Chuck Hartman

During a Christmas holiday classroom party, a young girl came to her teacher with a gift bag that was unmistakably re-used. As naïve as any unpretentious child, the youngster stated,

King Solomon recorded in Ecclesiastes 3:1 that for everything, there is a season and a time for every matter under heaven. In the natural world, we have entered the fall season. As we consider autumn, I am reminded of a beautiful poem By Joyce Rupp titled “A Prayer for Autumn Days:

King Solomon recorded that for everything, there is a season and a time for every matter under heaven (Ecclesiastes 3:1). In the natural, we have entered the fall season.

“Fall,” according to Merriam-Webster, means to move or extend downward, to subside or abate. Interestingly, the dictionary discusses fall as in “one fell” or “to extend downward,” not “fall” as in the season. Yet this definition is fitting.

I was reading an article titled “Letting Your Leaves Fall” by Rachel Wojo. In her article, she writes:

Autumn, one of God’s four seasons, is a breathtaking display of His creative power. The leaves, adorned in shades of red, orange, yellow, and dark burgundy — almost purple — are a testament to the exquisite artistry of our Heavenly Father. The beauty of this season, so vividly captured by many human artists on their canvases, fills us with awe.

Autumn, one of God’s four seasons, is a breathtaking display of His creative power. The leaves, adorned in shades of red, orange, yellow and dark burgundy — almost purple —

James, Jesus’ half-brother, wrote in James 1:17 that every good and perfect gift comes down from the “Father of Lights.” Autumn is undoubtedly one of God’s good and perfect gifts. Still, autumn is like a matryoshka doll — a significant gift filled with smaller gifts.

Surprisingly to some, the Bible contains some eerie stories. Scripture has enough spooky tales to keep M. Night Shyamalan open-eyed all night long.

Jesus said in John 15:13, “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.”