Time at Christmas

As we step into this Advent season, I’m reminded again how deeply the idea of time shapes our faith. Advent is a season of waiting, of watching, of leaning forward into the promises of God. And while we Baptists may not always practice Advent perfectly, we know what this time is about: preparing our hearts for the coming of Christ.

Paul tells us in Galatians that Jesus came “in the fullness of time.” Why that moment in history? Why not earlier or later? Scripture doesn’t give us the precise explanation, and perhaps that’s the point. The fullness of time has less to do with a perfect historical moment and everything to do with the One who stepped into it. Jesus makes the time full. Jesus fills every moment—past, present, and future—with God’s redeeming purpose.

Paul goes on in Romans to say, “You know what time it is.” In other words, now is the time to wake up, to walk in the light, to live faithfully in this moment God has given us. And in 1 Timothy we hear that Christ will return “at the right time”—not our time, not the predictions of those who draw elaborate charts, but God’s time.

So in this sacred season, we hold all three together. We remember the past: the fullness of time when Christ was born. We live faithfully in the present: knowing what time it is right now. And we look toward the future: trusting that God will bring all things to completion at the right time.

As we journey through Advent, may we mark this time well—grateful for what God has done, attentive to what God is doing, and hopeful for what God will yet do. Amen.