Part of being human is marking time. We wear watches. We live by clocks. We consult our calendars before committing to yet another obligation. We mark birthdays and anniversaries and national holidays. As much as we try to control time, we are often swept away by it.
As a people of God, we are called to live in rhythm to God’s Story. That means that in the midst of calendars and clocks and holidays, we are called to order our time intentionally in God’s Story. This means neither that we try to be rigid with our time nor carried away by it, but that we place our time intentionally into God’s Time. As the Psalmist says in Psalm 90, “Oh, Lord, teach us to order our days.”
On the yearly calendar, November marks a season of thanks-giving. On the Christian calendar, everyday is to be a day marked with gratitude. As Paul says in Thessalonians, “Give thanks in all circumstances.” On the yearly calendar, December marks the season of gift-giving. On the Christian calendar, everyday is to be a day marked by giving to those who need our love and care.
We mark Gifts of Hope once again on the November calendar. But the prayer is that this yearly practice will remind us to live each day with gratitude for the gifts that we have as well as to live each day with compassion for others. As author Annie Dillard wrote, “How we live our lives is how we live our days.”
Pastor Chamie Delkeskamp
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