By Pastor Rhoda Klein Miller
Every autumn in Vancouver we are treated to a beautiful array of fall colours. The city’s tree lined streets offer a dazzling spectrum of warm shades resulting from a bio-chemical response to seasonal changes. Plant cells in the leaves contain chlorophyll giving them a vibrant green colour throughout the spring and summer. The leaves also contain yellow to orange pigments common in vegetables but most of the year these colours are masked by the dominant green essential for photosynthesis and growth. As light level and temperature drops the leaves stop their food-making process. The chlorophyll breaks down, the green disappears, and the yellow to orange colours are revealed. At the same time other chemical changes may occur, producing brown and purplish hues or vibrant pinks. This season reminds me of a spiritual concept called “death to self.” When we stop living for our own gain and benefit and surrender our agenda and lives to God’s direction and purpose, our self-centered nature fades away and He transforms us into a more lovely and inspiring version of ourselves. I wonder if Paul was inspired by fall leaves when he wrote Colossians 3:3-4 “your true life is a hidden one in God, through Christ. One day, Christ who is your life will show himself, and you will share in that magnificent revelation.” (Read also 1 Peter 2:24 and Ephesians 4:22-24).
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