ChristmasTime

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ChristmasTime

Check your calendars. Sunday is the first Sunday of Advent. This year, our theme is “ChristmasTime.” As we worship, we adjust our lives to God’s schedule and his plan for our world to send Jesus Christ to save us. To do so, we need to make the most of the time he gives us.

The New Testament measures time in two ways: chronos and kairos. The former counts days, weeks, and months, much like we do today on our watches and calendars. Kairos time is “the right time.” It’s God’s time fulfilled now in his work in the world and our faithfulness to him. Kairos measures things much differently than watches. We see it in fig trees ripening, hearts beating, lives changing, and Christ’s coming. You can’t find it on a clock, but you know it when you see it.

We actually use Kairos language all the time and barely notice it. At Thanksgiving, we’ll say to teenagers, “Look how fast you’ve grown.” When we see the changes in people’s lives, we say “My, how time flies.” When remembering a trip together, we may not know the precise dates, but we say, “We sure had a good time.” Kairos is usually reserved for the quick pace of life or the special moments we remember.

Jesus uses Kairos differently. It’s now time…God’s time fulfilled in our lives. It’s the opportunity for us to see his work, change our lives, and adjust to his plan, just as he did long ago through Jesus with Mary and Joseph.

Jesus came when the time was fulfilled, and he will come again when the time is right. In the meantime, we act now to obey his will on earth as it is in heaven. We wake up, watch out, stay alert, and pay attention to the ways he’s at work around us. We make ourselves available to be the Lord’s servants.

ChristmasTime (Kairos) has a certain ring to it. It sounds like a group of people talking about when a baby is due. The due date is on a certain day, but the baby comes when the baby is ready. It feels like a heart that has contracted and is just about to let blood flow again (1 Corinthians 7:29). It sounds like choirs and praise teams singing carols and children laughing and dancing. Kairos proclaims that Christ has inaugurated a new era (Ephesians 3:10) for us to participate in freely because of the appearing of our savior Jesus (2 Timothy 1:9-12).

How do we prepare for this season? Pay less attention to the clock, and more to God’s presence. Get some rest this weekend. Worry less and wait more. Prepare your hearts by looking for opportune moments in life. Stay alert to the world’s pain around you, and get ready for the coming of the Lord.

Each Sunday, I’ll be preaching from sermon texts that are Kairos moments.

November 30
“Be Alert”
Mark 13:33-37
Kairos means we need to wake up, watch out, and stay calm. Christ is coming, and he’s already here. Get ready.

December 7
“On God’s Schedule”
Galatians 3:26-4:7
Some things require time, and God’s timing. Why are you in such a hurry, and what do you need to wait for?

December 14
“Looking for Kairos Time”
Mark 1:14-16
Kairos time happens when our schedule and God’s schedule overlap. We pay attention to it through a two-part process: Repent and Believe. We must observe and see these moments in our lives to be able to react. Each person will receive a Kairos journal to make note of God’s work in their world throughout 2015.

December 21
“Here I Am”
Luke 1:26-38
Mary gives us an example of the kind of faith, availability, and trust it takes to be ready when God steps in.

December 24
“ChristmasTime”
Luke 2:1-20

 

I hope you’ll be here each Sunday throughout the season. Invite your friends to join us for the musical “Time for Christmas” December 14 at 6:00pm. Advent is here. We have plenty of time to wait.