JAC Online

The fulness of Time
by Commissioner Wesley Harris

THE GREEKS had two words for time. Chronos indicated chronological time, time seen as linear or sequential with one minute worth the same as the next. By the measure of this word the ticking of the clock would set the rhythm of our lives. But the other Greek word was kairos meaning a time of great significance or `quality time'.

It is kairos we have in mind when we ask the question, `Did you have a good time?" Many of us might recall moments almost more precious than years - like when we held our first child in our arms for example - not any old moment but something special and unforgettable.

The 'fulness of time can be something very personal but there are also kairos moments in history when the fate of millions has been in the balance. In The Struggle for Europe Chester Wilmot tells of the tense moments on Sunday night, June 4^th, 1944, the eve of the invasion of Europe. With a sky badly overcast, poor visibility and a heavy swell out at sea, exports predicted deterioration of the weather. Postpone or proceed - that was question. Postponement meant large scale disorganization, loss of security and shattering of morale keyed up to fighting pitch. On the other hand, invasion in adverse conditions might mean irretrievable failure and slaughter on strongly defended beaches.

The final decision was left until 4:15 on Monday morning. The latest weather reports were were received, then all eyes turned to General Eisenhower sitting at the table in the Operations Room. The silence was electric, charged with destiny. For almost a minute no-on spoke, then clearly and positively Eisenhower said, `OK, we'll go'.

It was a moment of crisis at the end of a long process of preparation - a time for decision, a point of departure, an occasion for faith and courage and a looking to great goals. In a word, it was kairos, or the fulness of time.

It is said that a text out of context may be a pretext so it should be noted that the given title of this article comes from the writings of St Paul and refers to the timeliness of the coming of Jesus Christ into the world. If we look back over the broad sweep of history we may discern how the Man and the moment met, how appropriate was the timing of His coming and how conditions in the first century assisted the spread of the Christian message.

For one thing the frontiers were down. Pax Romana, the Roman peace ensured that in the Middle Last - usually a hotbed of feuding - things were relatively calm. Then there were the Roman roads which meant that travel was easier and the communication of Christianity speedier. Yet another factor was the almost universal use of the Greek language which was helpful for the spread of the new religion.

The thought of there being a 'fulness of time' or an appropriate moment for action can have wide application. Shakespeare wrote. 'There is a tide in the affairs of men, which taken at the flood leads on to fortune'. James Russell Lowell declaimed. `Once to every man and nation comes the moment to decide'. And Rupert Brooke put it this way: 'Now. God be thanked Who has matched us with his hour and caught our youth and wakened us from sleeping.’

That last quotation from a poet who died in the first World War leads me to record a personal experience. I was a kid reporter on a local newspaper when I attended a youth rally in a civic building called, 'The Temple of peace' in Cardiff, Wales. Despite the fact that the speaker was dull the event was a turning point in my life.

I had rather ill-defined ambitions in the field of journalism when a simple remark by someone near me seemed to bring life into focus. I would liken the experience to looking through a telescope and having only a blurred vision until with a slight adjustment everything became clear.  It was my kairos moment. I knew that my vocation was to be an officer in The Salvation Army.

Lest anyone dismisses the experience as the emotional spasm of an immature youth let me say that it has remained compelling for more than half-a-century.  In a sense I have had the best of two worlds in that I have had experience of writing and editing within my vocation but the immensely satisfying experience of the years has come out of the fact that 'in the fulness of  time’ as a young man I discovered just what was right for me.