"Time Rolls On", by Pastor Kevin Lynch

Time rolls on. It waits for no one. Not Princes and Popes. Not the noted or the notorious. Not you and me.

It will not pause one hour. Not one minute. Not one second.

It will not even slow down just long enough for us to catch a breath.

It rolls and it rolls hard.

It will roll on tonight. At just a blink past Midnight the calendar will change. Not just a new year, but a new decade.

We like to think something magical happens.

Wouldn't it be nice if we really did have a clean and fresh start?

If we had bills at one second before 2010 we would no longer have them one second after.

If we were ill... If we were unhappy... If we were out of God's grace...

That's the one we should be concerned about ultimately. Being out of God's grace.

No one knows the date and time, but there is coming a day when Jesus returns and rearranges the furniture.

In a moment. In the blink of an eye, at the sound of a heavenly trumpet, at the parting of the clouds and the breaking of the plane of heaven, all of earth will see Him return.

What will be your first thought about the God who has not lived by our clocks and calendars, but who has only been concerned with His creation? Who had left us with a clear set of explanations, warnings, and instructions? Not to mention a Real Presence of His Holy Spirit. The God whom many have ignored, slandered, and yes...even crucified.

What will you think?

Will it be, "Oops"? Or perhaps, "Wow, Kevin Lynch was right after all!" Or, "I'm sure it will all be OK if I just say I'm sorry"!

Happy New Year.

It stands to reason that at least for tonight nothing will happen.

Rich or poor, sick or healthy, brilliant or dull witted, time will roll on and you will face tomorrow the same way.

We learn no great lesson by the tick of a clocks second hand. Unless we understand there is no break in the action.

Some of you will make your resolutions. Overwhelmingly most of you will break them within days.

More importantly we should be concerned about God's time.

On the continuum it is unlike how we tick off the moments and days.

He will be ready when He is ready.

Psalm 75:2 - "When the proper time has come [for executing My judgments], I will judge uprightly [says the Lord]."

The proper time. Fair and equitable for all. Never based on a whim, but completely upon how we have responded to Him, the Prime Mover of all that is.

I don't know when that is. If I was God it would have been a long time ago. I am glad He is patient.

I, like James and John before me, would have asked Him to call down fire and brimstone long ago.

I would offend the offenders. I would be the Dean Wormer of the Universe and mete out advice like "Fat, drunk and stupid is no way to go through life, son." ZAP!

No, even if we don't know when the "proper" time will be, one thing we can be sure of.

We can't be sure the banks will not fail. We can't be sure the health care system will run right. We can't be sure the housing market will stabilize.

We can be sure that one minute before and as many minutes after until He comes back, Jesus Christ is the lover of our souls.

That is the one sure thing in the universe today and it will be tomorrow.

Hebrews 13:8 - "Jesus Christ (the Messiah) is [always] the same, yesterday, today, [yes] and forever (to the ages)."

He is the constant. The sun has a better chance of going dim than Jesus has of not loving us.

Take that into the New year with you tonight. It's the best news you'll hear. I'll guarantee it.

Be safe. Be renewed. Be happy.

Keepin' it Real,

Pastor Kevin <><