The Night Is Far Gone…

In his letter to the Romans (13:11-12), Paul writes, “Besides this, you know what time it is, how it is now the moment for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers; the night is far gone, the day is near.”

The night is far gone, the day is near…

The word Paul used for time, is the Greek word kairos. The other word he could have used, but didn’t, is chronos. Chronos is where we get our word chronological. Kairos, on the other hand, is a weighted word. It indicates a special point in time – perhaps a God-given moment – a moment that may present itself only once, and then it is gone.

In the Buddhist tradition, it is important to recognize beautiful moments – even to name them out loud: “This is a beautiful moment.” It is important to name them because these moments are fleeting. They are here, and then they’re gone.

At Thanksgiving this past year, as my family gathered around the table, I was reminded that this was one of those moments. Children, parents, and grandparents, we all, no matter what age, have a finite number of these kinds of gatherings left in our lives. And so I was encouraged to look around, to appreciate it, and to name it. We don’t know how many more we’ll get. We were all there, all together, all alive in that moment… It was a beautiful moment. 

The truth is, we don’t have forever.

My Friend Roger Kunkel used to tell the story about how one time he went to buy a tree at a nursery up in Wisconsin. There was a sign that said: the best time to buy a tree was twenty years ago. And he thought: Thanks a lot. But on the back of the sign, it read: The second best time to buy a tree is today. Today. 

Today. Right now. 

Are there things that you need to do in your life today? Are there people you need to reach out to today? Are there amends you need to make? Is there someone you need to forgive? Is there a gift that needs to be given? In the time that you have, what priorities might you want to live into? 

Today I pray that you would notice the fullness of this moment God has set before you – a beautiful moment, perhaps – but more importantly, a moment of opportunity.

Let us pray: Eternal God, as we sit on the edge of this new year, we pray with the psalmist that you would teach us to count our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom… We ask in Christ’s name. Amen.