EDITOR'S NOTE: Since becoming the clergy leader at Faith Lutheran Church in Wolverton, Minn., in November 2017, I've written a monthly column for our church newsletter. This column originally published in the December 2019 FLC Newsletter.
And just like that, the first Sunday of Advent is upon us! … Did you feel it whoosh in as I did? … Seems impossible, like we just were celebrating Rally Sunday. But, yet here we are!
We are whisking through Thanksgiving, and the holiday shopping and decorating season will roar into full force on Black Friday. From there, most of our lives will be a tumble of holiday season obligations, from work parties to annual social gatherings, to holiday school concerts, to kids’ Sunday School Christmas programs, to holiday volunteering stints and to end-of-the-year parties.
Our calendars will be jam packed with people to see, places to be and things to celebrate. And somewhere in the early evening of Jan. 1, we will all look back and wonder just where in the world the past month went!
If you feel as if our lives are spinning faster and faster out of control, you are not wrong. Many a scientist and researcher has concluded that this feeling of life moving at the speed of light is a combination of technology improving our efficiency so therefore we pack more into our lives than ever before, and the fact that our brain perceives time moving faster as we age. Researchers explain this as we experience fewer “firsts” in our lives as we age, so our brain starts to be a little less observant and begins to kind of set itself on autopilot, so to speak. And thus we perceive time going by faster than, say, younger folks.
Or in other words, the younger we are, the more “in the moment” we tend to live because all of our senses are present in an experience. While, as we age, our brain kind of just kind of filters out some of those senses after we experience something more and more often.
So, you’re not crazy if you do feel life is whizzing by. … And no reality is not bending time, as the science fiction movies may have us believe. … On the contrary, our feeling of life unalterably slipping out from underneath us is a real phenomena.
But the good news is that we can absolutely do something about it this holiday season. And while the psychologists might have their suggestions about combating this helpless feeling of time slipping away, I believe our Bible explains the solution very simply in the concept of “sabbath.”
Over the years, it became a popular notion that when Jesus spoke about sabbath, that he specifically meant setting aside Sunday from work. But the actual concept of the sabbath was more about setting aside time to be in the moment, time to rest not only physically but mentally, as well. Not a focus so much on a day, but a focus on the time.
And the fact is that we just simply do less of this as we grow older and become busier. We have more demands. The daily obligations chip away at our sense of wonder over just how miraculous this life is that we have. Or, as the psychologists say, we stop experiencing the firsts, and so our senses become dulled.
But the “Good News,” as Jesus tells us over and over in the gospels, is that this helpless feeling is not incurable. … No, we certainly can’t stop time, or even slow it down, as much as we would like to try. And, while we can trim down the number of obligations we have, and say no a little more, the most effective tool that we have to combat this rushing of time is … the sabbath. The intentional taking of a breather. The intentionality of being in the moment, and experiencing the kid’s Sunday School Christmas program for the first time again. The intentionality of remembering what it was like to do that holiday baking for the first time again. The intentionality of knowing that those work holiday parties are an opportunity to form a relationship with a coworker, maybe someone you’ve never met before. The intentionality of knowing that this time you are spending wrapping presents for your family for Christmas 2019 will never be had again.
No, we simply can’t control time. And, unless we get really serious about trimming back our obligations in life, our schedules aren’t going to get any easier. But, both psychologists and Jesus tell us there are ways to make this holiday season less stressful, more enjoyable … and maybe even more memorable.
And the answer is to slow down … practice sabbath time. Seek intentionality in the time that you are spending on things, and remember that to practice a “slower” life is actually OK, even though societal pressures try to trick you into believing otherwise.
I know it is easy -- heavens, I know! -- but I truly hope that you’ll find some time to practice sabbath this Holy Season. It likely will lead to less stress and a more faith-filled time with your family and friends, and hopefully will help remind us all what Advent is really about … the birth of Emmanuel, our Lord and savior, Jesus Christ!
With that, I pray that you have a blessed holiday season -- from Thanksgiving on through Christmas and then New Year’s.
Merry Christmas everyone! … I hope to see you at Faith Lutheran throughout this holiday season!
Comments