Sunday, November 1, 2020

The Time Changes. How do you handle it?

 Time change! Spring forward, fall back. That means that last night, we gained one hour. We turned the clocks back one hour. It happens on the 1st Sunday in November each year. Today is November 1st. Even though it seems really, really early this year, it is the right time. We gained an hour last night. 

Did you enjoy your extra hour of sleep? Or did you wake up at your "normal" time, which means that if you wake up at 6 a.m. you were waking up at 5 a.m.? Perhaps you were able to sleep that extra hour. If so, good for you. It is a difficult thing to do. If you have pets, especially dogs, that is hard to do. They don't understand this time change stuff. If they normally go out at 6 in the morning, they still want to go out at 6 in the morning, even if that is now 5 in the morning. If you have cattle or other animals, they don't understand the time change. You can't tell them, "Tomorrow we will go back to standard time and that means that I will be out here an hour later," and expect them to understand. They still want to be fed at the same time. If you milk, they still want to be milked at the same time.

It is the same thing with infants and little kids. For those of you who have an infant, I feel for you. They don't get the time change thing. So they will get you up at the "normal" time, which means you probably won't get that extra hour of sleep. I remember those days. It takes about a week for them to finally get into the new time. So this is going to be a challenging week for parents of infants and small children and for those who have pets and farm animals. 

Does this time change make a difference? I don't know. It is nice to have the sun come up earlier. But that only means that it will go down an hour earlier. Ugh! So with sunset at 6:15 p.m. on Saturday evening, it will now be at 5:15 p.m on Sunday. Wow! That is going to make the evenings a little longer. Good luck to you as you make the adjustments. 

I do want to say something today about All Saints Day. November 1st is that special day when we remember those who died in Christ. That means that they died believing in Jesus as their Savior. The comfort that gives to their family is the assurance that they have entered into eternal life with their Lord Jesus Christ. It brings to mind John 3:16, For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but shall have eternal life. Life eternal with Jesus Christ when we breath our last. How? Not by anything we have done but by everything He has done for us. He gives us that assurance in the waters of our Baptism, continues to strengthen us in that faith through Word and Sacrament. And then, when we face that day when we close our eyes for the last time, He tells us He will take us to be with Him in heaven. We lsiten when He says, I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. (John 11:25-26 ESV) Life in Christ. I think about my mother, Gen Brawner, who is with her Lord in heaven. I think of my father-in-law, Norman Rex, who is with Jesus in heaven. I think of Harry Foerster, Cecil Osborne, and Charles Brawner, who are with their Lord in heaven. I think about so many who have been a part of the congregations I have served, and I sing the praise of the Lord for they are with Him in heaven. Thanks be to God!

For all the saints, who from their labors rest...is a song that we will sing in church today. It gives me such comfort, for the loss of a loved one hurts, but the pain is comforted in the knowledge that they are in heaven with Jesus Christ. All praise be to God! Alleluiah!

Have a great time change Sunday and a wonderful All Saints Day. God bless you.

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