Visions
Redeeming the Time
We are to redeem the time
till the Lord comes.
What does this mean?
What has it meant
to Christians of the past?
We think of redemption of individuals
but the social order,
based on human depravity,
also needs redemption.
The unraveling of the Roman Empire
brought disorder many places and
The Benedictine monasteries,
brought order and refuge for many
through their strict rules, their keeping
of the seven ecclesiastical hours
for which a bell was rung,
and the habit of order.
Their regulation of time
gave rise to their invention
of the first mechanical clock.
Their motive was not
to build a better mousetrap,
but to redeem the time
according to God's Word.
This proved to be a great blessing.
They could now pace their work,
producing greater productivity.
The clock moved from the monastery
to the tower of the town
to the mantle and then to the wrist.
Science arose in the Western World
because it was permeated
with Christian Theology and
the desire to care for souls
through prayers and devotions
and temporal order.
"See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,
Redeeming the time, because the days are evil." Eph. 5:15-16 KJV.
till the Lord comes.
What does this mean?
What has it meant
to Christians of the past?
We think of redemption of individuals
but the social order,
based on human depravity,
also needs redemption.
The unraveling of the Roman Empire
brought disorder many places and
The Benedictine monasteries,
brought order and refuge for many
through their strict rules, their keeping
of the seven ecclesiastical hours
for which a bell was rung,
and the habit of order.
Their regulation of time
gave rise to their invention
of the first mechanical clock.
Their motive was not
to build a better mousetrap,
but to redeem the time
according to God's Word.
This proved to be a great blessing.
They could now pace their work,
producing greater productivity.
The clock moved from the monastery
to the tower of the town
to the mantle and then to the wrist.
Science arose in the Western World
because it was permeated
with Christian Theology and
the desire to care for souls
through prayers and devotions
and temporal order.
"See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,
Redeeming the time, because the days are evil." Eph. 5:15-16 KJV.
Comment On This Poem ---
Redeeming the Time
Redeeming the Time
