St Nic’s: What Time is it?

I’m always checking my watch. I mustn’t be late for class, late for a meeting, late for an appointment. Several times each morning I check my alarm clock lest I over-sleep. My tablet sends me a reminder at night to go to bed, in case I work too late and I miss my bedtime. I spend so much time each day checking the time. 

I attribute this to my upbringing. My grandmother was obsessed with punctuality. The last thing she would do each night is open the curtains, so they would be ready for morning. She would prepare her breakfast before she went to bed and her supper before she ate her breakfast. When we were waiting for a lift to church, we would have to be ready, standing on the roadside 20 minutes before the lift was due, regardless of the weather. When I queried this, I was simply told that we had to be early in case our kind driver was herself running ahead of schedule. 

I was in Nottingham last week. There, a delightful brick church has a clock on its tower, offering busy workers and commuters an indication of how punctual they are. It also addresses the ultimate answer to the question posed by this blog, quoting Hosea 10:12: