Not only does this present world have it's times and it's hours and our own lives has its times and it's hours, but so does God. And behind these times of our lives, his traces can become visible if we are looking. I'm reminded in Psalm 31:15 "My times are in your hand."
Dietrich BonHoeffer reminds us in his advent book that we must serve our times, God's present in our lives, because God sanctifies our times. Every part of our times rightly understood is immediate to God and God wants us to be fully what we are.
"God is the God of the ages. The turning point of the ages is Christ and the right Spirit of the ages is the Holy Spirit."
Time is a mystery, and as we ponder the mystery of time during this season of Christmas and Advent, let us remember that Jesus happened TO time.
”But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children. And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father.” Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child. And since you are his child, God has made you his heir.“ Galatians 4:4-7 NLT
His coming, the first time, his advent, changed everything. God became flesh and changed the world once and for all in the person of Jesus Christ. But what I want us to ponder in this mystery of his coming are the ways that he continues to come to each of us. God is still at work in us and in the world, and he continues to comes to us in OUR times; but are we recognizing the ways he comes?
Because God is magnificent and omnipotent, I think we too often look for him to show up in theatrical ways. We are a bit trained especially through Hollywood to see God on the BIG screen, and thankfully we get those moments and they are wonderful. But as we see in the birth of Jesus, God comes in obscure and small ways too. He comes in ways that we don't always so readily recognize him.
So I encourage you today during this busy time of Christmas to slow down to the speed of now and this moment in time. Slow down and ask God to help you recognize the ways he is coming to you right now. His "present" moments are holy moments in our of relationship with him where we get to experience Him in small but magnificent ways.
Staying present with you,