What time is it?
You could say: It’s the first Sunday of Advent, the beginning of the church year so - Happy New YEAR! (Blow horn!)
But, most likely, you would simply look at your watch, your phone or a clock and tell me whatever time it said. This is Chronos time – the time we keep track of on our clocks, alarms and calendars.
They had no such calendars in Biblical times. And yet Jesus said, you know how to tell what time it is – when the fig tree starts to bud, it’s springtime. The same is true for us. All you have to do is look at the trees outside. We know that when the leaves begin to fall – it’s autumn and time for Thanksgiving weekend. And when the snow falls on empty branches… it’s time to think about Christmas.
But when Jesus says, “the time is near,” the “time” is neither Chronos time nor seasonal time. Both of these work in a linear fashion with one day following another; one season coming after the other in a completely orderly manner and with distinct lines between past, present and future.
Instead, Jesus is talking about Kairos time.
What time is it? It’s Kairos time. It’s God’s time. Kairos time weaves God’s salvation history – that is, the death and resurrection of Jesus– with the future promises of Jesus for you and for me – in order to reshape our present reality. In other words, remembering our past as claimed by Christ in our baptism and knowing the future promises of Jesus for everlasting life shapes the way that we live our lives today.
What time is it? It’s God’s time – yesterday, today and tomorrow.
If you asked the first readers of Luke’s Gospel, “What time is it?” they may have pointed to the “signs” indicating that the end of the world was near. Afterall, they were struggling with an oppressive Roman government and the realization that the beautiful temple -that they all thought would last forever - had been reduced to rubble. People were shaken. There was much division, disease and natural disasters.
Fast forward to today. What does our world look like: Distress among nations. Yes. And not in just one place. Fear of natural disasters? Yes – just think of climate change and the resulting fires in the west, floods, and severe weather battering the land. The pandemic only adds to the stress -which causes more stress and results in injustice and hardship. People are shaken and divided. And when people – any of us - are afraid, weary, and uncertain of the future, we – as people – tend to act out of survival mode instead of reflecting on the common good. What time is it?
But when Jesus’ followers then and now wonder what time it is, Jesus tells them: when you see the challenges of the world around you, do not let your hearts be weighed down, do not succumb to the worries of this world, depression or any oself-medicated solution. Instead… look for Jesus.
Quoting the apocalyptic writing of the prophet Daniel, Jesus says, he, the Son of Man will be there. Since most of us – including myself- are not as familiar with the prophet Daniel as his first listeners were, I want you to hear the context of what Jesus is quoting.
The prophet Daniel said, “
“In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.”( Daniel 7:13-14)
This is not a vision of damnation or destruction. This is a vision of the coming of the Son of Man – and as Christians we understand that this means that Jesus is coming at the end of days. And that is a GOOD thing. This is a vision of hope, joy and peace - from the past prophets – that will be realized in the future.
This is why we begin Advent, the beginning of the church year, the beginning of our anticipation and waiting for Christmas, with a reading from the end of the Gospel of Luke. We begin by remembering that Christ has risen – and Christ will come again. Holding that past and future state together, we are able to live our present days in both anticipation of Jesus coming and in celebration of Jesus having already come.
What time is it? This is Kairos time – God’s time.
So… how do we, as Christians, live into God’s Kairos time? How do we look for Jesus in the midst of the chaos around us?
First, we remember who we are. I’m delighted that today, on this first Sunday of Advent, we are baptizing Charlie. On this day, Charlie will be baptized into the body of Christ and made a child of God – forever. And on this day – we who are baptized – remember the promises that God has also made to us: You are a child of God, a brother or a sister in Christ.
We are also reminded that God wants to be in relationship with you – each one of you. And that is why God invites you and me to pray. The Psalms teach us that we can pray even when we are angry at God or frustrated, worried, anxious or afraid. Like the Psalmist, we can pray: “O Lord, hear my prayer, answer me…come and listen to me.” We have been given the assurance that God not only listens but loves us and cares for us.
These two things – remembering our past, who we are – and remembering our future – that God will never abandon us but will always be with us – are important to remember in our everyday life, but even more important when we face a crisis.
In my extended family, we are praying for two friends and a family member who are all suffering from the coronavirus – like so many other people. They are hospitalized and so we can’t visit them but, unfortunately, the prognosis is uncertain at best. In one instance, the doctor recommended that our prayers be not for healing. This was hard to hear. This is our desire that they be healed! If the doctor is urging us to pray for something other than healing – then how do we pray?
As we thought and – yes prayed – about how we could best pray with and for these beloved people, we realized that we were in a different time. What time is it? This is Kairos time. This is God’s time.
And so.. in God’s Kairos time we begin by remembering the past: They and we have been claimed by Christ as brothers and sisters. And then we remember the promise of the future: Christ will never leave us or forsake us. And this means that, no matter what happens, Jesus is with these beloved people and all of us yesterday, today and all of our tomorrows – forever. That’s Kairos time – God’s time. In God’s time we are able to move from the despair of the world to God’s everlasting promise of hope, love and peace. Thanks be to God who always makes time for us. Amen.