The Time Has Grown Short

In his first letter to the Corinthians, chapter 7, the Apostle Paul writes, “Brothers and sisters, the appointed time has grown short…For the present form of this world is passing away.” (See 1 Corinthians 7:29-31) 

This letter is rich. In this same letter, we have that great passage that is often read at weddings: Love is patient, love is kind… We have the passage about the church being like a body with all the different parts functioning together. We read about spiritual gifts, and there is a beautiful treatise on the hope of the resurrection. The letter is a treasure trove of insight into the human condition and the way in which God in Christ seeks to come into our lives. 

In the background of all of this, there was a deep-seated belief that drove everything else. Paul believed, and these early Christians believed, that Christ would return at any moment; and that God’s kingdom would come in its fullest sense within their lifetimes. This expectation lent a sense of urgency to their lives and ministries.

It is interesting how even today, I’ll often hear people say: I think the end times are near. Look at all the craziness happening in the world… All these signs point to Jesus’ coming back any minute. But people have been saying that since Paul’s day. And truly, we don’t know when…

What we do know is that Paul still hit on a profound truth: We don’t know how long we have. Whether Jesus comes back today, tomorrow, in 500 or even 5000 years, it is an inescapable fact of life that we don’t have forever; that all that is, is temporal, fleeting.

The writer Brian Koppelman makes the point that: “If you look at the great expanse of time, we’re not even a dot… And if you walk through life with the knowledge that one day, everything we love will be here no more, for me, it makes me love harder… more fiercely. It makes me want to be more expansive, more giving, and more connected. It makes me aware of how fortunate I am to be present in this moment…” 

May you and I be the kind of people who go through this life aware of how precarious and precious it all is. May we live with a deep sense of gratitude for the time we have been given, and the time we have left. And, may our relationships, our decisions, and our faith be ever shaped by that insight.

Let us pray: We are grateful, O God, for the gift of this life, and for the promise that in life and in death, we belong to you. In the time we have been given, help us to love more fiercely, to give more generously, to open our hearts more widely, and to build bridges; in Jesus’ name. Amen.