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By Barry Buzza
Last week I began writing about some of the seasons of change we've encountered in Canada since the early 1950s. I've been comparing the turnings of time, which have lasted about 20 years each, to the four seasons of our year here in BC.
Spring is a time of new beginnings, hope comes alive with budding flowers and singing birds. Summer follows spring and is obviously the most prolific of our seasons. Flowers, fruits, vegetables and sunshine give evidence to the blessings of God.
But as sure as spring follows winter, fall follows summer. In the autumn season, there is an unraveling that takes place; life gives way to death, darkness slowly swallows the light. Finally the fourth season of winter invades-cold temperatures, no growth and long nights characterize the difficult three months.
In our nation, after the crises of World War II. A spring-time in society was the mood of the years between 1945 and 1965. I grew up in those years. They were, at least in our home, the Ozzie and Harriet days. Prosperity increased annually (as did the cost of living).
But during those spring-time years something else was happening spiritually in Canada. The Church was becoming increasingly sick. During that 20 year span church attendance felt from 66% to 20% weekly. Our failing church life was a reflection of a growing dependence upon the prosperity of society and a weakening dependence on God as our source of life.
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By the time the mid-1960s came along I was graduating from high school and the spiritual vacuum of our nation led to a collapse and rebirth. I call the mid-60s to the mid-80s summer because it was alive with colour. The hippies made sure of that. Our clothes changed, our attitudes reacted to the somewhat hypocritical Victorian morals of our parents, art and music proliferated. It was filled with new ideas, freedom from restraint, and to fill the void, "spirituality" (not Christianity but a spiritual quest which opened young adults to Eastern religions, New Age and cults, as well as new traditions in the church.)
That summer season, up to the mid-80s, ended with the approaching fall. The inner workings of family, friendship, sharing and morality were in crises. We've been somewhat lulled into complacency by the Indian Summer of external economic prosperity, but the core of society, our inner soul, has all but disintegrated.
I see it every day--loneliness, divorce, despair, confusion and disillusionment--especially among the youth and young adults.
My belief is that the approaching winter season from 2007--2027 is going to be the worst years and the best years. I'm not an economist and I'm not speaking of external prosperity, but when it comes to our internal world, it does best when going through critical times. Pain has a way of bringing us to a place of change. (I'll pick up this idea and look into our future years next week.)
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Barry Buzza, a veteran pastor, is the president elect of the The Foursquare Gospel Church of Canada. www.foursquare.ca
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July 26/2007
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