Advent 11 - holy moments in Wing

Funny that I was talking about the pace of advent two days ago as it fitted exactly with the introduction to the Bishop of Oxford's address when he visited church today (only he put it a little more eloquently).

He talked about the gift of four weeks of advent, four weeks to mark time, a Sunday to pause each week and to help us slow down and feel the waiting.

He then went on to talk about time ... one question we had at our 'rest' discussion was "Is it possible to reclaim a sense of time as an abundant gift from God rather than a scarce commodity?"

I think the Bishop addresses this today...

He spoke about three types of time

1) Circular time - seed time and harvest, the changing of the seasons, marking the year by sports fixtures, or just the fact that Christmas has come 'round' again.

2) Chronos or linear time - with phrases like "how long will it take". The idea of time going somewhere was introduced by Hebrew thought and indeed Jesus follows a linear journey too on a heavenly trajectory from it's beginning in Galilee. History too is heading for an ending or the fulfilment of God's plan.

3) Kairos time - "the appointed time in the purpose of God" or special moments when God acts or breaks into Chronos time. Jesus' birth, life, cross, resurrection. But we have our own Kiaros moments too. When has God either tip toed or crashed into our lives?

Advent is when linear time waits for Kairos time, God is always coming into our lives through grace not just at advent. Each moment is full of God if we choose to see it but it is only in the present moment that we can see God...our challenge is to allow those Kairos moments in all we do this advent and beyond. Whether commending people to God as we write their names in Christmas cards or take time out to share coffee with someone and to really be present to them.

Unfortunately, my Kairos moment was interrupted as at this point in the talk as I was called into Sunday School by the arrival of some late angels. But maybe someone may take a linear moment to add any more wisdom over the next few days...