Day 4 of Lent: March 8, 2025

From Ashes to Alleluia: Trusting the Seasons of God

1.  There is a time for everything,    and a season for every activity under the heavens:

2.   a time to be born and a time to die,

    a time to plant and a time to uproot,

3.  a time to kill and a time to heal,

    a time to tear down and a time to build,

4   a time to weep and a time to laugh,

    a time to mourn and a time to dance,

5   a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,

    a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,

6   a time to search and a time to give up,

    a time to keep and a time to throw away,

7   a time to tear and a time to mend,

    a time to be silent and a time to speak,

8 a time to love and a time to hate,

    a time for war and a time for peace.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 (NIV)

Life moves in ways and with rhythms we do not always understand. There are times of joy and sorrow, times of growth and loss, despair and happiness, times when we are called to act and times when we must simply wait. Ecclesiastes 3 reminds us that every season has its place under heaven. And the people say that ashes of grief and struggle are as much a part of our journey as the alleluias of restoration and joy.

This passage is often read at funerals, moments when we grapple with the reality that life is fleeting and full of transitions. But it is not just a meditation on mortality—it is a declaration that all of life, even its difficulties, falls within God’s sovereign purpose. There is a time to mourn, but there will also be a time to dance. The hard seasons do not last forever, nor do they fall outside of God’s care.

Now Ecclesiastes was likely written during the later years of King Solomon’s reign or compiled during Israel’s post-exilic period. It reflects a time of deep reflection, when the people of God had experienced both prosperity and suffering, exile and restoration. The author, known as the Teacher (Hebrew: Qoheleth), wrestles with the complexities of life, acknowledging that much of what we chase—wealth, power, even wisdom—is really meaningless apart from God.

The structure of Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 follows a poetic pattern common in ancient Near Eastern wisdom literature, emphasizing balance. Each pair of opposites—birth and death, planting and uprooting, weeping and laughing—reflects the ebb and flow of life’s seasons. This passage does not endorse fatalism but invites us to trust that God is present in every time and season.

For the ancient Israelites, this message was deeply relevant. They had seen the rise and fall of kingdoms, experienced exile and return, and faced uncertainty about the future. Yet Ecclesiastes affirms that all things happen within the divine order of God’s creation.

Lent is a season when we acknowledge the reality of time and its impact on our lives. We reflect on where we have been, where we are, and where God is leading us. It is a time to let go of what no longer serves us and to open ourselves to what God is planting anew.

So this leads to a tough question. What season are you in? Are you in a time of mourning or renewal? Are you in a season of waiting or action?

No matter where you find yourself, this passage reminds us that every moment—whether joyful or painful—is held by God. We may not always understand why things happen as they do, but we are not abandoned in the process.

Just as winter gives way to spring, Lent leads us to Easter. The ashes of loss and lament are not the final word. Resurrection is coming. But the hope of Easter does not erase the reality of struggle—it redeems it. We do not skip over the hard seasons, but we trust that God is at work within them and with us aw well.

As we continue through this Lenten journey, may we trust that God is present in every season. May we grieve when it is time to grieve and rejoice when it is time to rejoice. And may we hold onto the promise that, in God’s promised day, the ashes will go away forever and lead to permanent alleluias.

Prayer

Sovereign God, you are Lord over all seasons of life. In times of joy and in times of sorrow, help us to trust in your presence. Give us the wisdom to embrace the moment we are in, knowing that you are leading us toward renewal and hope. May we walk with faith through every time and season, confident that your love remains steadfast. Amen.