+Time

Arrives in my email every morning Days of Praise, a devotional essay written by one of three or four members of a family in Dallas who minister as Institute for Creation Research. As I’m not a “creation science” Christian, the underlying theology doesn’t always appeal to me and, depending on how rushed my day is gathering itself up to be, I don’t always read it, but the essay is often quite good, and starting the day with a devotional moment is always good, and the writers are learned in Hebrew and Greek. At any event, one may better serve oneself by reading things one doesn’t agree with than always to read only one’s own viewpoint. Also, as my theology professor said that morning in class, “they may be right and we may be wrong.”

This morning’s devotional essay is titled “Times and Seasons,” which sounds just right for New Years Eve, a transitional moment for folks worldwide. Time being a human perception, it isn’t really transitional, but we make and observe it as such though our Earth, solar system and Milky Way galaxy simply speed unhindered into distant space as the Big Bang continues its explosive burst, which one may see theologically as God’s creating style, i.e., “In the beginning was the Word” and BANG! BE!

The essay recalls the disciples asking Jesus just before the Ascension, “Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6), to which he replies, “It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.” (v.7). The disciples, and even the essay itself, are oriented toward the future, about God’s plan and what’s going to happen. Jesus says in effect, don’t worry about the future, it’s all in God’s hands, God is in control; saying by implication that we are to live and love in the present, which is what we have, in fact it’s all we have. 

Upstairs on a bookshelf I have a little book The Precious Present -- no, it’s been packed up and probably is in the church library or my office waiting for a new person to pick it up and own it. Working with the homonym “present” the author surprises the reader with the thesis that nothing is more precious than the present moment in time. As the tile in Linda's kitchen window says, "Nothing Is Worth More Than This Day." We have no idea what 2015 C.E. will bring for us, as a world, a nation, family, personally. I hope it will be surprisingly wonderful, each moment of its presence with us. It won’t, of course, it will be like every other year, some moments happier than others. But I pray that this time next year we will be glad for it, and thankful for its life and time.

TW+ in +Time 
enjoying the moment and plodding on