by Shelley Pantoliano
What comes to mind when you hear the word "ordinary"? Something routine? Something unimpressive? A day that passes without anything new or different happening?
In the church liturgical year, we are currently in the season of Ordinary Time. What does that mean? It's a different kind of season than the rest of the liturgical year. During the season of Advent, we look forward to the celebration of Christ's birth and all the events that take place during that season: greening of the church, lighting of the Advent candles each week, singing beloved Christmas hymns, a candlelight service with lit candles in a darkened church.
Lent is an important season that follows Advent and Epiphany, and is a time when we focus on our relationship with God. We eagerly prepare for the joy of the resurrection on Easter and the church is filled with fragrant spring flowers and joyful hymns celebrating the Risen Christ.
But Ordinary Time is a season in the church when there are no celebrations like Christmas and Easter.
So what is Ordinary Time? Rev. Kathleen Log Bostrom, a Presbyterian USA pastor, explains Ordinary Time in this way: "Ordinary Time comprises all the days not marked by a specific season. It stretches on for 27 to 29 Sundays...or 33 to 34 partial weeks depending on how early or late Easter falls on the calendar and whether the year has 52 or 53 weeks. There is something about the word 'ordinary' that fits. Not in the sense of dull or boring, but as an 'in-between' season."
So the word "ordinary" actually fits this time of the liturgical year, but it is not a time that is routine or common. It's a time to step back and rest in a season that offers a glimpse of our faith when we are not caught up in the whirlwind of seasons like Advent, Christmas, Lent and Easter.
The scriptures used during this time point us to the theme of Ordinary Time. The readings describe Jesus' day to day life: his travels with his disciples, his times of teaching, his interacting with those on the fringes of society. Jesus' first miracle was performed (reluctantly on his part) at a wedding where he was enjoying the festivities with his mother and other guests.
Ordinary Time is when we become aware of how our faith is woven into the very fabric of our everyday lives: time spent with family and good friends, enjoying the outdoors while gardening or taking walks, following daily routines that give us a sense of consistency and balance.
As we go about our daily lives, we are given opportunities to live out our faith doing things as simple as helping your neighbor carry groceries into their house, offering a kind word to someone who looks as if they're struggling, calling a friend who is still grieving a loss.
This spring, I had the opportunity to experience what could have been considered an "ordinary" moment, but instead has become a daily event that gladdens my spirit. We all become aware of the birds returning in the spring, but that may seem ordinary because it happens every year and it's not new or exciting.
But one morning, I noticed a robin perched on the railing of our deck. Though we frequently have birds in our yard, I had never seen one on our deck. He started coming back every morning, perched on our deck, singing his sweet melody. A robin, an ordinary bird, has become a symbol of joy for me, a reminder of God's creation all around me.
Are there ordinary things in your life that could take on deeper meaning? Maybe the conversation you have with your child as you drive them home from school could become a time of deeper listening and sharing. Washing dishes after a meal while the rest of your family is preoccupied with other activities becomes an opportunity to pray for the concerns on your heart.
When I was growing up, there was plaque over the kitchen sink with a poem on it by Klara Munkres titled "The Kitchen Prayer". This is part of that poem:
Lord of all pots and pans and things,
since I've not time to be
A saint by doing lovely things
or watching late with Thee
Or dreaming in the dawn light
or storming Heaven's gates
Make me a saint by getting meals
and washing up the plates.
I read this poem often as I washed the dishes (grudgingly at times). It speaks of how even the daily, ordinary events in our lives can be times to reflect on the presence of God in those things that we might consider ordinary.
My friends, where in your daily lives can you find the presence of God? What small, seemingly ordinary things can open your heart and spirit to a God who walks with us every moment? May every day bring you awareness of the holy, even in those things that may seem ordinary, but are truly far from ordinary.
What comes to mind when you hear the word "ordinary"? Something routine? Something unimpressive? A day that passes without anything new or different happening?
In the church liturgical year, we are currently in the season of Ordinary Time. What does that mean? It's a different kind of season than the rest of the liturgical year. During the season of Advent, we look forward to the celebration of Christ's birth and all the events that take place during that season: greening of the church, lighting of the Advent candles each week, singing beloved Christmas hymns, a candlelight service with lit candles in a darkened church.
Lent is an important season that follows Advent and Epiphany, and is a time when we focus on our relationship with God. We eagerly prepare for the joy of the resurrection on Easter and the church is filled with fragrant spring flowers and joyful hymns celebrating the Risen Christ.
But Ordinary Time is a season in the church when there are no celebrations like Christmas and Easter.
So what is Ordinary Time? Rev. Kathleen Log Bostrom, a Presbyterian USA pastor, explains Ordinary Time in this way: "Ordinary Time comprises all the days not marked by a specific season. It stretches on for 27 to 29 Sundays...or 33 to 34 partial weeks depending on how early or late Easter falls on the calendar and whether the year has 52 or 53 weeks. There is something about the word 'ordinary' that fits. Not in the sense of dull or boring, but as an 'in-between' season."
So the word "ordinary" actually fits this time of the liturgical year, but it is not a time that is routine or common. It's a time to step back and rest in a season that offers a glimpse of our faith when we are not caught up in the whirlwind of seasons like Advent, Christmas, Lent and Easter.
The scriptures used during this time point us to the theme of Ordinary Time. The readings describe Jesus' day to day life: his travels with his disciples, his times of teaching, his interacting with those on the fringes of society. Jesus' first miracle was performed (reluctantly on his part) at a wedding where he was enjoying the festivities with his mother and other guests.
Ordinary Time is when we become aware of how our faith is woven into the very fabric of our everyday lives: time spent with family and good friends, enjoying the outdoors while gardening or taking walks, following daily routines that give us a sense of consistency and balance.
As we go about our daily lives, we are given opportunities to live out our faith doing things as simple as helping your neighbor carry groceries into their house, offering a kind word to someone who looks as if they're struggling, calling a friend who is still grieving a loss.
This spring, I had the opportunity to experience what could have been considered an "ordinary" moment, but instead has become a daily event that gladdens my spirit. We all become aware of the birds returning in the spring, but that may seem ordinary because it happens every year and it's not new or exciting.
But one morning, I noticed a robin perched on the railing of our deck. Though we frequently have birds in our yard, I had never seen one on our deck. He started coming back every morning, perched on our deck, singing his sweet melody. A robin, an ordinary bird, has become a symbol of joy for me, a reminder of God's creation all around me.
Are there ordinary things in your life that could take on deeper meaning? Maybe the conversation you have with your child as you drive them home from school could become a time of deeper listening and sharing. Washing dishes after a meal while the rest of your family is preoccupied with other activities becomes an opportunity to pray for the concerns on your heart.
When I was growing up, there was plaque over the kitchen sink with a poem on it by Klara Munkres titled "The Kitchen Prayer". This is part of that poem:
Lord of all pots and pans and things,
since I've not time to be
A saint by doing lovely things
or watching late with Thee
Or dreaming in the dawn light
or storming Heaven's gates
Make me a saint by getting meals
and washing up the plates.
I read this poem often as I washed the dishes (grudgingly at times). It speaks of how even the daily, ordinary events in our lives can be times to reflect on the presence of God in those things that we might consider ordinary.
My friends, where in your daily lives can you find the presence of God? What small, seemingly ordinary things can open your heart and spirit to a God who walks with us every moment? May every day bring you awareness of the holy, even in those things that may seem ordinary, but are truly far from ordinary.
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