Time is on Our Side

I know you didn’t ask, but just in case the thought crossed your mind, I have now completed six years here in Rockville as pastor of Union Congregational Church.  Though there are many things that I would still like to see happen, I think it’s fair to say that so far my wife and I both feel good about our time here.  My intent is not to take this opportunity, though, to look back and evaluate how the past few years have gone.  Instead, since some time has now passed, I would like to simply do some rambling on the subject of time.

A scientist will tell you that there really is no such thing as time.  Though we often think of time in universal terms, there really is no clock out there in the universe somewhere, slowly ticking away the sands of time.  Instead, a scientist would say that time is relative; and they have actually proven this to be true.  Though to the human senses it is often undetectable, there are a number of things (like altitude and speed) that affect time.  Things happen slower or faster depending on what altitude you are at.  And things happen slower or faster depending on what speed you are traveling.  To a scientist time is simply a system of measurement.  You can’t see it, taste it or touch it.  It is simply used to compare and evaluate different events.

Another interesting aspect of time is the fact that the only “time” that any of us can ever really experience is the present.  We cannot and will not (at least in this life) ever be able to experience “yesterday” again.  And we cannot and will not (again, at least in this life) ever be able to experience “tomorrow” until it’s actually today.  This is why the Apostle Paul (in Philippains 3:13) tells us to “forget about what lies behind.”  And too, this is why Jesus (in Matthew 6:27) warns us not to worry about our lives.  “Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life” Jesus says.

We all know these kinds of things almost intuitively; and yet, how often do we catch ourselves actually living in either the past or the future?  Or, for that matter, do we even catch ourselves doing it at all?  Perhaps we do it so often that we never even realize we’re doing it.  Living in the past  (rather than the present) is probably most practiced by those of us who are older; and living in the future is probably most practiced by those who are younger.

As people grow older, if they’re not careful, they can live too much in the past where all their fondest memories reside.  And when they do this they fail to see the beauty and the mercies of each new day that God has given them to live.  “This is the day that the Lord has made,” the psalmist says (in Psalm 118:24), “let us rejoice and be glad in it.”  We can only do that if we are someone who is choosing to live in the present, and not predominantly in the past.

Those of us who are parents, have seen first-hand how eager children are to grow up.  It seems that they no sooner reach one milestone, than they are already looking forward to the next.  A younger brother or sister sees their sibling go off to school, and they can’t wait to go to school themselves.  Then once they’re in school they can’t wait to graduate.  And once they graduate they can’t wait to find a job, or to get married, or to retire, etc.  Instead of learning to be patient and to enjoy each day as it comes, we frail creatures are forever wishing our life away!

When I first came to Union Church I asked the church to covenant with me before the Lord to pursue four goals.  Jeremiah 29:11 was our theme, “I know the plans that I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans for welfare and not for calamity, to give you a future and a hope.”  The four covenant goals were stated as follows … By God's Grace, We Will …  Become Attractive to Future Generations … We Will Seek the Eternal Welfare of Rockville … We Will Embrace Biblical Goals as One Body … and We Will Come to Worship with Sincere Hearts.  I would suggest to you that these goals are timeless, and well worth further consideration.