Sermon: "Differing Times"
The Right Reverend Charles G. vonRosenberg
Third Bishop of East Tennessee

Have you ever been part of a group that you know is just waiting and watching to see if you will say or do something to embarrass yourself? As bishop, I must say that experience happens to me once in a while. As a parish priest, it also happened occasionally. However, before I went to seminary, I was a teacher…and teachers have this experience six class periods a day, every school day of the year!

As I read the Gospels, I discover numerous occasions that people attempt to provoke Jesus into making some kind of mistake. They want to "catch him in his words," as some translations put it. And, I must admit, among the many characteristics that I admire in Jesus, his patience with this kind of nit-picking antagonism seems especially remarkable to me.

In today's Gospel, for instance, Jesus redirects a conversation designed to trick him and manages to turn it into a "teachable moment," as the educators say. And I stand in awe of that technique … as well as of his patience.

The Saducees dealt with marriage and remarriage in a legalistic way. And they asked Jesus a question that was impossible to answer. But rather than fall into a trap or react with frustration and anger, Jesus teaches his hearers something about time - the distinction between the time on earth - "this age" - and the time of heaven - the resurrection age.

More specifically, Jesus clarifies this distinction in time by indicating that the guidelines we follow in our time-governed age may not apply in the age to come. We are unwise to make assumptions about resurrection life that depend on the perspectives of our time. According to Jesus, the distinctions are simply too great.

As perhaps you know, the Bible uses two words for time, and these words begin to get at the difference - although not completely. The two words are chronos and kairos.

Now chronos refers to time that is chronological - time on a clock. This is measured, identifiable time. From the sunrise, to the hourly clock striking, to our calendars of appointments, chronos exerts its considerable influence and control in our lives.

But kairos means the fullness of time, the right time - regardless of what the clock says. Many life decisions are made according to kairos time - or, at least I hope that's true because our two sons certainly have taken very different tacks in life after college graduation. I suspect that an understanding of kairos is the only way to appreciate such differences. Therefore, what might be right for one person at some particular chronos time is most definitely not right for another one.

We took part yesterday in a kairos moment at St. John's Church - the dedicating of a new nave and sanctuary. Was that moment "on time", in terms of chronos? Perhaps so, but I suspect that some people would say the time came later than it should have in St. John's history … while others might say that it came too soon. But I would point out that the building and dedication of this new church was the right time - an important kairos moment in the history of this congregation. The particular time that the building was completed means much less than that it was completed - kairos, time in its fullness, the appropriate time.

Some of you will be confirmed in a few minutes. And there are aspects of chronos time in this event, too. You have had preparations and have met certain time commitments. The bishop happens to be here at this particular time. Chronos surely is a part of our day.

However, I suggest to you that the reality of kairos becomes an important part of what we do here in confirmation. We pray for God's grace to be especially active in the lives of our candidates, at this time. We encourage special awareness of former baptismal promises, now. We seek the Holy Spirit's guidance in directing the confirmation candidates in service to the world, in their time. These are kairos concerns - time in its fullness, the right time.

In conclusion, I suspect that we have kairos moments in our lives in order to prepare us for the resurrection age, yet to come in its fullness. Time then will be less governed by watches and calendars, thank God. Perhaps in that day we will become more accustomed to time from Jesus' perspective. Time will mean opportunity rather than deadline. We will be prepared rather than simply late. And we will know with new awareness that our lives are held in the hands of God rather than by the hands of a clock. And therein lies a hint of the promise of perfect freedom in the age to come. May we long for that time, and may we give thanks to God for the moments of kairos in which we sense - even now - the age of resurrection life. Amen.

Copyright © 2001 The Episcopal Diocese of East Tennessee