Time. It’s a cruel taskmaster. Relentlessly progressing. Despite the rules, or the method of discipline—Time Out is a misnomer. It keeps marching. Always. And so it has throughout this year. Really? December already!? When it comes to this month time always seems too short.
This year, with Christmas Eve falling on a Sunday, time seems even more compressed—cramming everything into these days. And, of course, it never helps that our days are shorter and shorter this time of year.
What do you do with your time? The time you waste… The time until… The time you have left… The Bible has 2 words for time. The first is Chronos—it’s where the word for chronology originates. It’s the relentless marching forth of time. The second is Kairos. This is deep time. It’s the moments where the transcendent God comes and intersects with your life. Kairos is when time stands still. Your wedding is a Kairos moment. So is the time standing next to the casket of your loved one. Kairos is why we can faithfully sing about worshipping the New Born King. Jesus hasn’t been a newborn for over 2,000 years chronologically. And yet we rightfully sing these hymns of praise.
This year time is impacting Christmas Eve and Advent worship—that is, Chronological time. As such our clocks will look different for worship on December 24th. Some will be singing Silent Night when the clock dictates that we still greet one another with Good Morning.
Our Christmas Eve worship in the Life Center will be at 10 am on the 24th. Our Traditional Christmas Eve worship in the sanctuary will be at 7 pm. Both will have communion and candlelight. The time will be different, yet the Kairos moments will still tug at your heart about the altogether otherworldly nature of what God does in bringing the Incarnate Jesus into our midst.
Time may march forward. But I encourage you, this December, to look for those moments when you do get to call Time Out. Lean into the times you are transported to a significant memory of your childhood; a moment when Peace, Hope, and Joy manifested in your hearts; and a moment you joined all of creation to praise the New Born King.
Come Let Us Adore Him…
