Dear friends,
Reading through a newspaper report of a “dig” in the Midlands made me encounter a word which I had never seen before. The word is Clepsydra and it refers to a simple form of clock. Imagine a soup bowl with a tiny hole drilled in the bottom so that any water poured into the bowl will drip away slowly. By ensuring that water was poured into the Clepsydra to the same level on each occasion then the time taken for water to escape would always be the same. Apparently this very simple way of measuring time was used in Ancient Greece at court cases so that an equal amount of time was allocated to both plaintiff and defendant. The report went on to explain how the speaker had to finish what he was saying by the time the last drip fell thus a Clepsydra was the world’s first stop-watch!
From archaeological evidence we are aware that humans have been fascinated with measuring time over thousands of years. Our observation of nature has stimulated the process by a progression of seasons, by watching tidal movements, even in seeing which flowers open and close during a day. And then, not surprisingly, we take note of lunar movements and where the sun is positioned in our sky.
By measuring time, we also have a sense of order because recording events is made possible. Through fixing a date, we are able to pin down an occasion. For example, on 24th April, I led a dedication service just outside Salzburg in which a memorial was unveiled. This memorial was to record the death of four members of a Lancaster Bomber crew who died when their plane – the last Lancaster to be shot down with fatalities before the end of the Second World War – crashed into a hillside. A few days later, on 9th May, I was involved with Liberation Day on Guernsey when islanders celebrated their return to freedom after the end of the Nazi Occupation. Both occasions were very moving and it was right to mark them with appropriate ceremonies because there were people present who could recall vividly what had taken place seventy years ago.
When Luke wrote his account of the Acts of the Apostles he was making certain that Christians would be able to see exactly what took place through the remarkable workings of God’s Holy Spirit at a fixed point in time. Specifically, he mentioned the Jewish Feast of Pentecost which took place a few days after Jesus ascended into Heaven. Disciples meeting in an Upper Room in Jerusalem were given the gift of the Holy Spirit just as Jesus had promised. Maybe, when it took place, they were unable to imagine just how the world would understand it or, indeed, be changed utterly by it. Significantly, Luke documented the event and Christians have enjoyed an anniversary which is a form of Birthday for the Church ever since.
It is Jesus who is not bound by time! St Paul wrote, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and for ever.” Through this timeless statement we may be assured that though we have points in our lives that come and go, Jesus remains with us eternally. May his presence be your strength and joy!
Your Minister and friend,
John.