FILO: Advent for the Church Technical ArtistChikamu

Today we are looking at a passage from Ecclesiastes, chapter 3, verses 1-8.

There is a time for everything,

and a season for every activity under the heavens:

a time to be born and a time to die,

a time to plant and a time to uproot,

a time to kill and a time to heal,

a time to tear down and a time to build,

a time to weep and a time to laugh,

a time to mourn and a time to dance,

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

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

a time to search and a time to give up,

a time to keep and a time to throw away,

a time to tear and a time to mend,

a time to be silent and a time to speak,

a time to love and a time to hate,

a time for war and a time for peace.

When I first read through this scripture, I thought, “Time? I don’t have time for anything!”. And I bet you can relate.

As a tech artist at your church, you have 100 different things vying for your time during the holidays. There are one hundred different urgent issues that only you can deal with. There are one hundred details related to volunteers, equipment, cue sheets, rehearsal times, set designs, snow machines, rental companies, stage setups, and so much more.

I get it. I have been there.

A swirling vortex forms around us at this time of year, and it can lead us to believe that we don’t have enough time, that no one understands, and that we are all alone. The vortex can make us believe that this whole holiday season will be complete garbage because it rests on our shoulders, and we just can’t wrap our minds around how to get it all done.

But when we can slow ourselves down long enough to step outside the swirling vortex, we can better understand that none of that is true. We can see what God is calling us to and understand what He was speaking through King Solomon in our Advent scripture for today.

Not one thing that you do today is considered random. God has appointed each and everything. It’s all been decided beforehand. Every decision and task completed has a purpose and is a part of God’s beautiful design.

His sovereignty is revealed through each moment in our lives as we put our hearts, hands, and minds toward doing good work in this world.

There is a time for all things, FILO Community.

A time to start a new project and

a time to call it quits on a project you’ve been toiling over for far too long.

A time to develop volunteers and

a time to transition a volunteer off the team serving from an unhealthy place.

A time to scratch “the way we’ve always done it” and

a time to start a new process from the ground up.

A time to address any pain or anger

and time to celebrate the wins.

A time to lean in and pursue the funk with your team and

a time to have fun and create memories together.

A time to say “Yes!” to trying new ideas and see what sticks and

a time to set boundaries and say, “Now’s not the best time. Can we wait a bit?”.

A time to sort through the piles of stuff and

a time to purge the things that don’t matter and

a time to keep the things that do matter.

A time to be slow to speak in a meeting and

a time to speak up for ideas and yourself.

A time to tackle big scary projects that are looming in the future and

a time to simply focus on the day ahead and nothing more.

A time to focus on fixing the gear and

a time to focus on the people serving on your team.

A time to invest extra hours in working at the church and

a time to invest extra hours with your family and friends at home.

A time to end one service and jump right into the next and

a time to celebrate and observe any learnings.

And most importantly

there is always a time to be confident in who God says you are.

The holiday season's hustle will shift if you’re willing to take a step outside that swirling vortex and pause long enough to evaluate what matters and what God is calling you to. He is in each and everything you put your mind to. And I promise, if you seek His will first, He will pave the path for your day ahead. He’ll make it clear.

- Chelsea Pribyl