Powerful Moments that Change Our Lives Forever

by Reverend Beverly Weinhold

January 27, 2008

In 1843 Seth Sprague had a life changing moment that changed his life forever. Taking a strong stand against slavery, he locked his pew and the door to the church and threw away the key. History has it that he took 54 parishioners with him and paid $3500 to purchase the land and build what we call today Pilgrim Church of Duxbury. That was a gutsy thing to do 20 years before the Civil War.

You may not have had a monumental moment quite like this, but many sitting here this Sunday morning have had powerful moments that have made a difference in the way you live life. Perhaps a friend or family member died and this opened your eyes to the preciousness of life. Maybe divine providence intervened in the nick of time and you knew that God was not only real but intimately personal. Still others may have struggled with decisions in the dark only to have a direction become as clear as a bell. They were powerful moments in time—moments that changed our lives forever.

The Greek language of Jesus’ day called this kairos time. There were two words for time in the Greek, chronos and kairos. Chronos was empty time. Much like the incessant ticking of a clock that reminds us that time is passing. In fact it passes much too slowly like it does for a worker who watches the clock waiting for 5:00 pm to finally come. Chronos time was empty time, but kairos time was the fullness of time. It was when multiple events converged in a crescendo that brought direction to light and clarity to choices. It was vital time, crucial time, decision making time. It was God’s time. Kairos time was a powerful moment that changed a life forever.

Both of our scripture readings this morning are examples of kairos moments in time. It was a kairos moment for inexperienced Joshua when God said: “Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you—As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you.” This was reassuring news for this young neophyte who led God’s people out of Egypt into the Promised Land of Cannan. Joshua experienced a kairos moment of God’s power but the disciples in our New Testament story experienced a kairos moment of God’s call. These 4 men, Simon Peter and his brother Andrew; James and his brother John left family and everything familiar when Jesus called “Follow me.” Let’s listen more closely to their stories to see what God’s Spirit might speak to you and to me.

I.

Joshua was a young, inexperienced man and a protégé of Moses. That was no small thing in ancient Israel. Next to Father Abraham, Moses was the most revered name in the Old Testament. The first five books of the Bible known as the Torah are attributed to Moses. In fact, no Old Testament name is mentioned more in the New Testament than that of Moses. Moses delivered God’s people from Egyptian oppression. Anointed with God’s power he parted the Red Sea and close to 2 million people crossed over. Moses was the man of the hour. He was a deliverer and to some a savior. Now after 40 years of wandering in the wilderness, they spied the Promised Land of Canaan. Ironically, at that same moment Moses died. You can almost hear the protest of the people: “Why now?” “Who will lead us?” “Where is God ?” But God was Israel’s savior not Moses the man and God had a plan. Moses had mentored Joshua, he knew he had a heart for God and he groomed Joshua to take his place. So Moses passed the mantle to young Joshua. You see God chooses leaders differently that the world; it’s less about credentials and more about character. It’s less about confidence and more about humility. It’s less about the head and more about the heart. That said following Moses was a tall order. Filling his shoes was seismic.

Have you ever felt that way? Your boss suddenly becomes ill and you’re elected to fill the gap. Or, on a lark you tried for a job over your head and out of your league and by some twist of fate you were hired! Perhaps you were nominated for the Trustees, Deacons or even the Moderator of your church; and like Joshua you felt woefully inadequate. If we’re honest with ourselves every one of us have been in places where we felt over our heads and out of our league. I know I have. But the point of the passage in Joshua 1 is this: When we’re called to do things that stretch us to our limits and even bring us beyond our ability, take courage. For our confidence can’t come from our credentials it can only come from the presence of God. The psalmist puts it this way: “Trust in the Lord with all of your heart and lean not on your own understanding; acknowledge God in all of your ways and God will direct your paths.” The Apostle Paul says the same thing: “When I am weak, than I am strong. I can do ALL things through God who strengthens me.” That is what God spoke to Joshua when he said “Be strong and courageous, do not be frightened or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Writer Millie Stamm in her devotional called “Be Still and Know” says “More important than where we are or what we have is WHO is with us. It has been said that safety is not the absence of danger but the presence of the Lord.”

II.

Joshua had a kairos moment when he realized God’s power and the disciples had a kairos moment when they heard Jesus’ call. Channel back 2000 years. Try to imagine the circumstances of these 4 fishermen. They were going about their business, doing a day’s work, making a daily living. No doubt they had wives who waited for their return. Their supper was dependent on the catch of the day. Out of the blue Jesus walks by and simply says “Follow me.” Three times in this short passage the word “immediately” is used. “Immediately—Immediately—Immediately they left their nets and followed him.” What’s going on here? Have they been hypnotized by the hype—duped by some fly by night charlatan? No, they had heard of his reputation. He was teaching in the temple with authority. He was baptized in the Jordon by John. They had seen the Spirit of God descend on Him. News spread like wildfire. He even cast out demons, turned water into wine, restored sight to the blind man and even raised Lazarus from the dead. There was strong external evidence that this Jesus was more than a man; but the internal evidence was even more irrefutable. Each of these men had strong intuition, a deep inner knowing. They had heard the stories from childhood. Could this be the Christ? Something clicked deep inside and they were compelled to take a chance. The dropped their nets, said their goodbyes and followed Jesus.

Fourth Century theologian St. Augustine did the same thing when he heard Jesus’ call. In 386 he was a miserable albeit successful man. He was a lawyer and a womanizer and a lush. His mother Monica a deeply religious Catholic woman had prayed for her son everyday of her life. She was bereft of his lifestyle and wanted him to surrender to the God that she knew could fill his deepest desire. One hot afternoon in Milan Italy, Augustine was recovering from a hangover in the garden court of family villa. Physically sick and spiritually hungry he cried out to his mother Monica’s God for help. Moments passed and then he heard a child’s voice singing in the distance, “Pick it up and read.” He shook his head as if clearing his mind from what must have been a misunderstanding. But again he heard the words as clear as a bell, “Pick it up and read.” Close by was a Bible, so he picked it up and read. This is what Paul’s word to the Romans said:

“Therefore do not let sin exercise dominion in your mortal body to make you obey its passions. No longer present your members to sin as instruments of wrongdoing, but present yourselves to God as instruments of right doing. Then your passions will have no more power over you since your are no longer under the law but under God’s grace.”

When Augustine heard these words, it was a kairos moment. It was a powerful moment that changed his life. Not only did his addictive lifestyle turn around, but he left law and went on to become one of the greatest theologians in the history of the church. His “Confessions” and “City of God” form the basis for most of Reformed theology that informs our Congregational roots and our denomination the United Church of Christ.

Conclusion

Many of us sitting here today have had a kairos moment. Some of us sitting here today desperately desire a kairos moment. A kairos moment isn’t empty time like the ticking of a clock, but the fullness of time when life events crescendo in such a way that our choices become clear and doors begin to open. It’s a powerful moment that can change our lives forever. Jesus is a catalyst for kairos moments. When Jesus saw Zacchaeus in that sycamore tree and called him a man in whom there was “no guile” it was a kairos moment. When Jesus heard the cries of blind Bartimaeus and gave him sight it was a kairos moment. When a woman bleeding from birth touched Jesus robe and the hemorrhaging stopped it was a kairos moment. And when Wendy, my daughter’s sister in law (who has been on our prayer list for several weeks) was given good news by doctors it was a kairos moment. Listen to her recent letter to me:

In November…when the left side of my body was extremely swollen and filled with pain, I was rushed to Peninsula Regional Emergency Center. There I was diagnosed with Deep Venous Thrombosis. I underwent a barrage of tests and then told by a vascular surgeon that there were multiple blood clots in my legs and stomach. Since operating would be life threatening, the best plan was to wait and hope that they would dissolve over time. I was then sent home in a wheel chair and confined to as much bed rest as possible for the next 6 months. Needing a break, my husband took me to the mall in my wheelchair. There we revisited a jewelry store where I had bought my mother a gold pendant for Christmas. On the front were footprints and on the back it read “When you saw only one set of footprints it was than that Christ carried you.” I recounted my medical story to the sales person since she remembered my purchase. She told us that her daughter in law had suffered the same problem and suggested I contact her specialist. A few days later I met with him and he assured me that he would get to the bottom of this, and if necessary refer me to John’s Hopkins Hospital. After more tests I was asked to return to his office for the results. We were both shocked to find that the blood clot that was threatening my life was totally gone. Even more surprising there was no evidence of deep venous thrombosis in that part of my body at all. While I still have less threatening clots in my pelvic area, pain and swelling have decreased substantially. Finally, he found out that the root cause was a birth defect that pre-disposes me to clotting. It was after this appointment on January 4, that my husband took to me back to the jewelry store and bought me the same piece of jewelry that I bought for my mother which said: When I only saw one set of footprints, it was then that Christ carried me.”

Thank you all for your prayers. Amen.