Make Use of Time

Romans 13:11-14

Within our 2025 Davent Guide, author/editor Jan Turrentine remembers purchasing a clock inscribed with a William Shakespeare quote as she reflects on the Biblical concept of time. The quote:

Make use of time, let not advantage slip. ~ William Shakespeare

Turrentine writes the following:

It’s one thing to know the time of day. It’s quite another, however, to recognize critical moments in time and consider them from an eternal perspective. It’s what biblical writers called kairos, the time appointed by God when everything comes together to achieve God’s purposes.

While we are not fully capable of understanding or recognizing this, we can live with an awareness that the present moment and how we act in it matters.

Our Advent and Christmastide series this year is full of light and dark imagery. As we decorated the sanctuary this past Sunday, we reflected on the symbols that we use to decorate the sanctuary. These symbols – from the evergreens, to the poinsettias, to the creche, to the lights and colors – remind us that “Christ’s light reaches out as far as humankind is found, breaking into every shadowed place with grace.”

Decorating may seem like an ordinary and mundane task. Of course, we love to view the decorations once they are placed and hung. But the process of placing and hanging can be a chore. And yet, even the task of decorating can become a kairos moment if we approach it with awareness, intention, and purpose. The symbols tell a story. They spark an interest. They stimulate our imagination They stir our thoughts and feelings. They kindle our sense of hope, joy, peace, and love. They speak to the coming of God’s saving light. And, if we let them, they nudge us to live in the light as if the light is already here even in the midst of darkness. So, yes, decorating can be a spiritual practice!

So, make good use of the time you have to decorate your home. Don’t just check the tree, the lights, or the stockings off your “to do” list. Remember the story of each ornament. Sit with the tree and allow each light you place upon it to be a prayer. Sing a carol and allow it to push you towards family or friends. Wrap a gift and allow yourself to step deeper into the spirit of giving as God gives. Set the nativity scene as you read the story of Jesus’ birth from Matthew or Luke and allow it to spark Christ’s light within you. And whatever else you do in the days ahead to prepare for Christmas, don’t rush past it. Instead, find the kairos moment within everything you do. After all, that is part of what we prayer for when we say, “Thy kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven.”

May you discover God’s kingdom this Advent season.