As a progressive Christian, I believe there are many names for God and many ways to a loving God; this article reflects one of those ways. Take from here what works for you. Celebrate life with joy and peace!
“For everything there is a season and a time …”
Time! So, what is time? Have you got the time? We use the word all the time.
The ancient Greeks had a couple of words for “time” – kairos and chronos.
Chronos is about chronological time: ordinary time; clock time. Chronos is what we mean when we ask, “What time is your appointment?” “What was her time in the 100 meter freestyle?”
Chronos time is easy to measure with watches, clocks and calendars. Sometimes we can feel like we are slaves to chronos time, and you might have heard, “There’s just not enough time! I need more time!”
In order to manage chronos we have calendars, day planners; some are so high tech that all of our chronos events are linked by the cloud to help us get to the places we need, and the people we need to see, “on time.”
However, kairos time is not like chronos time. Kairos time is completely different. Our reading in Ecclesiastes is about kairos time. Kairos, we could say, is another dimension of time. Kairos is the “right time”; the “appropriate time”; or the “time of opportunity.”
Kairos cannot be measured with clocks and calendars. Kairos time is perceived with wisdom and discernment and beats to the rhythm of love and compassion, instead of seconds.
The Bible is filled with examples of kairos time. When Mark presented Jesus arriving on the scene in his gospel with these words, “The time is fulfilled, the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the good news”, he was not referring to a date on the calendar, but he was speaking of the opportunity to move in a radically new life-direction through new life in Jesus.
What might be helpful to better understand kairos time is to think of kairos as the dimension of time where the Spirit of God lives and moves and works freely and spontaneously; God time; or Divine time.
A kairos moment almost always comes unexpected, and when it does, an opportunity presents itself. Now being able to see that opportunity is another thing! The phone rings, an email appears, someone drops by, you get a text, a crisis occurs that calls for my attention, or compassion, or a listening ear, or a comforting heart, or help with someone’s need, or a simple prayer, or an affirmation, whatever. A kairos opportunity is not written in my chronos calendar, it simply presents itself.
If I am so rigidly bound by my chronos calendar and my perception of reality is limited to just that dimension, I am likely to marginalize the kairos moment, and even excuse myself from it, by saying, “Sorry, I don’t have the time.”
The ironic thing about it is that life experience has repeatedly taught me that I most often experience a God-Presence in the kairos moments of unexpected opportunity rather than in my carefully planned chronos daily calendar.
I’d like to talk about some kairos opportunities that present themselves any time of the year; kairos opportunities using three “C” words.
First, commitment.
“For everything there is a season and a time …” Many congregations resemble going to a sporting event. By that I mean, the arena is full of people, and it’s a good experience for most, but the overwhelming majority of the people are sitting in the bleachers cheering the players on.
Now is a time for commitment. Now is not the time to withdraw to the back rows of the bleachers and just cheer the players on. Now is the time to engage. There is much work to be done.
Second, community.
Now is the time for community. One of our core values is community. Our deep desire is to offer a safe and open community for people to worship, learn and grow in their faith. We are committed to equipping ourselves and each other to do the work that God has called us to do in the world.
Unity is found in community. Let’s reach out to those who are new in our community; let’s draw from each other’s strengths; let’s celebrate the role of our faith community in the larger community. Now is the time for community.
Third, continuity.
Now is the time for continuity. We have just celebrated 45 years of bringing people closer to God and one another. What a great mission! We have a great foundation; let’s continue to build on that.
We are an open and affirming faith community. With roots in the teachings and spiritual practices of Christianity, we are also respectful of the rich wisdom of other faith traditions. How honored I was to be able to give the invocation at The Center with my beautiful colleague, Rabbi Laurie.
We affirm each individual as a unique and gifted creation of God. Building on our history of celebrating diversity in sexual orientation, gender and gender identity, we are a congregation that welcomes all people.
We are called to:
Teach and practice the Good News of God’s unconditional love for all people
Welcome home those who have been spiritually wounded or are seeking or growing a relationship with God
Actively promote equality and justice for all people
Be fully engaged in our own growth and with others on their spiritual journey to hope, healing and wholeness
With wisdom, discernment and intentionality, let’s direct our energies toward commitment and community so that we will experience continuity between what has been and what is yet to be. No eye has seen, no mind can conceive what God has in store for us! Amen.
