‘There is a time for all things…’ (Ecc. 3:1)
Overnight our clocks moved forward one hour and we are now into British Summer Time, which means that our evenings will now become longer – and hopefully warmer. Time can seems strange at times. On how many occasions, for example, have we said something like, ‘…this week has flown by…’ yet maybe a few weeks later, ‘…this past week has dragged by…’ Both weeks are the same period of time and yet they pass by so differently and as I sit to write this, I wonder how the past seven days have passed for us all!
Lutheran Theologian Paul Tillich said of time, ‘Time is our destiny. Time is our hope. Time is our despair. And time is the mirror in which we see eternity…’ words which, in one sense, seem to echo the sentiment of the author of Ecclesiastes. We all have different times in our lives allocated to various tasks and duties, different times set aside for work, leisure and sleep, different times set aside to celebrate special occasions.
Today we would of course normally be gathering for a time of worship and fellowship in the peace and stillness of our sanctuaries. Gathering with our brothers and sisters in Christ to come before our Lord and there is no doubt we all miss this time together. Yet we can still come together in Spirit, in a way looking through the mirror of eternity that Tillich speaks of, and be at one with God to spend time in communion with Him.
And of course no matter what time or day or night it is, no matter what else we may be doing in that period of time, still we are able to spend time with our Lord. Sharing with Him in whatever we are doing, talking and listening to Him, offering Him our thanks and petitions, acknowledging His ever present presence in our lives. All time is in God’s hands – and all He wants us to do is to share some of our time with Him each and every day.
Lord, help us in the busyness of everyday life to take time to be with You. Help us to live Your will for us and Your destiny for us, for only then will we be living our lives as You would have us, to the glory and honour of Your name. Amen