birth and death, between the beginning and the end, we will experience one time after another. Time after time. In Ecclesiastes 3.2-8 we can note that some times are expressed in opposites while others in that one is better than the other, depending on the circumstance. There are those that oppose one another like a time to kill and a time to heal or a time to love and a time to hate. They could represent a pattern of good times and bad times. They might also speak to each having an appropriate combination, for instance a time to love one another and to hate sin. Love and hate are coupled in a way that demonstrates the tough love we have to sometimes give if we are to truly love.
Other pairs are not as dramatic but find their place. A time to speak and a time to keep silent are not necessarily good or bad, either way, but one or the other may be the best to offer. One question I received often is what to say in times of grief and loss. We are unsure what to say but feel like we have to say something to those who grieve. I encourage that it is okay to remain silent even when we feel we must say something. Most of the time our presence is more important than any words we could possibly offer.
As we look to another year approaching, we will have times of discernment. When is it more appropriate to cast stones away or gather them up? When should we keep silent and when should we speak? Between the start and the finish of our lives, there are seasons that last a short time and others for a long time. Seasons that require discernment and, through them all, a call to faith and hope as we navigate all the seasons given us. These seasons are also tied to relationships we share and cherish as we relate to one another in the context of family or friendships or fellowship with other believers. These seasons reflect times to celebrate in those relationships as well as times to grieve with one another. The seasons show us that life is filled with ups and downs, with beauty and with flaws. Life is not a monotonous steady flow, but has its peaks and valleys. At the heights are planting, building up, healing, dancing, laughing, but on the other end of the spectrum are the valleys – plucking up, mourning, weeping, losing. This is our life, filled with the good and the bad, with righteousness and sin, with wholeness and frailty. There is a time for all things. We come this week upon a new year, 2026. That is chronos time. What kairos times await us? Cherish the moments in the gift of seasons and times. And give thanks to the Lord. Amen.
