Spring Forward
The rhythms of life
by Brian Radcliffe
Suitable for Whole School (Sec)
Aims
To encourage us to consider ways to cope with the ups and downs of life.
Preparation and materials
- The Bible passage in the ‘Time for reflection’ part of the assembly is available at: http://tinyurl.com/4jfazpzv
Assembly
- Ask the students, ‘What’s your favourite season of the year?’
You may wish to take a vote or have a brief discussion. - Each season has its positive points.
Summer usually comes top because it’s the season when we have a long holiday and there are lots of outdoor events and opportunities. It’s also a warm time of year, even hot at some points.
Autumn is the season for bright colours and, in school, the time for starting new projects. It’s almost like the beginning of a new phase.
Winter may be cold and sometimes wet, but it also contains the celebrations of Halloween, Bonfire Night, Christmas, Diwali and many others.
That brings us round to where we are right now: spring. For me, spring’s a hopeful season. We’ve put behind us the dark, depressing months of January and February. We’re looking forward and know that summer is just around the corner. - Ask the students, ‘What if we didn’t have the changing seasons? How would we feel about that?’
In some parts of the world, near the equator, it’s summer all year round. It never gets cold or damp: sounds good, doesn’t it?
I’m not sure. I appreciate the warmth of a summer day because I remember what it was like in November. When I get scorching hot, I long for the cool of an autumn morning. There’s something magical about seeing new growth appearing from brown soil in spring. There’s a rhythm to life in this part of the world, a rhythm that’s reassuring, varied and predictable.
Time for reflection
There’s a passage in the Bible that talks about seasons in a wider sense.
You may wish to read, or ask a student to read, the passage from Ecclesiastes 3.1-8.
It treats the different phases in life as being like the seasons of the year. Sometimes, the phase is related to age, birth and death. Sometimes, it relates to emotions: sorrow and joy, loving and hating. Sometimes, it relates to activity: saving and throwing away, destroying and building. There’s even the acknowledgement that wartime and peacetime are phases of human experience.
Sometimes, we might wish that life could be like a fun Friday night or a lazy Sunday afternoon all the time. It sounds good, just like perennial summer sunshine. But life isn’t like that. It’s full of many seasons: emotionally, practically, self-induced and thrust upon us. Sometimes, this type of season lasts for only a few moments before things change. Sometimes, it lasts for months, or even years. So, how do we cope with this varied, often frustrating, hurtful, challenging life?
First, we accept that life has its ups and downs. Like the seasons of the year, things change, often dramatically. We may not even be sure why we feel the way we do when we wake up some days. We weren’t expecting the bad news that hits us hard. We know that good news and excitement won’t last forever. Accept it! But let’s be careful to remind ourselves that ups follow downs, and downs follow ups. Just like summer always comes around eventually.
Second, let’s try to identify the origin of the downs as they come. If they arise from something that we did, we need to deal with it. An apology, a recompense, may begin to change the season. Let’s take action to prevent it happening again. If it isn’t our fault, let’s try not to let it drag us down. Let’s forgive when that’s necessary. Don’t build up resentment or anger.
Third, let’s be prepared for downs to come some of the time. We know that winter will be cold and wet, so we equip ourselves with warm, waterproof clothes. Let’s seek to equip ourselves with resources to help us survive the downs in life. Friends we can trust are one resource. Activities to absorb us may be another. Some people find a good workout or a solid run makes them feel completely different. The writer of the passage in Ecclesiastes reassured him or herself that, whatever happened, God was in control. That’s a resource that works for many.
So, as they say at Christmas - but it will work throughout the year - season’s greetings!
Song/music
‘Getting on with life’ by Philippa Hanna, available at: https://youtu.be/IOv5yhxJ1I0 (4.14 minutes long)
Extension activities
Discuss with students the season in which they may be resting at the moment. Together, draw up a list of resources that they’ve found useful during down seasons in life. Remind them of people they can talk to if they are experiencing a time of difficulty.
