Dressing Up for Christmas
Romans 13:11-14
There are in every life - moments that matter. There are times we remember with great
clarity: the first day of school, your first kiss, the day you were
married. You may even remember “the
hour you first believed”. Some can
tell you to the second, the moment they came to believe that Jesus Christ was
and is who he said he was, “the son of the living God”. (Matthew
16:17) They can tell you on which day
they made their confession of faith. For
others that moment is more blurred; and memories not so clear; but its impact
is just as profound.
There is a spiritual birthday for all who claim Christ; but like all
birthdays, they mark only the beginning of life; the beginning of a succession
of moments that matter. The time that we have is a gift from God. It is a gift which moves and matters. It takes us from one place and leads us to
another; and it carries with it meaning and purpose.
“Salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed”; so take care you do not squander the time
you have left. God can help you make the
most of it; make it matter. So, use your time wisely; for it is a most precious
gift. Before we begin to unwrap this
gift; let us pray:
God of Eternity; you have placed within each of us a spark of eternity,
a glimpse of what is to come. Yet, we
remain trapped in time which seems too short and goes by too fast. So, we pack the hours and days with
activities, with things to do, places to go, and people to see. Yet, at the end of the day or even our lives
we look back and wonder - what was it all for.
Awaken us to the opportunities you place before us; strengthen us for
the challenges ahead. Help us to make
our moments matter as we learn to live and love through Jesus Christ. Amen.
Today is the first Sunday in Advent. That means there are twenty-four
days to Christmas. Now, if you are a
young child anxiously waiting for a favorite toy or game that will feel like an
eternity. Time will tick away through molasses. The very young ones may wake up
every morning and ask “Is it Christmas yet?”
If you are a parent or especially if you are a grandparent, time will
fly faster than Santa’s sleigh. You have so much to do and prepare for that before
you can blink an eye it will be here.
We all have different experiences with time. About thirty years ago, I
had the opportunity of staying with a Jamaican friend and his family deep in
the mountains some twenty miles south of Montego Bay. That’s where I learned that there are two
kinds of time. There is
obsessive-compulsive, calendar watching, clock winding, be there five minutes
early, northern American time - and then there is Jamaican time.
Now, Jamaican time ignores the clock and barely acknowledges the
calendar. “I’ll pick you up outside the
Sandals Resort at three o’clock” really means “look for me about four, but it
will probably be five.” My friend didn’t
leave me waiting to be rude. For him it was
not a matter of control or exerting power.
It was not done out of a feeling of self-importance; of thinking that
his time was more important than mine. Rather, I discovered his view of time
was formed by his tendency to become “lost in the moment”. That is, he gave his
full attention to the people he was with and the activity in which he was
involved. He was so present to the
moment that he was living now that he didn’t think much about the next moment
until this one is over.
Contrast that with the view of time which dominates our community
especially at Christmas. We will fill up our calendars, trying to fit as much
activity as possible into the time we have. We will check off our to-do lists
with frantic urgency. Yet, at the end of
the day, or year, or at the end of our lives we wonder with great anxiety if we
have really lived or if we have just gone through the motions. We are always
thinking about the next thing we’re supposed to do, or the next person we’re
supposed to see, or the next place we’re supposed to go. As a result, we are
not really present to the people we are with right now. We become like those
annoying people we meet at cocktail parties whose eyes are always scanning the
room looking for someone more important to talk to. We move through life as if on autopilot; not
really paying attention.
To that way of thinking, to that way of living Paul says, “Love is
the fulfilling of the law. So, be aware
of what hour it is, how it is full time now for you to wake up. For salvation is nearer to us now than when
we first believed.” (Romans 13:10-11) In other words, be present to the
people you are with; be aware of what God is doing; and cherish the time you
have. The Greek word for this view of
time is “Kairos”.
“Kairos is God’s time, the existential moment of opportunity and
decision.” (Stott, John: Romans pg 351) It differs from another
Greek word for time - “chronos”; from which we get our word chronometer
or clock. Chronos simply refers to minutes, one piled upon another. Chronos is the second hand slowing to a crawl
at two-thirty on a Friday afternoon.
Chronos is being stuck in traffic when you are already late for an
important appointment. Chronos is a
boring preacher who never seems to get to the point. (Now, I can see many of
you are puzzled by this last statement; but believe me, this does happen --- in
other churches, of course.)
“Kairos” on the
other hand refers to those moments that matter; that make a difference. The hands on the clock seem to spin faster
during those Kairos moments. Time
telescopes because we become less aware of ourselves and more aware of the
people and circumstance around us. We
become more present to one another.
Shortly, we will enter into one
of those moments that matter. We stop
what we’re doing. We pause from the
hustle and bustle; hopefully we even keep from reflexively checking our watches
in order to be “present unto the Lord.”
It is an appointment that Jesus makes with us. “Wherever two or
three are gathered in my name, there will I be.” (Matthew 18:20) The Lord’s
Supper is our standing appointment to be present to the Lord; because he
promised he would be present unto us. The Lord’s Supper is that in-between
time, the transition between the Kingdom of the world in which we live and the
Kingdom of God into which we will soon enter. It can be one of those moments
which move us from one place to another; which provide meaning and purpose.
When you taste the bread; when you drink the cup Christ reminds you of
what he has done; the sacrifice he has made for you; and he calls you to
respond to that precious gift by returning to Him the time he has already given
you. The Lord’s Supper reminds us of
what Christ has done; focuses us on what Christ is doing; and calls us forward
to what he promises will yet be. It is
about our past, our present, and our future.
This is what the apostle meant when he said, “the night is far gone,
the day is at hand. Let us then cast off
the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.” (Romans 13:12)
Now most of us think it is darkness not light that will protect us. If
someone doesn’t see what we are doing we think we will be safe. That’s why students sit in the back of class.
When the teacher asks a question they do not know the answer to, they will
shift in their chairs to hide behind the student in front of them figuring that
if the teacher doesn’t see me the teacher will not call on me.
That’s why some people look around when they ding someone’s bumper in
the parking lot. They figure if no one saw it they can get away with it. They can walk away from it. Darkness they think
will be their friend.
But, sometimes it is not. If you are walking down a dark alley late at
night in a neighborhood you do not know, you look for the light, you run to the
light because you know it is the light that will protect you. People are less likely
to hurt you in the light of day, less likely to do you harm if everyone else
can see.
It is light that protects us and so Paul wrote put on the armor of
light and later clarifies what that means, “put on the Lord Jesus Christ”.
This is the time of the year, when people will put on their Christmas
clothes of red and green. They will wear
the Christmas ties and their Christmas socks and some will don their Christmas
sweaters. That’s how we put on
Christmas, but how do we put on Christ?
Paul tells us in the letter he wrote to the church in Colossae, “Therefore, as God's chosen people,
holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility,
gentleness and patience.” (Colossians 3:12) The old bumper sticker summed it
up. Ask yourself WWJD? In every circumstance, in every trial, in
every temptation, “What would Jesus do?”
As we move toward our Christmas celebration we will become increasingly
time conscious; when in fact, we should become more Christ conscious. In a
Santa Claus world this is not easy. Few television programs let Christ into
their holiday shows. The gift giving idea sold by department stores is not
connected at all with the gifts of the Magi offered to a new born King; but is
instead interwoven with presents we give to each other.
Yet, if the season is to have any impact on our lives at all it will be
when those “kairos” moments break through the “chronos”. It will be when we cast off the works of
darkness and put on the armor of light that we will better catch a glimpse of
God moving in our lives.
Thirty years ago, while waiting outside the Sandal’s Resort for my
friend who said he’d pick me up at three; I learned the difference between the
“chronos” and “kairos” view of time. I
never did adopt the Jamaican view. I fret
if I’m late, I keep a calendar and check my watch; but since then I’ve tried to
recognize those “kairos” moments that God gives. These are the moments
that give our faith muscle. These are
the moments that lift our eyes upward.
These are the moments that keep us facing forward.
It demands a spiritual
awareness. It requires you be “present
unto the Lord.” Jesus has made an
appointment with you; and in a few moments he will keep that appointment as he
promised. Somehow in the mystery of this
Holy Supper Christ will be you. Awaken
to his presence in your life as you remember what He has done; as you open your
eyes to what He is doing; and as you hold onto the promises He has made for
your future; for salvation is nearer now than when you first believed.
Let us pray:
Almighty God, who came
to us long ago in the birth of Jesus Christ, be born in us anew today by the
power of your Holy Spirit. We offer our
lives as home to you and ask for grace and strength to live as you faithful,
joyful children always. Amen
.
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