August 26, 2026

"Fall, leaves, fall; die, flowers, away;

Lengthen night and shorten day;

Every leaf speaks bliss to me

Fluttering from the autumn tree."

Emily Brontë, from her poem "Fall, leaves, fall"

As the book of Ecclesiastes famously says, "For everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven." Whether we are ready or not, our priorities and purposes are shifting in this last full week of August. College students are

busy decorating dorms and buying books for a new semester. Families are buying school supplies. Woodpiles are being stocked for the coming of cooler weather. Teachers and preachers and church committees are planning for a new year of lessons, worship, service, and fellowship. Whatever shape the turning season may be taking in your life, one thing will never change, and that is the fact that the living God is right there with you.

As we enter into this new time under heaven,

may this be our prayer:

O Lord my God, as days grow shorter and nights grow longer,

help us to find peace and hope in the coming season.

In everything that may come, help us find your presence and purpose.

In the things that excite us, may we feel your bliss.

In the things that worry us, may we feel your comfort.

In the things that make us stronger, may we feel your humility.

In the things that make us weaker, may we feel your strength.

In the things that inspire us, may we feel your joy.

In the things that frustrate us, may we feel your peace.

As the seasons turn, and our purposes change, whatever may come,