Christopher Nolan is one of my favorite movie directors. He is known for his complex, mind-bending use of time in his films. In Memento (2000), time is presented nonlinearly, with events unfolding both forward and backward, mimicking the protagonist's suffering from memory loss. Inception (2010) deals with the manipulation of time through dreams, where time moves at different speeds depending on the layer of the dream. In Interstellar (2014), the characters' journey through space and the experience of time dilation lead to themes of loss and the emotional consequences of time's passage.

For those of us who live in the modern era, time is often viewed as a resource to manage, utilize, and maximize. A quick perusal of time management related apps, self-help books, and seminars shows us our obsession with controlling time. We strive to be efficient and effective in our usage of time. While I do not advocate being disorganized and wasteful in one’s management of time, our modern preoccupation with filling up our calendar is often an indication of over-commitment and leaving little space for margin. We wear busyness as a badge of honor, and sometimes as a status symbol of being “spiritual.”

In the past 2 years, my pastoral reflections have been centered around time, specifically around the Christian calendar (two on Advent, one on Ascension day, one on Ash Wednesday, and one on Ordinary Times). Unlike other churches that are liturgical, ECC does not place an emphasis on the observance of the Christian calendar. Most of us are only aware of Christmas, Good Friday, and Easter. However, the early church developed the Christian calendar to center around the history of redemption: the birth, life, death, resurrection, ascension, and enthronement of Christ, and the sending of the Spirit. The Church calendar inoculates us against reckoning our time and organizing our “time according to our agendas and worldly patterns. Our time is reckoned in a Christian manner. The Church calendar keeps our focus where it should be: on Jesus Christ. It reminds us that the triune God is the main character of history, and we are called into His eternal Kingdom (1 Peter 1:10-15).

So, what time is it? This is the Advent season—a time when we look back at the nativity of Christ and forward in anticipation of His return. Last Sunday, the third Sunday of Advent known as Gaudete Sunday, is marked by the theme of joy. Let us rejoice in His first coming, through which He brought salvation to all, and anticipate the future joyful celebration when Christ will renew all creation.