Welcome to Highlands United Church!

 “To everything there is a season and a time for every purpose under heaven…” Eccl. 3

As I step out the door in the morning I can feel it in the air. Summer is over, and a new season is upon us. The nuthatches, chickadees, juncos, sparrows and their friends know it in their bones. They gather with an urgency that makes me laugh out loud. The tomatoes are not quite as certain. They cling to the vine in the hope that some little bit of blush might still be possible.

But I know it. The season has changed. The routine of gathering regularly is settling in; the people I am used to seeing are around more. The young vacationers are back home and in the next week or two the older vacationers, taking advantage of September, will be home. Fall is here.

This fall feels different though. It may have something to do with being in a place for a few cycles of season I find myself noticing the patterns of things more. It is like being in a place over seasons lets you dig down into life to a deeper layer and feel the significance of life more deeply.

And what do I feel in this season? I feel the preciousness of a community of faith that roots itself in a God of radical love and acceptance. Let us celebrate that. I feel the incredible honour of living and working among people who want to be real with each other. Let us never take that for granted. I feel the amazing gift of talking about the spiritual life and how we journey through it. Let us never tire of hearing another’s genuine journey. I taste the sweetness of the apple, I smell the pungent last blast of the rose, I hear voices singing together in unison, harmony, or even discord, I feel the surrounding arms of love, and see colour more clearly. What an abundant, rich, holy life we are given! In this season, “taste and see that God is good!”

Grace and Peace, Will

Rev. Will Sparks
Lead Minister, Highlands United Church