"Gifts You Can't Buy at the Store: Time" Luke 1: 39-45; 56

From the beginning of Advent until Epiphany Sunday (January 6), I will be preaching on "Gifts You Can't Buy at the Store." The first week focuses on the gift of time.

1.  I've been reflecting on three different wyas we cna utlize time:

   a. For personal helath/growth -- a study fo 2K students who text noted that they have very little time for reflecting because they are texting immediate repsonses

   b.  To develop relationships -- i.e fmaily time or developing friendships; I can think of no person who when they are talking to me as their death approaches wish they had spent more time at work.  usually, they talk about wishing they had spent more time with their family, aprticularly when their kids were young; th same study of student texters mentioned above also found that students texted because they coudl pass on information in as little time as possible -- texting creates the sharing fo information, but maybe not the development of relationships

   c.  to imagine new possibilities -- I heard a great story told by Rick Pohlhamus of Christian Peacemaking Teams. He tells the story of Israeli soldiers tear gassing a Palestinian school as punishment for the kids throwing rocks at the soldiers. Kids are hanging out the windows begging for help and sucking in fresh air. Israeli soldier in charge has the principal at gunpoint near a narrow exit blocking them from leaving. Rick sees the danger of what happens if the gun goes off on purpose or accidentally. He feared it would set off all the soldiers surrounding the school and many kids would be killed. Rick moves in between the gun barrel and the principal. As he is trying to figure out what to do next, his cell phone rings. He answers (it's a friend calling), and then he says to the soldier, 'it's your mother.” “no, it's not.” 'yes, it is.” “no, it's not.” “if it were your mother, what would you tell her you were doing?” “It's not my mother.” “I know, but if it were, what would you tell her you were doing right now?” Solider abruptly turns and calls the soldiers off and they leave. Polhamus describes how he tries to give space in the violence for something else to happen. Later, he learns that the solider leaves the army and joins a group of former soldiers working for peace. Polhamus also learns later that the soldier's mother was an elementary school teacher. Polhamus likes this to Jesus drawing in the sand when the crowd gathers to stone the adulterous woman. A distraction that gives space for grace to work.  It has me thinking about taking the time to break away from our routines to envision new possibilities

2.  “Half our life is spent trying to find something to do with the time we have rushed through life trying to save.” Will Rogers

3. Mary is forced to step away from her normal routines when she becomes pregnant.  She takes advantage of that by going to visit her cousin Elizabeth.   Notice Mary stayed with her cousin for three months.  She prepared for the coming of the Christ-child, her child, by taking a time out.

4.  One of our members reminded me of the verse James 1: 17 -- "Every good and perfect gift is from God."  

5. The Israelites were in the wilderness forty years.  What did they do with their time?

6.  How do we utilize our time on earth?