September 26, 2025
Tis the Season
This is the first week of fall, the beginning of the autumnal days determined by a time the earth is neither tilted away from nor toward the sun. This is one of the two days each year when we have equal hours of daylight and darkness. This year that was September 22. There are other ways one could determine the onset of autumn. For example, fall could begin at the start of the college football season, in that case it began August 23 this year. You could think of it as the beginning of the new school year, but that could vary widely, even within a family. It might be better to go with the day Starbucks rolls out its “pumpkin spice” products, this year that was August 26, about the same as using college football as a reference.
The point of all this is that we are in a transitional time from summer to fall, and each year there are many changes that take place in this transition. We see than and sense them, but pay little attention to them because they have become expected and familiar. One of them occurs in our worship. Our church follows the Revised Common Lectionary for the reading and preaching of the scriptures. This is an ecumenical resource used by Christian churches of all types all around the world. It was created by drawing from a number of prior lectionaries from various church traditions.
In the late 1930s, a Protestant group in the United States known as the Federal Council of Churches suggested the creation of Kingdomtide as part of the church year. This was a name for the last months of the Pentecost season, otherwise known as fall. The season of Pentecost by itself lasts half of the year, this was half of that. It was named so because the texts in the latter half of the season of Pentecost focus less on the church in the power of the Holy Spirit, and more on the challenges and demands of being a follower of Christ bringing in the Kingdom. Often the texts, in particular the gospel texts, were hard—even harsh—to hear. Our current lectionary reflects this tradition as well.
One way you might be able to tell that fall has fallen is the words of scripture begin to have a cool, even chilly tone to them. The texts in these months we are asked to reflect upon in our worship lead up to Reign of Christ Sunday, also known as Christ the King Sunday (where “Kingdomtide” comes from), or in Scandinavian Lutheran traditions, including our Mission Covenant tradition, Judgement Sunday—yikes!
The texts of fall build up to the climatic conclusion that, in fact, we cannot live up to the expectations of a being Christ’s disciple; we are not perfect people. (Matthew 5:48) We fail. We sin. We lose faith. What hope is there then?
Our hope is found in the promise of the new liturgical year: that God has graciously sent the Son as an intercessor on our behalf, to redeem us and keep us in, literally, the good graces of God. And God’s Son will come again to reign over all creation. Advent and Christmas begin the new church year, but to come to the grace and hope of God’s promises in Christ found in Advent and Christmas, we as a church must journey through the harsh reality of our human nature and its limits to grow in our reliance on God’s leading through the Holy Spirit.
In the end, there is grace. That is always the first word and the last word of the gospel. We don’t get what we deserve, we get God’s unqualified, unmerited love.
As the days get shorter, and many of the lessons read in worship become more challenging, remember that the light of God in Christ is coming and has already come.
For now, enjoy these autumn days and all they offer, knowing the darkness will always yield to the light.
With audacious hope,
~ Pastor Todd
P.S. I will be on a silent retreat beginning Sunday afternoon and returning Tuesday evening. In case of emergency, Pastor Lauren will be able to reach me. I covet your prayers during my time of prayer.