August 10, 2026 • 19 mins
Have you ever wondered what spiritual season you're in—and how God is blessing you right where you are? Listen to discover how God walks with you through every season of life, leading you toward the eternal spring He has prepared for you. #StJohnsBuffalo #CovertoCoverBible #FaithJourney #Psalm84 #EverySeason
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(00:02):
Hello, this is Pastor Ryan Clark.
You are listening to a message from St.
John's Lutheran Church in Buffalo, Minnesota. 4 00:00:14,634.897959184 --> 00:00:19,724.897935342 Oh Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall declare your praises in the name of Jesus. 5 00:00:20,244.897916268 --> 00:00:20,754.898025941 Amen. 6 00:00:22,714.897825669 --> 00:00:40,354.896959184 The other day, the air conditioning unit for the main portion of my house was feeling a little bit under the weather, and since the actual weather out during that time featured highs in the low to mid-90s, large portions of my house also featured low, highs in the low to mid-90s. 7 00:00:40,364.896959184 --> 00:00:41,374.896959184 It was hot. 8 00:00:42,644.896959184 --> 00:00:56,514.896959184 And as I was sitting there roasting, I couldn't help but find myself longing for the season of summer to end and the season of fall to begin, and I am not alone in that regard. 9 00:00:57,234.896959184 --> 00:01:15,454.895959184 According to a recent study, 42% of people declare correctly that autumn is indeed the best season, followed by 25% saying spring, 24% saying summer, and just 9%, and honestly still seems a little high to me, saying that winter is the best season. 10 00:01:15,454.895959184 --> 00:01:18,254.897959184 Any winter enjoyers out there? This is Minnesota after all. 11 00:01:18,254.897959184 --> 00:01:18,754.899959184 Good for you. 12 00:01:18,754.899959184 --> 00:01:21,394.896959184 That is about 1% in this audience, yeah. 13 00:01:23,498.897959184 --> 00:01:26,318.897959184 Well, as I looked at this poll, it really made sense to me. 14 00:01:26,318.897959184 --> 00:01:30,48.897959184 After all, there are so many things to enjoy about the autumn. 15 00:01:30,398.897959184 --> 00:01:33,228.897959184 The temperatures are perfect as far as I'm concerned. 16 00:01:33,598.896959184 --> 00:01:37,448.897959184 The leaves changing colors, you've got those great fall foods. 17 00:01:37,458.897959184 --> 00:01:40,808.89795918 Give me some apple pie, give me some pumpkin bread right now. 18 00:01:41,48.89795918 --> 00:01:41,948.89695918 It's so good. 19 00:01:42,598.89695918 --> 00:01:47,58.89695918 The 25% have a pretty good point about spring, too, as far as I'm concerned. 20 00:01:47,438.89795918 --> 00:01:51,48.89695918 The sun is finally coming out for more than an hour or two each day. 21 00:01:51,238.89695918 --> 00:01:52,808.89695918 The ground is thawing. 22 00:01:52,808.89695918 --> 00:01:54,858.89595918 The flowers are beginning to bloom. 23 00:01:55,368.89795918 --> 00:01:59,328.89495918 24% saying summer, they have a good point as well. 24 00:01:59,708.89795918 --> 00:02:07,828.89595918 So many hours of daylight to enjoy the outdoors, maybe by the lake, and it's so warm at night, you can enjoy the outdoors by the fire. 25 00:02:08,808.89595918 --> 00:02:14,518.89595918 And honestly, if you think about it hard enough, the 9% have a few good points about the winter as well. 26 00:02:14,778.89795918 --> 00:02:16,158.89595918 There are some great things there. 27 00:02:16,158.89595918 --> 00:02:23,558.89795918 We get to celebrate Christmas, the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the New Year celebration, skiing, sledding. 28 00:02:23,858.89595918 --> 00:02:25,128.89795918 Let's go ice fishing. 29 00:02:25,128.89795918 --> 00:02:29,658.89595918 There are some blessings in each and every season if you think about it hard enough. 30 00:02:31,208.89795918 --> 00:02:37,908.89395918 Of course, what I've found over the years is many people don't tend to focus on the blessings as the calendar turns to the next season. 31 00:02:37,908.89495918 --> 00:02:40,128.89795918 They tend to focus on the negatives. 32 00:02:40,428.89895918 --> 00:02:42,538.89795918 Maybe you know someone like this. 33 00:02:43,88.89495918 --> 00:02:45,48.89795918 You'll say, "Yay, here comes spring. 34 00:02:45,48.89795918 --> 00:02:45,858.89695918 Let's enjoy." 35 00:02:45,858.89995918 --> 00:02:48,988.89295918 And they say, "You can keep it because here come the bugs. 36 00:02:49,48.89395918 --> 00:02:51,218.89395918 Wake me up when it's the next season." 37 00:02:52,158.89495918 --> 00:02:52,808.89895918 So you do. 38 00:02:52,828.89295918 --> 00:02:54,288.89695918 You say, "Hey, it's summer. 39 00:02:54,288.89695918 --> 00:02:55,708.89495918 Let's go outside. 40 00:02:55,708.89795918 --> 00:02:57,648.89795918 This is amazing, all this sunlight." 41 00:02:57,648.89795918 --> 00:02:59,468.89595918 And they say, "You can keep it. 42 00:02:59,498.89895918 --> 00:03:01,198.89595918 It's just too hot outside. 43 00:03:01,458.89795918 --> 00:03:02,758.89395918 I'll stay in here, thanks. 44 00:03:02,778.89795918 --> 00:03:05,88.89695918 Wake me up when it's the next season." 45 00:03:05,878.89595918 --> 00:03:06,478.89795918 So you do. 46 00:03:06,498.89895918 --> 00:03:07,968.89395918 You say, "Hey, it's autumn. 47 00:03:07,968.89395918 --> 00:03:08,778.89295918 Let's enjoy. 48 00:03:08,778.89795918 --> 00:03:09,838.89295918 Let's go to the orchard. 49 00:03:09,838.89495918 --> 00:03:13,518.89695918 Let's get some of those great fall foods that Pastor Ryan was talking about. 50 00:03:13,708.89795918 --> 00:03:15,118.89495918 What a time to be alive." 51 00:03:15,848.89695918 --> 00:03:18,508.89595918 And they say, "It's autumn already? Don't remind me. 52 00:03:18,518.89595918 --> 00:03:33,770.89795918 Now I have to watch as the Vikings ruin every single weekend for me with all their losing," especially when they play the Detroit Lions, right? "Hey, wake me up when it's the next season." 53 00:03:33,770.89795918 --> 00:03:34,690.89795918 So you do. 54 00:03:34,830.89795918 --> 00:03:36,970.89795918 Hey, it's winter, Christmastime. 55 00:03:36,970.89795918 --> 00:03:37,940.89795918 Let's go sledding. 56 00:03:37,940.89795918 --> 00:03:39,120.89795918 Let's go ice fishing. 57 00:03:39,120.89795918 --> 00:03:41,870.89795918 And they say, "Winter already? Don't remind me. 58 00:03:41,870.89795918 --> 00:03:42,530.89795918 It's just..." 59 00:03:42,860.89695918 --> 00:03:44,420.89795918 Well, you knew what they were gonna say to that. 60 00:03:44,920.89795918 --> 00:03:46,40.89795918 "It's too cold out. 61 00:03:46,50.89795918 --> 00:03:48,350.89795918 Wake me up when it's the next season." 62 00:03:50,538.89795918 --> 00:04:07,298.89695918 We've been spending a lot of time in the Book of Psalms in our two-year Bible read-through, haven't we? And this week, we came across a Psalm that I really enjoyed, Psalm 84, and it's all about how God is with us on our pilgrimage, blessing us in every single season. 63 00:04:07,298.89695918 --> 00:04:11,78.89695918 And whether or not you realize it, you are on a pilgrimage right now. 64 00:04:12,138.89695918 --> 00:04:25,768.89695918 A pilgrimage, simply put, is a special, purposeful journey to a holy place or site, and we are all on a pilgrimage, and I want us to see in this Psalm that God is blessing us in every single spiritual season of that pilgrimage. 65 00:04:25,998.89795918 --> 00:04:27,888.89695918 That's the context of Psalm 84. 66 00:04:28,398.89595918 --> 00:04:30,628.89595918 We could even call it a Psalm of pilgrimage. 67 00:04:30,978.89795918 --> 00:04:44,598.89695918 It describes a Jewish person in the Old Testament making their journey to Jerusalem, and the psalmist is watching as God is blessing this person, no matter what the conditions are outside, no matter what the season. 68 00:04:45,418.89595918 --> 00:04:52,358.89595918 Now, a Jewish person was expected, in the old covenant, to make three journeys to Jerusalem each and every year. 69 00:04:52,888.89695918 --> 00:04:57,458.89395918 They would go in the spring for the Feast of Unleavened Bread, or we might call it the Passover. 70 00:04:57,958.89695918 --> 00:05:06,348.89995918 In the summer, they were to head to Jerusalem once again for the Feast of Weeks, and in the fall, they were to head to Jerusalem for the Feast of Tabernacles, or Booths. 71 00:05:07,58.89595918 --> 00:05:15,368.89295918 So depending on where you lived in the world, you could easily encounter any of the four seasons on your way to and from Jerusalem. 72 00:05:16,528.89695918 --> 00:05:20,778.89195918 If you were traveling to Jerusalem in the spring, it was probably gonna be pretty pleasant out. 73 00:05:20,778.89695918 --> 00:05:24,28.89695918 Pleasant days, you'd enjoy that perfect warm weather. 74 00:05:24,268.89495918 --> 00:05:29,78.89695918 You'd look around, the scenery is lush, everything is growing, the flowers are blooming. 75 00:05:29,518.89495918 --> 00:05:38,408.89495918 It's practically like a Disney movie, the psalmist says, as you watch a sparrow making her nest and a swallow making a home for herself and her young. 76 00:05:39,588.89395918 --> 00:05:49,580.89795918 It's amazing out If you were on your pilgrimage right now, and you are in what I might call a spiritual spring, you're enjoying some pretty pleasant days. 77 00:05:50,150.89795918 --> 00:05:53,190.89795918 We all go through these spiritual springs every once in a while. 78 00:05:53,710.89795918 --> 00:05:57,190.89795918 It's a time of great spiritual growth as God is working through you. 79 00:05:57,190.89795918 --> 00:06:00,10.89795918 You're feeling closer to him than ever. 80 00:06:01,70.89695918 --> 00:06:05,620.89795918 Much like the sparrow is building their nest, you've been building your nest in him. 81 00:06:06,750.89695918 --> 00:06:15,30.89695918 You've experienced, just like how the spring sun thaws out that hard winter ground, as God's Son has thawed out your hard heart. 82 00:06:15,610.89595918 --> 00:06:27,0.89795918 You've experienced Ezekiel 36:26 in full, where God promises he will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you, and remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. 83 00:06:27,900.89695918 --> 00:06:36,680.89495918 During that spiritual spring, for whatever reason, your heart is just better able to receive, and better yet, show the love of God to those around you. 84 00:06:37,900.89695918 --> 00:06:44,140.89695918 It's during that spiritual spring that you've really embraced what Jesus has done just for you on the cross. 85 00:06:44,810.89595918 --> 00:06:57,540.89495918 You truly believe that he has given you a fresh start, a clean slate, a new beginning, that you're a new creation, that through his life and then death on the cross, your sins have been forgiven, removed from you as far as the east is from the west. 86 00:06:58,90.89495918 --> 00:07:03,860.89695918 The Holy Spirit, he is active in you, helping you live a God-pleasing life, producing those spiritual fruit. 87 00:07:04,650.89295918 --> 00:07:06,300.89495918 You're experiencing God's love. 88 00:07:06,600.89695918 --> 00:07:13,430.89895918 You're living a life of joy, of peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, and the like. 89 00:07:14,300.89395918 --> 00:07:19,160.89195918 During that spiritual spring, oh, man, are you excited to spend time with God. 90 00:07:19,560.89595918 --> 00:07:22,520.89495918 You can't wait to do your two-year Bible read-through in the morning. 91 00:07:22,520.89595918 --> 00:07:32,770.89295918 You wish it was morning right now, right? Maybe you're one of those people in the spiritual spring that come up to me and say, "Pastor Ryan, I'm actually a week ahead in my Bible readings right now." 92 00:07:34,680.89895918 --> 00:07:39,130.89595918 You're experiencing what the psalmist says, at least in part, in Psalm 84:10. 93 00:07:39,130.89595918 --> 00:07:43,370.89795918 You're realizing that better is one moment with God than a thousand elsewhere. 94 00:07:43,380.89595918 --> 00:07:49,250.89295918 Spiritual spring, ooh, it's fantastic, and it is easy to see the blessings in that season. 95 00:07:51,714.89795918 --> 00:08:02,74.89795918 But on this earth at least anyways, spiritual springs will come to an end, and you will find yourself experiencing maybe the next spiritual season as summer. 96 00:08:03,274.89695918 --> 00:08:08,734.89795918 If you were traveling to Jerusalem during the summer as a pilgrim, it would have been hot. 97 00:08:09,344.89695918 --> 00:08:14,344.89695918 In fact, the psalmist says about the summer pilgrim that they go through the Valley of Baca. 98 00:08:15,154.89695918 --> 00:08:17,784.89795918 The Valley of Baca probably wasn't a real place. 99 00:08:17,784.89795918 --> 00:08:28,344.89895918 It was most likely a metaphor for a hot, dry, and difficult place to travel, and that would describe the conditions traveling to Jerusalem if you were a summer pilgrim. 100 00:08:29,824.89895918 --> 00:08:32,884.89695918 And it in part describes a spiritual summer as well. 101 00:08:33,384.89595918 --> 00:08:40,914.89895918 If you're in a spiritual summer season, you're probably not seeing quite as much fruit as you did maybe a few weeks ago during that spiritual spring. 102 00:08:40,914.89895918 --> 00:08:45,504.89595918 It's just not as easy to love and have patience and that self-control. 103 00:08:45,994.89695918 --> 00:08:49,494.89495918 Maybe you're feeling the heat of Satan's attacks a little more regularly. 104 00:08:50,164.89495918 --> 00:08:56,564.89295918 But most of all, in the spiritual summer, we're just plain old tired, weary, exhausted, maybe a little burned out. 105 00:08:56,574.89895918 --> 00:09:00,574.89695918 You're not quite as excited to spend time with God as you once were. 106 00:09:00,574.89895918 --> 00:09:15,256.89795918 Where is God's blessings in all of this? Well, the psalmist says in Psalm 84:6 about that summer pilgrim, "As they pass through the Valley of Baca, they make it a place of springs," or wells. 107 00:09:16,526.89795918 --> 00:09:27,336.89695918 Did you know that no matter where you're at in the world, it could be the driest, dustiest, sandiest place around, if you dig deep enough, you know what you're gonna find in the earth? Eventually, you will find water. 108 00:09:27,716.89695918 --> 00:09:34,736.89795918 If you dig deep enough, you will be blessed with water, and there is the same truth when it comes to our spiritual lives as well. 109 00:09:35,556.89795918 --> 00:09:44,986.89695918 Now, it's during that spiritual summer that we wanna dig deep the least so often, isn't it? We're tired, we're weary, we're burnt out, but it's so often when we need to dig deep the most. 110 00:09:45,986.89795918 --> 00:09:53,16.89795918 God wants us to dig deep into the well of scripture, into the well of prayer, into the well of our church family, and be refreshed. 111 00:09:53,586.89595918 --> 00:09:59,136.89695918 As we dig deep into the well of scripture, God meets us, and He refreshes us with His beautiful promises. 112 00:09:59,756.89795918 --> 00:10:05,326.89595918 As we dig deep into the well of prayer, we're refreshed with His loving, comforting presence. 113 00:10:06,216.89695918 --> 00:10:17,876.89595918 As we dig deep into the well of church family during those hot seasons, sometimes we're even blessed with portable air conditioning units when your house is in the low to mid-90s, like I was this past week. 114 00:10:18,986.89395918 --> 00:10:25,106.89795918 And you will absolutely be blessed with their encouragement during a hot and dreary season. 115 00:10:26,726.89995918 --> 00:10:34,406.89795918 It may be the toughest season to dig deep, but it's when we need to the most so often, and God says, "When you seek me, you will find me." 116 00:10:37,106.89795918 --> 00:10:42,345.89795918 And of course, like Kelly actually said when she was just up here, the summer will come to an end. 117 00:10:42,926.89795918 --> 00:10:47,406.89795918 And on this earth, our spiritual summers will absolutely end. 118 00:10:47,946.89795918 --> 00:10:52,786.89795918 And maybe the next spiritual season you'll pass as a pilgrim is the one of autumn. 119 00:10:54,86.89795918 --> 00:10:59,286.89795918 If you were a pilgrim traveling to Jerusalem during the autumn, you would've experienced the autumn rains. 120 00:10:59,806.89795918 --> 00:11:06,86.89795918 In Psalm 84:6, the psalmist says about the fall pilgrim, "The autumn rain covers their path with pools." 121 00:11:07,526.89795918 --> 00:11:12,26.89795918 You say, "Great, Pastor Ryan, that's not exactly what I'm looking for, a nice rainy walk." 122 00:11:13,286.89795918 --> 00:11:23,726.89795918 But it would be exactly what you'd long for after a hot season, right? That rain is exactly what the earth would need after that hot summer, and it's what we need too if we're coming off the summer of our pilgrimage. 123 00:11:23,786.89795918 --> 00:11:26,886.89795918 It's during those times that we have been digging deep. 124 00:11:27,846.89795918 --> 00:11:41,206.89795918 It's during those hot and dreary seasons that we need God's provision the most, and that is what that autumn rain is symbolic of, God raining down His blessings on you after a hot and dreary season. 125 00:11:42,106.89795918 --> 00:11:46,145.89795918 Maybe you're experiencing the season of autumn spiritually speaking right now. 126 00:11:46,226.89795918 --> 00:11:56,846.89795918 Has God unexpectedly, or maybe better yet, suddenly provided for a need that you have had for a long time? You feel the blessings raining down on you? Maybe you're in a spiritual autumn. 127 00:11:56,886.89795918 --> 00:11:59,466.89795918 Maybe it's a new job after a long time laid off. 128 00:11:59,526.89795918 --> 00:12:04,946.89795918 Maybe it's a spark of revival in your relationship with Him after a dry spell. 129 00:12:05,26.89795918 --> 00:12:07,216.89795918 That would mean you're in a spiritual autumn. 130 00:12:07,756.89795918 --> 00:12:12,6.89795918 And there's a reason that the 42% declare that autumn is the best. 131 00:12:12,686.89795918 --> 00:12:19,86.89795918 It's during that season that we're able to see that God is able to do immeasurably more than all we could ask or imagine. 132 00:12:19,786.89795918 --> 00:12:35,746.89795918 The spiritual autumn, it's fantastic, isn't it? Of course, just like the spiritual spring ends on this earth and the summer ends as well, autumns too will end, and maybe your autumn will pass into winter. 133 00:12:35,806.89795918 --> 00:12:50,386.89795918 If you were a pilgrim making your way back from Jerusalem and you were on the road for a long time, you could have experienced the winter, and we know what that is like, right? Their journey would've been a little bit colder, and the wind would've been harsh and biting. 134 00:12:52,186.89795918 --> 00:12:54,206.89795918 Maybe you're in a spiritual winter right now. 135 00:12:54,246.89795918 --> 00:12:58,546.89795918 It's something that we will all experience at some point in this sinful and fallen world. 136 00:12:58,866.89795918 --> 00:13:02,716.89795918 You're looking around, and life, it doesn't feel quite as warm as it used to. 137 00:13:02,766.89795918 --> 00:13:03,566.89795918 It feels cold. 138 00:13:03,646.89795918 --> 00:13:05,686.89795918 The world's treatment of you feels harsh. 139 00:13:05,746.89795918 --> 00:13:08,86.89795918 That happens in this sinful and fallen world. 140 00:13:08,926.89795918 --> 00:13:10,406.89795918 Your heart, it feels frozen. 141 00:13:10,446.89795918 --> 00:13:12,826.89795918 It's not like the summer where it was struggling to love. 142 00:13:12,866.89795918 --> 00:13:22,28.89795918 It feels incapable of loving and producing those spiritual fruits Maybe you're going through a season of dark trials. 143 00:13:22,48.89795918 --> 00:13:28,498.89795918 The winter is a season where there's not a whole lot of light, is there? And you feel alone, you feel isolated. 144 00:13:28,628.89795918 --> 00:13:40,986.89795918 Where could God possibly give you blessings in all of this? Well, in Psalm 84:11, the psalmist remarks about the winter pilgrim that the Lord God is a sun and shield. 145 00:13:40,996.89795918 --> 00:13:46,756.89795918 Even then, the Lord bestows favor and honor, and no good thing does he withhold. 146 00:13:48,76.89795918 --> 00:14:02,856.89795918 It might seem awfully dark during those spiritual winters, but God's son is still with you, keeping you warm, and God is still that shield protecting you from that biting wind, and he is giving you good things because no good thing does he withhold. 147 00:14:02,856.89795918 --> 00:14:07,606.89695918 In fact, he uses those spiritual winters to develop you in an amazing way. 148 00:14:09,216.89795918 --> 00:14:10,176.89595918 This is what God does. 149 00:14:10,716.89795918 --> 00:14:14,206.89695918 God actually uses the winter to make you and the plants bloom. 150 00:14:15,736.89895918 --> 00:14:21,266.89595918 I was doing a little research this week, and it turns out that many plants require a period of cold winter temperatures. 151 00:14:21,266.89795918 --> 00:14:24,586.89795918 It's a biological process known as vernalization. 152 00:14:25,136.89695918 --> 00:14:30,406.89895918 It's to break dormancy, develop strong root systems, and trigger flower bud formation. 153 00:14:31,536.89795918 --> 00:14:38,16.89695918 Without that vernalization, we wouldn't have the beautiful blooms that the daffodils give us or the tulips give us. 154 00:14:38,106.89795918 --> 00:14:46,900.89795918 They need it to develop roots and have those beautiful flowers God uses our spiritual winters in a very similar way. 155 00:14:47,520.89795918 --> 00:14:53,440.89795918 He uses them, he works through them to give us deeper roots and to help us bloom in the way that he intended us to bloom. 156 00:14:54,0.89795918 --> 00:14:56,620.89795918 That's what I'm reading here in James 1:2-4. 157 00:14:56,890.89795918 --> 00:15:00,820.89795918 God uses our trials to make us more like Jesus. 158 00:15:01,240.89795918 --> 00:15:10,730.89695918 It says, "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 159 00:15:11,170.89695918 --> 00:15:17,220.89795918 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." 160 00:15:17,230.89595918 --> 00:15:20,310.89595918 That is what God is doing through your spiritual winters. 161 00:15:20,390.89595918 --> 00:15:21,330.89695918 Let's keep it simple. 162 00:15:21,530.89495918 --> 00:15:31,620.89595918 He takes the bad in our lives, and he works it for our good and his glory, the good of making us more like Jesus, and the ability to give more and more glory to Jesus. 163 00:15:32,550.89595918 --> 00:15:36,290.89595918 And I want you to remember that as you pass through those spiritual winters. 164 00:15:36,990.89795918 --> 00:15:44,850.89695918 And in fact, as we close out this message today, there are three things that I want you to remember no matter what season you are in spiritually speaking right now. 165 00:15:45,570.89595918 --> 00:15:47,140.89495918 The first one, I hope you didn't miss this. 166 00:15:47,140.89595918 --> 00:15:52,290.89995918 This is what the whole sermon was about, that God has a blessing for you in that spiritual season. 167 00:15:52,560.89795918 --> 00:15:53,890.89495918 Make sure you focus on it. 168 00:15:53,890.89995918 --> 00:16:03,670.89895918 All right? During the spiritual springs when everything is going so well, don't get bogged down by little things bugging you during that particular season. 169 00:16:04,740.89795918 --> 00:16:13,610.89395918 During those spiritual summers, don't focus on how hot it is outside and your exhaustion, and say, "I just want to lean back on the couch and do nothing today." 170 00:16:14,250.89295918 --> 00:16:23,460.89295918 Dig deep into those wells and receive God's refreshment through that well of his presence in prayer, the well of scripture, and the well of your church family. 171 00:16:24,860.89295918 --> 00:16:32,100.89895918 During those spiritual autumns, embrace that rain falling down on you, God providing for you after so long. 172 00:16:32,120.89595918 --> 00:16:32,870.89695918 Thank him for it. 173 00:16:33,800.89595918 --> 00:16:44,900.8989592 And even in those spiritual winters, thank God for his promise that he is working through your trials for your good and his glory, and to make you more and more like Jesus. 174 00:16:46,100.8989592 --> 00:16:47,750.8989592 God has a blessing for you in each season. 175 00:16:47,750.8989592 --> 00:16:48,400.8939592 Focus on it. 176 00:16:48,740.8979592 --> 00:16:52,480.8999592 Second, remember the calendar will keep on moving. 177 00:16:53,740.8909592 --> 00:17:01,430.8939592 Sometimes it seems like certain seasons are never gonna end, doesn't it? Will this winter ever end? And you think it's about to end. 178 00:17:01,430.8939592 --> 00:17:10,200.8929592 There's, oh, a peak of sunshine, and the next week it's winter all over again, isn't it? But the calendar is going to keep on moving. 179 00:17:11,70.8929592 --> 00:17:18,420.8929592 The psalmist says in Psalm 84:6 about that pilgrim that they are just passing through the Valley of Baca. 180 00:17:18,500.8999592 --> 00:17:20,510.8999592 It's not a permanent destination. 181 00:17:20,720.9019592 --> 00:17:22,300.8989592 They are just passing through. 182 00:17:22,300.8989592 --> 00:17:23,960.9019592 This too shall pass. 183 00:17:24,490.8909592 --> 00:17:26,680.9009592 The calendar will keep on moving. 184 00:17:28,194.8979592 --> 00:17:32,474.8979592 Until one day you will experience a permanent spring. 185 00:17:32,494.8979592 --> 00:17:34,924.8979592 That's the last thing I want you to remember. 186 00:17:35,674.8979592 --> 00:17:38,314.8979592 This is what Jesus says in Revelation 21:5. 187 00:17:38,874.8969592 --> 00:17:41,304.8979592 He says, "See, I am making everything new. 188 00:17:41,314.8979592 --> 00:17:45,154.8979592 Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true." 189 00:17:45,934.8979592 --> 00:17:56,984.8969592 He is talking about the spiritual spring that we will permanently experience in heaven when we are with our Lord and Savior face to face each and every day. 190 00:17:56,984.8969592 --> 00:18:00,4.8969592 That is the destination that we are all headed to. 191 00:18:00,254.8959592 --> 00:18:01,914.8989592 That is where our pilgrimage ends. 192 00:18:02,54.8989592 --> 00:18:16,904.8959592 Our special purposeful journey to a holy place or site is gonna be in God's holy presence each and every moment of each and every day in heaven, where he makes all things new permanently, no longer capable of sin. 193 00:18:16,994.8969592 --> 00:18:19,604.8959592 He wipes away every tear from our eyes. 194 00:18:19,644.8949592 --> 00:18:24,184.8969592 We've got the new heavenly body, and we are with him always. 195 00:18:25,744.8969592 --> 00:18:38,334.8999592 And as we experience that spiritual spring, in a verse that's well worth highlighting today, Psalm 84:10, we're gonna declare in permanence that, "Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere. 196 00:18:38,494.8929592 --> 00:18:44,254.8959592 I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked." 197 00:18:45,894.8949592 --> 00:18:48,284.8949592 Remember, that is where you are headed, pilgrims. 198 00:18:49,154.8969592 --> 00:19:05,994.8999592 But while you are on the journey, my prayer for you is this: May you realize and experience and see that God is blessing you in each and every spiritual season, no matter what spiritual season you're passing through on your way to the permanent spring, and you get those blessings and the ultimate blessing because of Jesus. 199 00:19:06,74.8999592 --> 00:19:08,224.8999592 In Jesus' name, Amen. 200 00:19:11,525.8979592 --> 00:19:13,175.8979592 You've been listening to a sermon from St. 201 00:19:13,175.8979592 --> 00:19:15,255.8979592 John's Lutheran Church in Buffalo, Minnesota. 202 00:19:15,575.8979592 --> 00:19:17,375.8979592 If you would like more information about St. 203 00:19:17,375.8979592 --> 00:19:23,35.8979592 John's and any of our ministries to our community and beyond, you can go to our website, www. 204 00:19:23,125.8979592 --> 00:19:23,365.8979592 stjohnsbuffalo. 205 00:19:24,605.8969592 --> 00:19:24,935.8969592 org. 206 00:19:25,315.8969592 --> 00:19:26,605.8979592 Thank you and God bless you.
Hello, this is Pastor Ryan Clark.
You are listening to a message from St.
John's Lutheran Church in Buffalo, Minnesota. 4 00:00:14,634.897959184 --> 00:00:19,724.897935342 Oh Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall declare your praises in the name of Jesus. 5 00:00:20,244.897916268 --> 00:00:20,754.898025941 Amen. 6 00:00:22,714.897825669 --> 00:00:40,354.896959184 The other day, the air conditioning unit for the main portion of my house was feeling a little bit under the weather, and since the actual weather out during that time featured highs in the low to mid-90s, large portions of my house also featured low, highs in the low to mid-90s. 7 00:00:40,364.896959184 --> 00:00:41,374.896959184 It was hot. 8 00:00:42,644.896959184 --> 00:00:56,514.896959184 And as I was sitting there roasting, I couldn't help but find myself longing for the season of summer to end and the season of fall to begin, and I am not alone in that regard. 9 00:00:57,234.896959184 --> 00:01:15,454.895959184 According to a recent study, 42% of people declare correctly that autumn is indeed the best season, followed by 25% saying spring, 24% saying summer, and just 9%, and honestly still seems a little high to me, saying that winter is the best season. 10 00:01:15,454.895959184 --> 00:01:18,254.897959184 Any winter enjoyers out there? This is Minnesota after all. 11 00:01:18,254.897959184 --> 00:01:18,754.899959184 Good for you. 12 00:01:18,754.899959184 --> 00:01:21,394.896959184 That is about 1% in this audience, yeah. 13 00:01:23,498.897959184 --> 00:01:26,318.897959184 Well, as I looked at this poll, it really made sense to me. 14 00:01:26,318.897959184 --> 00:01:30,48.897959184 After all, there are so many things to enjoy about the autumn. 15 00:01:30,398.897959184 --> 00:01:33,228.897959184 The temperatures are perfect as far as I'm concerned. 16 00:01:33,598.896959184 --> 00:01:37,448.897959184 The leaves changing colors, you've got those great fall foods. 17 00:01:37,458.897959184 --> 00:01:40,808.89795918 Give me some apple pie, give me some pumpkin bread right now. 18 00:01:41,48.89795918 --> 00:01:41,948.89695918 It's so good. 19 00:01:42,598.89695918 --> 00:01:47,58.89695918 The 25% have a pretty good point about spring, too, as far as I'm concerned. 20 00:01:47,438.89795918 --> 00:01:51,48.89695918 The sun is finally coming out for more than an hour or two each day. 21 00:01:51,238.89695918 --> 00:01:52,808.89695918 The ground is thawing. 22 00:01:52,808.89695918 --> 00:01:54,858.89595918 The flowers are beginning to bloom. 23 00:01:55,368.89795918 --> 00:01:59,328.89495918 24% saying summer, they have a good point as well. 24 00:01:59,708.89795918 --> 00:02:07,828.89595918 So many hours of daylight to enjoy the outdoors, maybe by the lake, and it's so warm at night, you can enjoy the outdoors by the fire. 25 00:02:08,808.89595918 --> 00:02:14,518.89595918 And honestly, if you think about it hard enough, the 9% have a few good points about the winter as well. 26 00:02:14,778.89795918 --> 00:02:16,158.89595918 There are some great things there. 27 00:02:16,158.89595918 --> 00:02:23,558.89795918 We get to celebrate Christmas, the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the New Year celebration, skiing, sledding. 28 00:02:23,858.89595918 --> 00:02:25,128.89795918 Let's go ice fishing. 29 00:02:25,128.89795918 --> 00:02:29,658.89595918 There are some blessings in each and every season if you think about it hard enough. 30 00:02:31,208.89795918 --> 00:02:37,908.89395918 Of course, what I've found over the years is many people don't tend to focus on the blessings as the calendar turns to the next season. 31 00:02:37,908.89495918 --> 00:02:40,128.89795918 They tend to focus on the negatives. 32 00:02:40,428.89895918 --> 00:02:42,538.89795918 Maybe you know someone like this. 33 00:02:43,88.89495918 --> 00:02:45,48.89795918 You'll say, "Yay, here comes spring. 34 00:02:45,48.89795918 --> 00:02:45,858.89695918 Let's enjoy." 35 00:02:45,858.89995918 --> 00:02:48,988.89295918 And they say, "You can keep it because here come the bugs. 36 00:02:49,48.89395918 --> 00:02:51,218.89395918 Wake me up when it's the next season." 37 00:02:52,158.89495918 --> 00:02:52,808.89895918 So you do. 38 00:02:52,828.89295918 --> 00:02:54,288.89695918 You say, "Hey, it's summer. 39 00:02:54,288.89695918 --> 00:02:55,708.89495918 Let's go outside. 40 00:02:55,708.89795918 --> 00:02:57,648.89795918 This is amazing, all this sunlight." 41 00:02:57,648.89795918 --> 00:02:59,468.89595918 And they say, "You can keep it. 42 00:02:59,498.89895918 --> 00:03:01,198.89595918 It's just too hot outside. 43 00:03:01,458.89795918 --> 00:03:02,758.89395918 I'll stay in here, thanks. 44 00:03:02,778.89795918 --> 00:03:05,88.89695918 Wake me up when it's the next season." 45 00:03:05,878.89595918 --> 00:03:06,478.89795918 So you do. 46 00:03:06,498.89895918 --> 00:03:07,968.89395918 You say, "Hey, it's autumn. 47 00:03:07,968.89395918 --> 00:03:08,778.89295918 Let's enjoy. 48 00:03:08,778.89795918 --> 00:03:09,838.89295918 Let's go to the orchard. 49 00:03:09,838.89495918 --> 00:03:13,518.89695918 Let's get some of those great fall foods that Pastor Ryan was talking about. 50 00:03:13,708.89795918 --> 00:03:15,118.89495918 What a time to be alive." 51 00:03:15,848.89695918 --> 00:03:18,508.89595918 And they say, "It's autumn already? Don't remind me. 52 00:03:18,518.89595918 --> 00:03:33,770.89795918 Now I have to watch as the Vikings ruin every single weekend for me with all their losing," especially when they play the Detroit Lions, right? "Hey, wake me up when it's the next season." 53 00:03:33,770.89795918 --> 00:03:34,690.89795918 So you do. 54 00:03:34,830.89795918 --> 00:03:36,970.89795918 Hey, it's winter, Christmastime. 55 00:03:36,970.89795918 --> 00:03:37,940.89795918 Let's go sledding. 56 00:03:37,940.89795918 --> 00:03:39,120.89795918 Let's go ice fishing. 57 00:03:39,120.89795918 --> 00:03:41,870.89795918 And they say, "Winter already? Don't remind me. 58 00:03:41,870.89795918 --> 00:03:42,530.89795918 It's just..." 59 00:03:42,860.89695918 --> 00:03:44,420.89795918 Well, you knew what they were gonna say to that. 60 00:03:44,920.89795918 --> 00:03:46,40.89795918 "It's too cold out. 61 00:03:46,50.89795918 --> 00:03:48,350.89795918 Wake me up when it's the next season." 62 00:03:50,538.89795918 --> 00:04:07,298.89695918 We've been spending a lot of time in the Book of Psalms in our two-year Bible read-through, haven't we? And this week, we came across a Psalm that I really enjoyed, Psalm 84, and it's all about how God is with us on our pilgrimage, blessing us in every single season. 63 00:04:07,298.89695918 --> 00:04:11,78.89695918 And whether or not you realize it, you are on a pilgrimage right now. 64 00:04:12,138.89695918 --> 00:04:25,768.89695918 A pilgrimage, simply put, is a special, purposeful journey to a holy place or site, and we are all on a pilgrimage, and I want us to see in this Psalm that God is blessing us in every single spiritual season of that pilgrimage. 65 00:04:25,998.89795918 --> 00:04:27,888.89695918 That's the context of Psalm 84. 66 00:04:28,398.89595918 --> 00:04:30,628.89595918 We could even call it a Psalm of pilgrimage. 67 00:04:30,978.89795918 --> 00:04:44,598.89695918 It describes a Jewish person in the Old Testament making their journey to Jerusalem, and the psalmist is watching as God is blessing this person, no matter what the conditions are outside, no matter what the season. 68 00:04:45,418.89595918 --> 00:04:52,358.89595918 Now, a Jewish person was expected, in the old covenant, to make three journeys to Jerusalem each and every year. 69 00:04:52,888.89695918 --> 00:04:57,458.89395918 They would go in the spring for the Feast of Unleavened Bread, or we might call it the Passover. 70 00:04:57,958.89695918 --> 00:05:06,348.89995918 In the summer, they were to head to Jerusalem once again for the Feast of Weeks, and in the fall, they were to head to Jerusalem for the Feast of Tabernacles, or Booths. 71 00:05:07,58.89595918 --> 00:05:15,368.89295918 So depending on where you lived in the world, you could easily encounter any of the four seasons on your way to and from Jerusalem. 72 00:05:16,528.89695918 --> 00:05:20,778.89195918 If you were traveling to Jerusalem in the spring, it was probably gonna be pretty pleasant out. 73 00:05:20,778.89695918 --> 00:05:24,28.89695918 Pleasant days, you'd enjoy that perfect warm weather. 74 00:05:24,268.89495918 --> 00:05:29,78.89695918 You'd look around, the scenery is lush, everything is growing, the flowers are blooming. 75 00:05:29,518.89495918 --> 00:05:38,408.89495918 It's practically like a Disney movie, the psalmist says, as you watch a sparrow making her nest and a swallow making a home for herself and her young. 76 00:05:39,588.89395918 --> 00:05:49,580.89795918 It's amazing out If you were on your pilgrimage right now, and you are in what I might call a spiritual spring, you're enjoying some pretty pleasant days. 77 00:05:50,150.89795918 --> 00:05:53,190.89795918 We all go through these spiritual springs every once in a while. 78 00:05:53,710.89795918 --> 00:05:57,190.89795918 It's a time of great spiritual growth as God is working through you. 79 00:05:57,190.89795918 --> 00:06:00,10.89795918 You're feeling closer to him than ever. 80 00:06:01,70.89695918 --> 00:06:05,620.89795918 Much like the sparrow is building their nest, you've been building your nest in him. 81 00:06:06,750.89695918 --> 00:06:15,30.89695918 You've experienced, just like how the spring sun thaws out that hard winter ground, as God's Son has thawed out your hard heart. 82 00:06:15,610.89595918 --> 00:06:27,0.89795918 You've experienced Ezekiel 36:26 in full, where God promises he will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you, and remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. 83 00:06:27,900.89695918 --> 00:06:36,680.89495918 During that spiritual spring, for whatever reason, your heart is just better able to receive, and better yet, show the love of God to those around you. 84 00:06:37,900.89695918 --> 00:06:44,140.89695918 It's during that spiritual spring that you've really embraced what Jesus has done just for you on the cross. 85 00:06:44,810.89595918 --> 00:06:57,540.89495918 You truly believe that he has given you a fresh start, a clean slate, a new beginning, that you're a new creation, that through his life and then death on the cross, your sins have been forgiven, removed from you as far as the east is from the west. 86 00:06:58,90.89495918 --> 00:07:03,860.89695918 The Holy Spirit, he is active in you, helping you live a God-pleasing life, producing those spiritual fruit. 87 00:07:04,650.89295918 --> 00:07:06,300.89495918 You're experiencing God's love. 88 00:07:06,600.89695918 --> 00:07:13,430.89895918 You're living a life of joy, of peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, and the like. 89 00:07:14,300.89395918 --> 00:07:19,160.89195918 During that spiritual spring, oh, man, are you excited to spend time with God. 90 00:07:19,560.89595918 --> 00:07:22,520.89495918 You can't wait to do your two-year Bible read-through in the morning. 91 00:07:22,520.89595918 --> 00:07:32,770.89295918 You wish it was morning right now, right? Maybe you're one of those people in the spiritual spring that come up to me and say, "Pastor Ryan, I'm actually a week ahead in my Bible readings right now." 92 00:07:34,680.89895918 --> 00:07:39,130.89595918 You're experiencing what the psalmist says, at least in part, in Psalm 84:10. 93 00:07:39,130.89595918 --> 00:07:43,370.89795918 You're realizing that better is one moment with God than a thousand elsewhere. 94 00:07:43,380.89595918 --> 00:07:49,250.89295918 Spiritual spring, ooh, it's fantastic, and it is easy to see the blessings in that season. 95 00:07:51,714.89795918 --> 00:08:02,74.89795918 But on this earth at least anyways, spiritual springs will come to an end, and you will find yourself experiencing maybe the next spiritual season as summer. 96 00:08:03,274.89695918 --> 00:08:08,734.89795918 If you were traveling to Jerusalem during the summer as a pilgrim, it would have been hot. 97 00:08:09,344.89695918 --> 00:08:14,344.89695918 In fact, the psalmist says about the summer pilgrim that they go through the Valley of Baca. 98 00:08:15,154.89695918 --> 00:08:17,784.89795918 The Valley of Baca probably wasn't a real place. 99 00:08:17,784.89795918 --> 00:08:28,344.89895918 It was most likely a metaphor for a hot, dry, and difficult place to travel, and that would describe the conditions traveling to Jerusalem if you were a summer pilgrim. 100 00:08:29,824.89895918 --> 00:08:32,884.89695918 And it in part describes a spiritual summer as well. 101 00:08:33,384.89595918 --> 00:08:40,914.89895918 If you're in a spiritual summer season, you're probably not seeing quite as much fruit as you did maybe a few weeks ago during that spiritual spring. 102 00:08:40,914.89895918 --> 00:08:45,504.89595918 It's just not as easy to love and have patience and that self-control. 103 00:08:45,994.89695918 --> 00:08:49,494.89495918 Maybe you're feeling the heat of Satan's attacks a little more regularly. 104 00:08:50,164.89495918 --> 00:08:56,564.89295918 But most of all, in the spiritual summer, we're just plain old tired, weary, exhausted, maybe a little burned out. 105 00:08:56,574.89895918 --> 00:09:00,574.89695918 You're not quite as excited to spend time with God as you once were. 106 00:09:00,574.89895918 --> 00:09:15,256.89795918 Where is God's blessings in all of this? Well, the psalmist says in Psalm 84:6 about that summer pilgrim, "As they pass through the Valley of Baca, they make it a place of springs," or wells. 107 00:09:16,526.89795918 --> 00:09:27,336.89695918 Did you know that no matter where you're at in the world, it could be the driest, dustiest, sandiest place around, if you dig deep enough, you know what you're gonna find in the earth? Eventually, you will find water. 108 00:09:27,716.89695918 --> 00:09:34,736.89795918 If you dig deep enough, you will be blessed with water, and there is the same truth when it comes to our spiritual lives as well. 109 00:09:35,556.89795918 --> 00:09:44,986.89695918 Now, it's during that spiritual summer that we wanna dig deep the least so often, isn't it? We're tired, we're weary, we're burnt out, but it's so often when we need to dig deep the most. 110 00:09:45,986.89795918 --> 00:09:53,16.89795918 God wants us to dig deep into the well of scripture, into the well of prayer, into the well of our church family, and be refreshed. 111 00:09:53,586.89595918 --> 00:09:59,136.89695918 As we dig deep into the well of scripture, God meets us, and He refreshes us with His beautiful promises. 112 00:09:59,756.89795918 --> 00:10:05,326.89595918 As we dig deep into the well of prayer, we're refreshed with His loving, comforting presence. 113 00:10:06,216.89695918 --> 00:10:17,876.89595918 As we dig deep into the well of church family during those hot seasons, sometimes we're even blessed with portable air conditioning units when your house is in the low to mid-90s, like I was this past week. 114 00:10:18,986.89395918 --> 00:10:25,106.89795918 And you will absolutely be blessed with their encouragement during a hot and dreary season. 115 00:10:26,726.89995918 --> 00:10:34,406.89795918 It may be the toughest season to dig deep, but it's when we need to the most so often, and God says, "When you seek me, you will find me." 116 00:10:37,106.89795918 --> 00:10:42,345.89795918 And of course, like Kelly actually said when she was just up here, the summer will come to an end. 117 00:10:42,926.89795918 --> 00:10:47,406.89795918 And on this earth, our spiritual summers will absolutely end. 118 00:10:47,946.89795918 --> 00:10:52,786.89795918 And maybe the next spiritual season you'll pass as a pilgrim is the one of autumn. 119 00:10:54,86.89795918 --> 00:10:59,286.89795918 If you were a pilgrim traveling to Jerusalem during the autumn, you would've experienced the autumn rains. 120 00:10:59,806.89795918 --> 00:11:06,86.89795918 In Psalm 84:6, the psalmist says about the fall pilgrim, "The autumn rain covers their path with pools." 121 00:11:07,526.89795918 --> 00:11:12,26.89795918 You say, "Great, Pastor Ryan, that's not exactly what I'm looking for, a nice rainy walk." 122 00:11:13,286.89795918 --> 00:11:23,726.89795918 But it would be exactly what you'd long for after a hot season, right? That rain is exactly what the earth would need after that hot summer, and it's what we need too if we're coming off the summer of our pilgrimage. 123 00:11:23,786.89795918 --> 00:11:26,886.89795918 It's during those times that we have been digging deep. 124 00:11:27,846.89795918 --> 00:11:41,206.89795918 It's during those hot and dreary seasons that we need God's provision the most, and that is what that autumn rain is symbolic of, God raining down His blessings on you after a hot and dreary season. 125 00:11:42,106.89795918 --> 00:11:46,145.89795918 Maybe you're experiencing the season of autumn spiritually speaking right now. 126 00:11:46,226.89795918 --> 00:11:56,846.89795918 Has God unexpectedly, or maybe better yet, suddenly provided for a need that you have had for a long time? You feel the blessings raining down on you? Maybe you're in a spiritual autumn. 127 00:11:56,886.89795918 --> 00:11:59,466.89795918 Maybe it's a new job after a long time laid off. 128 00:11:59,526.89795918 --> 00:12:04,946.89795918 Maybe it's a spark of revival in your relationship with Him after a dry spell. 129 00:12:05,26.89795918 --> 00:12:07,216.89795918 That would mean you're in a spiritual autumn. 130 00:12:07,756.89795918 --> 00:12:12,6.89795918 And there's a reason that the 42% declare that autumn is the best. 131 00:12:12,686.89795918 --> 00:12:19,86.89795918 It's during that season that we're able to see that God is able to do immeasurably more than all we could ask or imagine. 132 00:12:19,786.89795918 --> 00:12:35,746.89795918 The spiritual autumn, it's fantastic, isn't it? Of course, just like the spiritual spring ends on this earth and the summer ends as well, autumns too will end, and maybe your autumn will pass into winter. 133 00:12:35,806.89795918 --> 00:12:50,386.89795918 If you were a pilgrim making your way back from Jerusalem and you were on the road for a long time, you could have experienced the winter, and we know what that is like, right? Their journey would've been a little bit colder, and the wind would've been harsh and biting. 134 00:12:52,186.89795918 --> 00:12:54,206.89795918 Maybe you're in a spiritual winter right now. 135 00:12:54,246.89795918 --> 00:12:58,546.89795918 It's something that we will all experience at some point in this sinful and fallen world. 136 00:12:58,866.89795918 --> 00:13:02,716.89795918 You're looking around, and life, it doesn't feel quite as warm as it used to. 137 00:13:02,766.89795918 --> 00:13:03,566.89795918 It feels cold. 138 00:13:03,646.89795918 --> 00:13:05,686.89795918 The world's treatment of you feels harsh. 139 00:13:05,746.89795918 --> 00:13:08,86.89795918 That happens in this sinful and fallen world. 140 00:13:08,926.89795918 --> 00:13:10,406.89795918 Your heart, it feels frozen. 141 00:13:10,446.89795918 --> 00:13:12,826.89795918 It's not like the summer where it was struggling to love. 142 00:13:12,866.89795918 --> 00:13:22,28.89795918 It feels incapable of loving and producing those spiritual fruits Maybe you're going through a season of dark trials. 143 00:13:22,48.89795918 --> 00:13:28,498.89795918 The winter is a season where there's not a whole lot of light, is there? And you feel alone, you feel isolated. 144 00:13:28,628.89795918 --> 00:13:40,986.89795918 Where could God possibly give you blessings in all of this? Well, in Psalm 84:11, the psalmist remarks about the winter pilgrim that the Lord God is a sun and shield. 145 00:13:40,996.89795918 --> 00:13:46,756.89795918 Even then, the Lord bestows favor and honor, and no good thing does he withhold. 146 00:13:48,76.89795918 --> 00:14:02,856.89795918 It might seem awfully dark during those spiritual winters, but God's son is still with you, keeping you warm, and God is still that shield protecting you from that biting wind, and he is giving you good things because no good thing does he withhold. 147 00:14:02,856.89795918 --> 00:14:07,606.89695918 In fact, he uses those spiritual winters to develop you in an amazing way. 148 00:14:09,216.89795918 --> 00:14:10,176.89595918 This is what God does. 149 00:14:10,716.89795918 --> 00:14:14,206.89695918 God actually uses the winter to make you and the plants bloom. 150 00:14:15,736.89895918 --> 00:14:21,266.89595918 I was doing a little research this week, and it turns out that many plants require a period of cold winter temperatures. 151 00:14:21,266.89795918 --> 00:14:24,586.89795918 It's a biological process known as vernalization. 152 00:14:25,136.89695918 --> 00:14:30,406.89895918 It's to break dormancy, develop strong root systems, and trigger flower bud formation. 153 00:14:31,536.89795918 --> 00:14:38,16.89695918 Without that vernalization, we wouldn't have the beautiful blooms that the daffodils give us or the tulips give us. 154 00:14:38,106.89795918 --> 00:14:46,900.89795918 They need it to develop roots and have those beautiful flowers God uses our spiritual winters in a very similar way. 155 00:14:47,520.89795918 --> 00:14:53,440.89795918 He uses them, he works through them to give us deeper roots and to help us bloom in the way that he intended us to bloom. 156 00:14:54,0.89795918 --> 00:14:56,620.89795918 That's what I'm reading here in James 1:2-4. 157 00:14:56,890.89795918 --> 00:15:00,820.89795918 God uses our trials to make us more like Jesus. 158 00:15:01,240.89795918 --> 00:15:10,730.89695918 It says, "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 159 00:15:11,170.89695918 --> 00:15:17,220.89795918 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." 160 00:15:17,230.89595918 --> 00:15:20,310.89595918 That is what God is doing through your spiritual winters. 161 00:15:20,390.89595918 --> 00:15:21,330.89695918 Let's keep it simple. 162 00:15:21,530.89495918 --> 00:15:31,620.89595918 He takes the bad in our lives, and he works it for our good and his glory, the good of making us more like Jesus, and the ability to give more and more glory to Jesus. 163 00:15:32,550.89595918 --> 00:15:36,290.89595918 And I want you to remember that as you pass through those spiritual winters. 164 00:15:36,990.89795918 --> 00:15:44,850.89695918 And in fact, as we close out this message today, there are three things that I want you to remember no matter what season you are in spiritually speaking right now. 165 00:15:45,570.89595918 --> 00:15:47,140.89495918 The first one, I hope you didn't miss this. 166 00:15:47,140.89595918 --> 00:15:52,290.89995918 This is what the whole sermon was about, that God has a blessing for you in that spiritual season. 167 00:15:52,560.89795918 --> 00:15:53,890.89495918 Make sure you focus on it. 168 00:15:53,890.89995918 --> 00:16:03,670.89895918 All right? During the spiritual springs when everything is going so well, don't get bogged down by little things bugging you during that particular season. 169 00:16:04,740.89795918 --> 00:16:13,610.89395918 During those spiritual summers, don't focus on how hot it is outside and your exhaustion, and say, "I just want to lean back on the couch and do nothing today." 170 00:16:14,250.89295918 --> 00:16:23,460.89295918 Dig deep into those wells and receive God's refreshment through that well of his presence in prayer, the well of scripture, and the well of your church family. 171 00:16:24,860.89295918 --> 00:16:32,100.89895918 During those spiritual autumns, embrace that rain falling down on you, God providing for you after so long. 172 00:16:32,120.89595918 --> 00:16:32,870.89695918 Thank him for it. 173 00:16:33,800.89595918 --> 00:16:44,900.8989592 And even in those spiritual winters, thank God for his promise that he is working through your trials for your good and his glory, and to make you more and more like Jesus. 174 00:16:46,100.8989592 --> 00:16:47,750.8989592 God has a blessing for you in each season. 175 00:16:47,750.8989592 --> 00:16:48,400.8939592 Focus on it. 176 00:16:48,740.8979592 --> 00:16:52,480.8999592 Second, remember the calendar will keep on moving. 177 00:16:53,740.8909592 --> 00:17:01,430.8939592 Sometimes it seems like certain seasons are never gonna end, doesn't it? Will this winter ever end? And you think it's about to end. 178 00:17:01,430.8939592 --> 00:17:10,200.8929592 There's, oh, a peak of sunshine, and the next week it's winter all over again, isn't it? But the calendar is going to keep on moving. 179 00:17:11,70.8929592 --> 00:17:18,420.8929592 The psalmist says in Psalm 84:6 about that pilgrim that they are just passing through the Valley of Baca. 180 00:17:18,500.8999592 --> 00:17:20,510.8999592 It's not a permanent destination. 181 00:17:20,720.9019592 --> 00:17:22,300.8989592 They are just passing through. 182 00:17:22,300.8989592 --> 00:17:23,960.9019592 This too shall pass. 183 00:17:24,490.8909592 --> 00:17:26,680.9009592 The calendar will keep on moving. 184 00:17:28,194.8979592 --> 00:17:32,474.8979592 Until one day you will experience a permanent spring. 185 00:17:32,494.8979592 --> 00:17:34,924.8979592 That's the last thing I want you to remember. 186 00:17:35,674.8979592 --> 00:17:38,314.8979592 This is what Jesus says in Revelation 21:5. 187 00:17:38,874.8969592 --> 00:17:41,304.8979592 He says, "See, I am making everything new. 188 00:17:41,314.8979592 --> 00:17:45,154.8979592 Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true." 189 00:17:45,934.8979592 --> 00:17:56,984.8969592 He is talking about the spiritual spring that we will permanently experience in heaven when we are with our Lord and Savior face to face each and every day. 190 00:17:56,984.8969592 --> 00:18:00,4.8969592 That is the destination that we are all headed to. 191 00:18:00,254.8959592 --> 00:18:01,914.8989592 That is where our pilgrimage ends. 192 00:18:02,54.8989592 --> 00:18:16,904.8959592 Our special purposeful journey to a holy place or site is gonna be in God's holy presence each and every moment of each and every day in heaven, where he makes all things new permanently, no longer capable of sin. 193 00:18:16,994.8969592 --> 00:18:19,604.8959592 He wipes away every tear from our eyes. 194 00:18:19,644.8949592 --> 00:18:24,184.8969592 We've got the new heavenly body, and we are with him always. 195 00:18:25,744.8969592 --> 00:18:38,334.8999592 And as we experience that spiritual spring, in a verse that's well worth highlighting today, Psalm 84:10, we're gonna declare in permanence that, "Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere. 196 00:18:38,494.8929592 --> 00:18:44,254.8959592 I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked." 197 00:18:45,894.8949592 --> 00:18:48,284.8949592 Remember, that is where you are headed, pilgrims. 198 00:18:49,154.8969592 --> 00:19:05,994.8999592 But while you are on the journey, my prayer for you is this: May you realize and experience and see that God is blessing you in each and every spiritual season, no matter what spiritual season you're passing through on your way to the permanent spring, and you get those blessings and the ultimate blessing because of Jesus. 199 00:19:06,74.8999592 --> 00:19:08,224.8999592 In Jesus' name, Amen. 200 00:19:11,525.8979592 --> 00:19:13,175.8979592 You've been listening to a sermon from St. 201 00:19:13,175.8979592 --> 00:19:15,255.8979592 John's Lutheran Church in Buffalo, Minnesota. 202 00:19:15,575.8979592 --> 00:19:17,375.8979592 If you would like more information about St. 203 00:19:17,375.8979592 --> 00:19:23,35.8979592 John's and any of our ministries to our community and beyond, you can go to our website, www. 204 00:19:23,125.8979592 --> 00:19:23,365.8979592 stjohnsbuffalo. 205 00:19:24,605.8969592 --> 00:19:24,935.8969592 org. 206 00:19:25,315.8969592 --> 00:19:26,605.8979592 Thank you and God bless you.
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