I’ve been away taking a class.
Every night I called home.
In order to make long distance calls I had to have a calling card with a certain number of minutes purchased on it. One night I ran out of minutes and the call was cut off in mid sentence.
The next night I had not yet purchased a new calling card, so I used a cell phone. Now I don’t have a real cell phone, someone dropped off a box with four prepaid phones in it, and I use them to make calls whenever I’m out traveling.
Well sure enough that next night I ran out of minutes again. This time with the cell phone and the call was cut short. I sat there talking to a dead phone for several minutes before I knew what had happened. It was a great conversation.
The next night I charged up my fourth and last cell phone and called home and Susan said, “You just keep running out of time.”
We have run out of time.
The Christian year ends this week.
Next Sunday we begin a new year with the Season of Advent.
It isn’t just the Christian year that has run out, the secular year is winding up soon. Thanksgiving and the Holiday season from here on take over everything.
What hasn’t been done by now, might as well wait till next year.
We talk about time in so many ways.
Usually along lines of scarcity, like running out of time, there isn’t enough time, time flies, if only there were more time, or perhaps another time (meaning never), time is money (meaning there is never enough), like sand in the hour glass such are the days of our lives…
Time. That sand just keeps slipping between the fingers, leaking like a sieve.
The Holy Spirit fills us with a new understanding of time.
Time becomes not about money, not about running out.
When the Holy Spirit washes over our clocks, all the numbers fade away, and the hands of the clock begin to dance keeping time to the song, marking out the rhythms of praise and thanks.
Living in the Spirit means that time becomes sacred.
The Holy Spirit blows on the cold embers of our hearts and the fires of faith are stoked. Time is changed.
We no longer speak of running out.
We speak of Sabbath time, the end of time and we speak of the fullness of time.
The fullness of time.
Time becomes no longer the source of anxiety, and dread and scarcity.
Time becomes about expectation and hope and fullness.
In the fullness of time Christ will return and our redemption will be complete.
God’s judgment will fulfill all things, creation and history will be restored.
We end the Christian year and we begin the Christian year with this vision of Christ the King reigning over the Universe, when all will be all, all manner of things will be well, and we will see as we are seen, the mirror dimly will become the dazzling image.
The Christian hope of Christ’s Return as King.
It fills us with time, plenty of time.
We are overflowing, filled up and about to pop.
Time fills the chalice, spills over the altar, floods the chancel, the aisles are awash, time runs down the steps, a mighty torrent fills the world.
Time to see, to attend, to pay attention.
Time to love, to forgive, to start over.
Time to confess, to absolve.
Time to bless, time to give, time to serve, time to welcome.
Time to die and time to rise anew.
So here at the ending of the year, at the ending of time, may we be filled with the fullness of time.
Having the time of our lives.