times are changin'
tomorrow night we will "spring" our clocks "forward" one hour. i've never been a fan of time changes, possibly as a result of the time in college when i forgot the time change and showed up to church as everyone was walking out! i was curious about this, so i checked out wikipedia. here's an excerpt:
The history of standard time in the United States began November 18, 1883 when United States and Canadian railroads instituted standard time in time zones. Before then, time of day was a local matter, and most cities and towns used some form of local solar time, maintained by some well-known clock (for example, on a church steeple or in a jeweler's window). The new standard time system was not immediately embraced by all.
Use of standard time gradually increased because of its obvious practical advantages for communication and travel. Standard time in time zones was not established in U.S. law until the Act of March 19, 1918, sometimes called the Standard Time Act.[1] The act also established daylight saving time, itself a contentious idea.
Daylight saving time was repealed in 1919, but standard time in time zones remained in law, with the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) having the authority over time zone boundaries. Daylight time became a local matter. It was re-established nationally early in World War II, and was continuously observed until the end of the war.
...the article ends like this:
Presuming DST has a purpose, that purpose would be to reduce the distance between the earliest sunrise of the year and the latest sunrise of the year by one hour, usually somewhere in the vicinity of 07:00. However, this has never been implemented at the federal level, suggesting those who make these laws misunderstand the concept. As this has never been implentented (sic) on a national level, it is unlikely that leglislators (sic) truly understand the concept. Since DST moves sunrise one hour later by the clock, late sunrise times become a problem when DST is observed either too far before the vernal equinox or too far after the autumnal equinox. Because of this, the extension was greeted with criticism by those concerned for the safety of children who would have been forced to travel to school before sunrise, especially in the month of March. In addition, the airline industry was especially concerned if DST were to be extended through to the last Sunday in November, as this is very often the Sunday after Thanksgiving. This is one of the busiest travel days at American airports, and could have resulted in much havoc among travelers who forgot that the clocks were changing that day.
...ok, so whoever wrote that forgot spellcheck. anyway, this last paragraph shows me at least that this is just silly. our lawmakers don't seem to grasp the concepts, so how can we?
maybe now that we've settled on early march for time changes (at least for now) there will an added benefit: the time change will no longer threaten easter sunday (whew!), but it will also coincide (roughly) with the beginning of the season of lent. lent is a time of preparation for the coming of easter. so while we are "springing forward" this weekend, let us pause and reflect upon Christ's time for the church-- and how we are living in it-- not just to gain an hour, but to abide in God's grace forever.
The history of standard time in the United States began November 18, 1883 when United States and Canadian railroads instituted standard time in time zones. Before then, time of day was a local matter, and most cities and towns used some form of local solar time, maintained by some well-known clock (for example, on a church steeple or in a jeweler's window). The new standard time system was not immediately embraced by all.
Use of standard time gradually increased because of its obvious practical advantages for communication and travel. Standard time in time zones was not established in U.S. law until the Act of March 19, 1918, sometimes called the Standard Time Act.[1] The act also established daylight saving time, itself a contentious idea.
Daylight saving time was repealed in 1919, but standard time in time zones remained in law, with the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) having the authority over time zone boundaries. Daylight time became a local matter. It was re-established nationally early in World War II, and was continuously observed until the end of the war.
...the article ends like this:
Presuming DST has a purpose, that purpose would be to reduce the distance between the earliest sunrise of the year and the latest sunrise of the year by one hour, usually somewhere in the vicinity of 07:00. However, this has never been implemented at the federal level, suggesting those who make these laws misunderstand the concept. As this has never been implentented (sic) on a national level, it is unlikely that leglislators (sic) truly understand the concept. Since DST moves sunrise one hour later by the clock, late sunrise times become a problem when DST is observed either too far before the vernal equinox or too far after the autumnal equinox. Because of this, the extension was greeted with criticism by those concerned for the safety of children who would have been forced to travel to school before sunrise, especially in the month of March. In addition, the airline industry was especially concerned if DST were to be extended through to the last Sunday in November, as this is very often the Sunday after Thanksgiving. This is one of the busiest travel days at American airports, and could have resulted in much havoc among travelers who forgot that the clocks were changing that day.
...ok, so whoever wrote that forgot spellcheck. anyway, this last paragraph shows me at least that this is just silly. our lawmakers don't seem to grasp the concepts, so how can we?
maybe now that we've settled on early march for time changes (at least for now) there will an added benefit: the time change will no longer threaten easter sunday (whew!), but it will also coincide (roughly) with the beginning of the season of lent. lent is a time of preparation for the coming of easter. so while we are "springing forward" this weekend, let us pause and reflect upon Christ's time for the church-- and how we are living in it-- not just to gain an hour, but to abide in God's grace forever.
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