In September 1991, the ruling government of the Soviet Union admitted something it had denied for nearly 60 years. During the Stalin era, officials once forgot to set the national clocks back one hour when they came off winter daylight-saving time. They were so embarrassed by the oversight that the Soviet government stayed on the wrong time and denied the whole thing for nearly six decades. (1)

The issue of time is at the center of our Biblical text for today. We would do well not to deny its crucial importance in our sacred journey.

Today, I want to probe for a few minutes this reality of life called time. How we use time-- or how it uses us--depends on whether we are on the road to nowhere or walking in the paths of righteousness. William Penn, the founder of the Commonwealth of Pennsy…