This post is part of the Family Blueprint series.
Welcome
Good morning New Journey!
If you don’t know me, I am Pastor Brian, the lead pastor here at New Journey and I’d like to welcome you to our church family. We would appreciate if everyone would fill out a connection card so we might have a record of your visit today. Also, there are a few questions on the back which would be helpful for us to have the answer to. Specifically, there are two big events coming up toward the end of March and we’d like to know how to prepare for them.
More details will be shared after the five-minute break, but please do look at the back of your connection card and mark them accordingly.
I’m exciting about our message this morning, it’s the final installment of our Family Blueprint series. We’re going to talk about seasons of life. I’ve been thinking about that a lot lately. I walked to church from my house this morning and could hear the birds chirping and Spring beginning to break through. It’s the season of time change, as we are all experiencing right now, and also, it was my daughter’s birthday yesterday and I had to share a photo.
As you engage in worship this morning, keep in mind this idea of seasons. What keeps us rooted throughout seasons of life, throughout change? What does it mean to love God in different circumstances? Let’s pray.
[prayer]
Message
I am very excited to bring to the stage this morning twelve individuals, actually six couples, to share with you on a topic the Teaching Team and I felt was important to engage with. It’s the topic of Family Stages, or Seasons of Life.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 says,
For everything there is a season,
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 NLT
a time for every activity under heaven.
A time to be born and a time to die.
A time to plant and a time to harvest.
A time to kill and a time to heal.
A time to tear down and a time to build up.
A time to cry and a time to laugh.
A time to grieve and a time to dance.
A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones.
A time to embrace and a time to turn away.
A time to search and a time to quit searching.
A time to keep and a time to throw away.
A time to tear and a time to mend.
A time to be quiet and a time to speak.
A time to love and a time to hate.
A time for war and a time for peace.
We consider in these verses that in the span of a human life, it is not all pleasure, it’s sometimes hardship. Yet, it is not all pain, it’s sometimes laughter. There are stages, or seasons of life. This is especially true as it relates to family.
These couples are going to respond to some questions and help us get a grasp of the scope of life. For some of you, there will be a reminiscing on stages past. For others, it will be a look forward to seasons coming. For each of us, it will be a time of reflecting on these three questions:
What are the unique challenges in this season of life?
What are the unique blessings in this season of life?
What does it look like to be faithful to God in this season?
Perhaps you’ll find through today’s discussion a bit of hope, a it of challenge, and most importantly, insight in how to serve God during this season of life.
Let’s begin with Teri and Dakotah here…
[Slides for each couple. Just be intuitive!]
Amen.
Can we please thank these wonderful couples?
Band, please come on up at this time.
Closing
Church, I don’t know what season you are in, whether it’s a “time to mourn” or a “time to laugh” season. But, I can tell you this—there are special blessings for you, to go along with your challenges. And there is a unique way in which you can be glorifying God.
As we take up our morning giving this morning, let’s make this final song “10,000 Reasons” our prayer. In every stage and circumstance of life, God never changes and so we always have reason to praise.
Benediction
Rom. 15:5-6 – May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
