Kairos Gratitude

On May 8, 2025, the first cohort of participants in the Yale Divinity School Certificate in Youth Ministry Leadership program gathered for the first time in person. We worshiped. We broke bread together. We reminisced. We listened to speeches. We took a whole bunch of pictures. And, we honored the work we accomplished together, with all participants receiving a certificate of completion.

For me, it felt like the culmination of nearly three years of effort, dreaming, teaching, reading. Seeing our group gathered in one place was affirming and beautiful; it warmed my heart in ways I had neither anticipated nor was prepared for. It was a truly wonderful day.

One week later, we were back in the office, reading applications for next year.

It occurs to me that this is often the cycle of youth ministry. We cap off a year of hard work in May/June… and immediately thereafter (or sometimes, even before that year’s programming is over), we’re planning for the next thing. Ministry goes in chronos time cycles; it is established by the calendar, and by the clock.

But sometimes, God breaks in with kairos time. Kairos time is holy time. Time when we experience the fullness of something. Time we cannot control. Time when God says, “Just… stop. Pay attention. What I am doing here is beautiful. Can you see it?”

In this season of my life, I’m feeling drawn to kairos time… perhaps even to the point of being less efficient than before. Things are still getting done, of course. (And yes, we will have a new set of participants in next year’s cohort!) My plate is still full. But I’m also still savoring that day last month, when I gathered with talented, holy individuals, once strangers and now friends. I am still honoring the gift that that gathering was for me, and hopefully for others as well.

I’m grateful for other things in this season. The gift of sunshine. My children’s laughter. My beloved’s smile when he comes home from work. My sweet church that speaks so boldly—and allows me to speak so boldly—against the hate we hear elsewhere, countering it with a message of love. When I embrace kairos time, I allow my spirit to slow down and notice these things.

And so, friends in ministry, amidst all of this end-of-the-year rush and anticipatory fall planning… may you be as surprised by kairos time as I am these days. And may it lead us all towards spaces of deep gratitude.

With you on the journey,

Rev. Jill