Time: A Matter Of

Sundays with the Gathering - Palm Beach Gardens

What is time? And how do we live a free and present life?
The Message from The Gathering Place, Jan 29, 2023
thegatheringplacefl.org
Pastors Notes on Time:
The Greek language captures two approaches to time: kairos and chronos.
Kairos time - is the deep truest sense of time.
(John Pauling in Living By Kairos Time in a Chronos World)
"Kairos is
the deepest and truest form of time. Understanding that is the first
step. But then actions, habits, and practices are necessary to
actually reorder and reorient our lives in accord with this deepest
reality..
Chronos just refers to time as duration or sequence, and kairos names a
seasonal, cyclic kind of time: it’s the right time to plant tomatoes or make
dinner or go to war. Kairos is three-dimensional, including time, space, and
meaning; time as story. Chronos, however, is flat, referencing only time and
space. As an example, consider life before mechanized time.
Prior to mechanical clocks (which offer a very sequential chronos-form of time) it was easier to experience the kairos dimension of time as the natural ebbs-and-flows of time followed the movement of the sun, cycles of the moon, and rhythms of the
seasons—all in relation to a specific locale. The structure of time and one’s life
were woven together with myths, stories, and rituals—whether seasonal,
secular, or sacred. Another example could be the birth of a child. While there
certainly is a chronos dimension to the birth of a child—that my son William was
born at such and such a chronological date and time—the event is most fully
understood as a life-changing event of becoming a parent; a kairos moment.
In today’s world, driven almost exclusively by chronos, finding ways to allow
kairos to punctuate and permeate our lives can reorient us towards permanent
things and higher goods. Now, making all of this real in our lives is hard. Living
by kairos time in a chronos world does not come easily, for chronos is a strong
and jealous god. Thus, it requires thick practices that are embodied, authentic,
communal, frequent, and ritualized to dethrone him. Small acts of resistance
chip away at chronos’ power bit by bit. Here are some possible ways to give
kairos room to flourish in our lives. — We need to properly order our lives lives
and situate chronos time in relation to kairos - so we can experience HEAVEN
BREAKTHROUGH - GOD’S KINGDOM COME —In our lives. Daily dying to
ourselves and surrounding to God’s plans - listening to what God is saying
(observing, reflecting, discussing) and Deciding “How will I respond” (plan,
account, act); daily devotions, time in community, family time (dinner vs. family
dinner) —instead of checking the box of ritual/ religion - FB quote - “Religion is
a guy in church thinking about fishing. Relationship is a guy out fishing
thinking about God.” — Movement to worship —connect with your Creator
GOD— GOD WHO PUT ON FLESH AND LIVED WITH US—JESUS —Can we take a
moment to ponder and stand in Awe— Worship is a protest to the reign of
Chronos—AMEN.