Late in time…?

Late in time behold Him come…
 The second verse of the Christmas carol Hark the Herald Angels Sing seems to capture the cry of our hearts about God’s timing. How often do we wonder about… actually, if we are honest… how often do we complain about God’s timing? “How long O Lord?” We join a chorus of weary souls found in the Scriptures… Psalm 13:1… 79:5… 89:46… Revelation 6:10. Imagine the people of Jesus’ day. The prophets had foretold the coming of the Messiah over 700 years earlier to a people “walking in the darkness” of the Babylonian exile. Over those 700 years, the people of God faced many more hardships. By Jesus’ day, they had waited so long many had lost hope that the promise would be fulfilled.

Late in time…
When I arrived at Lenape Valley 10 years ago, I was reminded of Presbyterian Time- that sacred hour on Sunday dedicated to the worship of a holy God. Note the emphasis on ‘hour.’ Heaven forbid you go over that hour! It better be something really ‘good’ to spill over the hour. To make sure I stay to that sacred hour- a digital clock hangs on the back wall with large red numbers to keep me disciplined on time. I must start on time… end on time… heaven forbid I be late in time!

Late in time…
I grew up in a Navy family. My father taught me Navy Time- if you are not 15 minutes early, you are late. And heaven forbid you be late… even if you are early in your lateness! I have often wished God went by Navy Time in answering my prayers.

Late in time…
Yet, St. Paul reminds us that what feels like God’s late in time answer, comes in the fullness of time (Galatians 4:4). 

But when the fullness of time had come,
God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law,
in order to redeem those who were under the law,
so that we might receive adoption as children.

In Paul’s discussion of God’s timing, we find the Greek words kronos and kairos. Kronos refers to the quantitative measurement of time such as minutes, hours, days, weeks, and years. Chronos is the root of the English word chronological. Kairos refers to the qualitative marking of time- the right time, the opportune time, the moment or ‘season’ that is prime for fulfillment. Paul teaches that the ‘fullness of time’ is when kronos and kairos come together. What seems to be late in time (kronos) is right on time (kairos). We hear the promise of God’s good timing:

Ecc. 3:11-14: God makes everything happen at the right time.
Isaiah 60:22- When the time is right, I, the Lord, will make it happen.
II Cor. 6:2- God says, ‘At just the right time, I heard you. On the day of salvation, I helped you.
Romans 5:6- At just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.

God’s kairos transforms kronos to bless us immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine. (Eph.3:20). Then our ‘How long O Lord’ from Ps.13 can become the song of faith at the end of that Psalm: I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation.

In the fullness of time…
Every year, on December 25th , we celebrate that God’s kairos meets kronos as the Word became flesh and moved into the neighborhood (John 1:14). Yet, to be honest, we are not sure what day this miracle actually happened. Luke’s account of the story shows the shepherds out in the field with their sheep at night. During the winter, sheep were often kept corralled at night for warmth rather than out in the open field. Thus, Luke’s description more fittingly describes the spring lambing season, when sheep roamed the hills for food as shepherds kept vigil to protect mother and lamb from predators. Most likely the birth happened not during the bleak mid-winter, but in the bloom of spring. It was not until 336CE that December 25th was chosen by the church in Rome. Emperor Constantine was using Christianity to unite his diverse empire, pushing back the influences of the pagan cultures. December 25th was the traditional date of the pagan celebration of the Winter Solstice. To establish the priority of the Christian faith, the church claimed December 25th, declaring Jesus as the Light of the world, not the sun…. Jesus as Lord of lords, not Sol Invictus. While Constantine used December 25th as a political move, we claim the day as a faith declaration!

In the fullness of time…
In two days, we will begin a new year… with the gift of new time and new opportunities. May we find in the gift of kronos God’s blessing of kairos. For the Bell family, we have already received our gift in the birth of Sothi Rhodes Rajaratnam, daughter of Grace Bell and David Rajaratnam, born on December 26th. Her name means ‘light’ in Tamal- the language of her Sri Lanken family. Join us in thanking God for his gift of ‘light’ and Light.

With you in His fullness of time… 
Anita