“He made the moon to mark the seasons, and the sun knows when to go down” (Psalm 104:19 NIV).

Of the myriad things that I love about living in this part of the world, the beauty of the changing seasons is perhaps top of the list. One of my favorite activities on a morning off this time of year is simply to drive north on Route 87 to World’s End State Park. The drive itself, along the Loyalsock Creek, is so beautiful that I pull over from time to time and just take it all in. Arriving at the park, I leave my car in the lot. I have spent hours simply sitting on a rock beside the creek to see the beauty as summer turns to fall. Even that gives glimpses of the winter that will lead to new life in the spring.

Autumn is a season of letting go. Winter is a season of rest. Spring is a season of rebirth. Summer is a season of abundance. What if we looked at our lives in terms of this rhythm of renewal: letting go, rest, rebirth, and abundance?

This year, I may be thinking of seasons a bit more than usual. Tomorrow, I will celebrate my 50th birthday, though the kind lady who cut my hair last week thought, by my gray hair, that I may already be retired. When one turns 50, there is an appropriate tendency to pause and reflect on the seasons of life. There is something to be said about having lived half a century, with the better part of another half century, God willing, in front of you.

I have learned a good deal in 50 years on this earth, more than half of those spent in Christian ministry. Some of that came by formal education. Some of that came through life experience: learning how to be a son, a husband, a father, and a friend in different seasons, not only of my life but of those whom I love. Some came through work, walking with three different congregations as a pastor and a season as a judicatory leader overseeing many pastors and congregations. And some came in the quiet moments alongside the creek, when God and I have had many conversations about life and pain, joy and heartache, purpose and people.

And now, fully immersed in the season, I realize that there is still so much to learn. What to let go. How to rest. What does rebirth look like? Where can I see abundance all around me? That learning, that letting go, and that looking forward are gifts that God has given me in this season. I hope that each of you can find it as well.