“A Moment of Healing”
In the beginning God created….
Genesis 1:1a (NIV)
There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens:
Ecclesiastes 3:1 (NIV)
It is difficult to describe “healing” and “time“ together. These are two big ideas! Let’s start with a brief review of the idea of “time”.
“Time” commonly means chronological time and is a linear concept. It is how we measure our lives, our “autobiographical time”. This is the “time” that can have tyranny in our over-scheduled and busy lives as well as how we tell our stories.
Another idea is “biological time” this a cyclical time and is the basis of the rhythm of life. It is studied as the discipline of chronobiology. This “time” names the seasons of our lives and nature.
There is time, as understood by astrophysicists, who see it as a “space time” construct. This space time is a mystery for most of us. It is really a BIG idea.
There is another idea of time that is kairos. This Greek word has many translations. Here I will use the idea of God’s time. This time is a mystery that is central to our lives together. It is sometimes referred to as “deep time” or “God’s slow time”. It can be found in those moments of Sabbath.
When we put together the mysteries of “healing” and “time”, I believe we have a better idea of the nature of healing. Healing as experienced in our lives is not manipulated or measured by our common understanding of time. It is a mystery that is received as a gift and recurs in the different seasons of our lives. It is seen best when we “slow down”, name and celebrate the gift. We know this time of healing when we see it! If you want to hear about healing time, check out Kate Bowler’s conversation with John Swinton.
Marvin
References:
Rovelli, C. (2016). Seven Brief Lessons on Physics (First Edition ed.). Riverhead Books.
Forger, D. B. (2017). Biological clocks, rhythms, and oscillations : the theory of biological timekeeping. Cambridge, Massachusetts: The MIT Press.
Hage, M. L. (2017). Sabbath Healing.
Swinton, J. (2018). Becoming Friends of Time: Disability, Timefullness, and Gentle Discipleship (Studies in Religion, Theology, and Disability) (Reprint ed.). Baylor University Press.
Bowler, Kate Podcast (2019) John Swinton: The Speed of Love
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