“Everything Has Its Time
For everything there is a season and a time for every matter under heaven:
a time to be born and a time to die;
a time to plant and a time to pluck up what is planted;
a time to kill and a time to heal;
a time to break down and a time to build up;
a time to weep and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn and a time to dance;
a time to throw away stones and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing;
a time to seek and a time to lose;
a time to keep and a time to throw away;
a time to tear and a time to sew;
a time to keep silent and a time to speak;
a time to love and a time to hate;
a time for war and a time for peace.” Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 (NRSVUE)
Dear Grace United Church,
When was the last time you were able to make the time to reflect on these words, Ecclesiastes 3:1-8?
We do not really take the time to reflect on the Bible as much as we used to, even though the entire Bible is so readily available online in many different translations and languages. We are so busy with life — how to make ends meet, how can we make people come and fill up the pews, how to bounce back from the global trauma of COVID?
We all want answers, decisions made yesterday and financial freedom that the world makes us think that it is possible with rising prices of necessities of life. Truly, nothing in life is easy. Living, Loving, Caring, and Dying, they all come with a price. The price is how to love unconditionally, and when the time comes, how to let go with Peace.
As I start writing this reflection just two days after our United Church’s 99th birthday (June 10, 2024), I am wondering how many of us have experienced losses recently or a while ago, but the pain is still raw and heavy to bear. Just two days ago, yes, on United Church’s birthday, June 10th, I had the honour of accompanying a family, friend and neighbour from Laval, Que., at a graveside service, helping them to lay to rest a son, a brother, a life partner, at the age of 52. Two days before that, I attended the celebration of life of Marie, my cousin’s wife. She was a woman of faith, mother of three and a Mamina (grandmother) of five. But at the age of seventeen, just a few months after her marriage to my cousin, in the late summer of 1982, when my parents sent me to Cyprus, to find a safe space for me to go to boarding school, Marie kept me close to her sight and heart within the caravan of family members who left war-torn Lebanon by ship to get to this small Mediterranean Island, Cyprus, to find a safe haven.
Beloved, the story is long and complicated, and after forty-two years, my memory cannot pin down exact details, but this reflection is not about those details, but about what I remember – I remember LOVE, which I received from Marie.
Marie and her family moved to the Cambridge, Ont., area in 2006 and it was truly a gift to have my beloved cousin’s family only a four-hour drive away instead of many hours of flight to Lebanon, even if you can get there without any fear of being stuck in a Middle East conflict while you are visiting. For the last eighteen years, we did our best to see each other at least a few times a year and celebrate life together.
No matter when I called Marie and told her we are in the neighbourhood and we would love to stop by for a cup of coffee, she would have a banquet table ready with Armenian BBQ, with all the trimmings. But my memories of her are NOT limited to the food and the laughter we have shared, my memories of her also include her love for God and Persistence of Praise until her last breath.
Beloved, today, I am not writing these words just to fill in the pages of this newsletter or to have something to do in my busy schedule – I am writing these words because I want to share with you just one thought that I heard Pastor Jeff, lead minister at Calvary Church in Cambridge, told us. He said that when Marie’s family asked her where she would like to go one more time, before this physical world is concluded for her? Her answer was: “I Just want to go to church, one more time.”
Beloved, where would you want to go one more time before your physical life is concluded?
Would you rather be in the Presence of the Lord in Church with your God Family Members?
Dear Grace United Church, life is fragile, handle it with Love and Care. Life is short, do not be afraid to share unconditional love with all people and make God your priority. The passage from Ecclesiastes reminds us that there is the good and the bad in life, and that is reality. Life and death are the two sides of our existence, like a coin – but God has given us the freedom to make our priority list. It is up to us to choose wisely.
Your Servant-Leader,
Rev. Takouhi Demirdjian-Petro B.A., B.Th., M.Div.
Thank-you,Rev.Takiuhi.These words remind me so very much of how fleeting life is and how we should do our utmost each day to live fully and to never take that day for granted.I am so grateful to have met you.I only wish I lived closer to Grace United.In Jesus’ love,Freida L.
So wonderful to hear from you, Freida…
I am so glad I have you in my life as well…
You are a blessing and whenever we run into each other, you bring me JOY!
Know that you are a Blessing!
Takouhi
Very meaningful and truly a message from the heart.
Thank for this blessing…
Thanks for the GIFT of who you are, Janet…
Blessings,
Takouhi