Closing Ceremony

At the very beginning of time the Lord put lights in the sky 'as signs to mark the seasons'.

 

1 Kings 19.19-21

Reference:  v.21  So Elisha left him and went back.  He took his yoke of oxen and slaughtered them.  He burned the plowing equipment to cook the meat and gave it to the people, and they ate.  Then he set out to follow Elijah and became his attendant. (NIV Bible)

Explore:  When I left my previous job my colleagues took me out for lunch on my final day.  We ate and laughed together and they presented me with a bag of gifts to represent aspects of my work.  It was a nice way to conclude my ministry in that church.  When Elisha left his previous job it seems he took 'the people' out for lunch himself and then left, leaving nothing behind him.

Application:  Our whole life is filled with seasons; aspects of our life come and go.  Sometimes a season will finish just as you expect and sometimes a season will be abruptly cut off.  A helpful process for us to move from one season to another is to do something that symbolises the movement away from one area of your life.  A formalised ceremony is something like a funeral or a graduation ceremony.  But most of the seasons in our lives do not end so obviously.  Instead a closing ceremony could be something as simple as walking the same path to your car for the very last time, taking a photo of a landmark that you wont see again for a while or giving all your previous clothes to an opportunity shop.  Whatever 'ceremony' you choose, it can help to wrap up one season and open the door to the new.

Prayer:  Lord, at the very beginning of time you put lights in the sky 'as signs to mark the seasons'.  You are well aware of the ebb and flow of our lives.  May each season we experience help to bring us closer to you.  Amen.

What season of your life are you in at the moment?  Can you determine when it started?  Can you see a glimmer of the new season ahead?

1 Kings