January 4, 2014. A new year! When I contemplate the passing of time, I consider that time is our human invention. We tend to be clock watchers, not only in New Year’s Eve when the ball in Times Square is about to drop. Kids watch the clock for the school day to end. So do teachers. Eagles and Saints fans will do some heavy duty time keeping this evening as the teams battle it out for a berth in the Championships at the Link. And tomorrow morning, parents will be trying to hurry their kids to get to church on time. The tick of the clock can be a really dark sound. But change the scene to the spiritual realm and the clock falls off the wall. It’s a completely different perspective. With the Lord, 1000 years is as a day. There is freedom in the light of eternity to cast off the restraints and be truly present in the event where we find ourselves. To enjoy being together and playing with family and friends, to get lost in the glory of worship, to take pleasure in a spirited conversation, these are touchstones of eternity. We have all felt the rush of being out of time. And in God’s Kingdom economy, it seems there is the call for busy people to stop and restfully be in the moment. While locked in this earthly realm, we cannot ditch the clock. Yet the discipline of truly being present where we are, can give us glimpses of eternity. Contemplate that after the game as we worship in the morning.