This week, following on from the celebrations of Ascension, Pentecost and Trinity Sunday, we begin what some churches refer to as ‘ordinary time’, which lasts until November. I’m sure I am not alone in thinking that’s a bit of a let down- not exactly an inspiring way to describe almost half the year. But maybe I need to rethink my ideas about what ‘ordinary’ is.
As well as meaning common and unremarkable, ordinary can also mean normal, regular, structured, and that’s where I want to focus this week.
In a world that is always looking for the next big thing, where attention grabbing is the norm, maybe the counter-cultural, radical pathway of Christianity includes a bit more of the ‘ordinary’...
In the life of the early church, it was their gathering together in prayer and study as community that prepared them for what the Holy Spirit was going to do in them and through them. It’s in the ordinary time that we see the calling of God being worked out. In the lives of countless missionaries, it is the rootedness in habits and disciplines during the ordinary times that equips them for the extraordinary.
As a parent, employee, neighbour, volunteer helper, (fill in the gap for yourself), how we handle the ordinary days gives an idea of how we’ll handle both celebration and disaster. It’s the ordinary things we do that help us prepare for the unexpected.
So as we begin our ordinary time, how are we living out the call of God in our lives? How are we working together and as individuals to show that Jesus is Lord in our worship, witness, prayer and care?
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