Time is a funny thing. Some moments seem to linger, some seem to drag, and some seem to be over before they started. There are times that I want the clock to stop so I can savor a moment. There are times when I can’t wait for it to be over. Time, or rather moments, are not always measured by ticks on a clock. Moments are measured in quality, not quantity.
In Jesus’ time, there were two words for “time” – chronos and kairos. We get our word “chronology” from the first Greek word. It describes a series of events that take place over the course of minutes or hours or days or even decades. It does not give us a hint to the quality of the series of events; it just lets us know that they happened over a measurable period of time.
Kairos is different. This word speaks to the quality of the time being described. Kairos describes moments. A kairos moment is a moment has the potential to change the trajectory of your life.
In Mark 1:15, Jesus says that the “time” is here, the Kingdom of God has come so repent and believe the good news.
Jesus uses the word kairos. He is making it clear that he is not just talking about a day on the calendar, he is describing the quality of the moment he was in. When Jesus came on the scene, he was making a kairos moment. The best way to respond to this kind of moment was to repent and believe.
In this simple statement Jesus is teaching us how to respond to the kairos moments we encounter in our life. He is giving us a guide to learn and grow from those potentially life-altering moments when the Kingdom of God peaks through our timeline and dares us to embrace something new that could change how we live the rest of the series of minutes called our life.
Jesus calls us to repent and to believe. Both are action words. To repent is really to ask what God is telling you about yourself in a given moment. That moment could be when she/he said “yes” to your proposal, the phone call offering you the job, or it could be pink slip on your desk, the delivery of the divorce papers, or even the doctor’s somber face as she talks about the prognosis. Can you pause long enough to begin asking what God might be saying to you in that moment? Can you invite a trusted friend or two to reflect and discuss with you what God might be saying to you in that kairos moment?
But Jesus doesn’t stop with repent, he continues with another action word – believe. Once you have discovered what God is saying to you in your kairos moment, you must then begin asking what you are going to do about it. Will you put together a plan of action or a plan of change or maybe even a plan to stop? Are there people in your life that you trust enough to share that plan and ask them to help you stay on task? Will you take those first steps toward a new way of living your series of minutes and hours, your chronos?
We are in a very divisive and contentious time. It has the makings of a kairos moment. Rather than focusing on winning or losing, what if we took this moment to reflect on what God might be telling us about loving our neighbors and even loving our enemies? What message is God communicating to you in this moment? I can assure you that it is not a message that involves demeaning and destroying those that disagree with you. I can assure you that it is not a call to hate those you don’t think belong here.
Time is a funny thing. It moves ever forward at the same pace, yet not all minutes are equal. Some of them are kairos moments where the Kingdom of God is breaking through and inviting you to hear what God is saying. Kairos moments are asking you to do something you might not have ever considered. Can you hear the clock ticking? This is your moment! Let’s do something that looks more like the Kingdom of God than business as usual.
Rev. Jason Allison is pastor of spiritual formation at Press Church. For information, go to www.presschurch.tv.
