Alarm clocks jar us from slumber to announce the time. Wall clocks silently display the same. Wrist watches and cell phones can provide that information, too. For approximate time, one can count on the rooster strutting around the neighbor’s yard to perform this task. More consistently, the eastern sky is lit up each morning on the arrival of the sun breaching the horizon. In my family, the hours were gonged by a fancy, cream-colored mantel clock with gold-plated flourishes. It was kept faithfully wound by my father who cherished this decorative timepiece (less appreciated by other members of the family – notably, my mother).
Our days are regimented by time: What time is it? What time is the appointment? How much time do I have? What time does the bus come? What time is coffee break? Little children, in the backseat of the car on a road trip, ask ‘what time do we get there’ (this usually comes out more like ‘are we there yet?’)
This weekend our time will get backed up one hour on Sunday at 2 AM. (it is so tiring to have to get up in the middle of the night to take care of this twice-a-year chore, don’t you agree?) The only major difference is an earlier sunset, making the evenings suddenly so long. There is a lot of debate on whether we should stop this annoying practice of messing with the time. All this is ‘chronos’ time or sequential time by the clock.
The other time is ‘kairos,’ or the opportune moment. To the consternation of expectant moms everywhere, babies are born in Kairos and not the Chronos ‘set’ by doctors. In the Bible, Kairos means ‘God’s appointed time,’ a moment of divine intervention. Jesus said, ‘the time has come,’ meaning for the kingdom to be revealed and the Son to be glorified. The disciples asked Jesus, seconds before he was whisked away into the cloud, if it was ‘now’ the time he would free Israel and restore the Jewish kingdom. This request was instantly followed up with a mild rebuke, informing the men that that information was ‘kairos’ and not theirs to know (while probably disappointing to the guys, it is thrilling for us to know that God, and God alone, sets dates and times with His authority, according to His Plan ‘A’!). See Ecclesiastes 3:1-8. PD
