Scripture: Ecclesiastes 3:1 – “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.”
Last night, the Los Angeles Rams beat the New England Patriots 24-3, essentially ending any hope the Patriots had of reaching the playoffs this season. I have been a Pats fan since the metal bench bleacher, Sullivan Stadium, Ron Rust days, so I am no stranger to the Patriots being less than perfect. One of the things that people say about Coach Bill Belichick is that he knows the right time to release, trade, or otherwise cut ties with a player, dating back to the release of Lawyer Milloy in 2003. Several days later, Milloy was on the Bills and led them to victory over the Patriots 31-0. But while this was a short-term disaster, it was the right move long-term. The Patriots only lost one more time that year, winning the Super Bowl and setting up the team to become one of the greatest dynasties in professional sports. This year, it seems like that dynasty has come to the end with the loss of Tom Brady. And with the failures of the Patriots and the successes of the Buccaneers, many are questioning whether Belichick made the right decisions. Did he let Brady go too soon or too late? Was there ever a right time?
The most famous passage in pessimistic Book of Ecclesiastes is “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven”, a fact that was true even before Pete Seeger and The Byrds turned it into a number one hit in 1965. And it is true. There are times when we want certain things, like laughing and dancing. We need certain things like healing and love and peace all the time. And yet these times are not always available to us. As we strive for justice and mercy in our world, we need to be wise and choose the right time. Too early and our efforts may be thwarted; too late and we miss our opportunity for change.
Advent is the time of waiting and anticipating, and while things like Amazon or the Hallmark Channel might want it to be Christmas year round, it comes but once a year, never too early nor too late. The Patriots will choose the wrong times to make their decisions. I know that I certainly will. But God always chooses the right time, and through our prayers and our faith, we may find that right time too.
Prayer – Lord Jesus, Emmanuel to come and yet already hear, grant us the wisdom through our prayers to choose the appropriate moment to best bring about our love for you in the world. Amen.
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