Every morning when I wake I stagger downstairs and put the kettle on. Green tea is my favourite first thing in the morning. I retreat to my regular spot for a pray. And then it’s back to the kettle for a second brew.
And so the day begins. Most days are filled with ordinary things, nothing spectacular, often mundane – work tasks, shopping, meals, contact with friends and family. Sometimes the ordinary can feel unimpressive. Certainly nothing worth posting on facebook.
Occasionally, we will meet someone who has had some sort of mountaintop spiritual experience. Often the hope is that this mountaintop will be the new normal. But, as you likely know, we all come down from that mountain eventually and find ourselves again waking up to the ordinary. The ordinary is not bad. In fact, small acts are what compose our life, and that life then tells our story.
The life of the church is not dissimilar. In our liturgical year a portion of the year is spent following the life of Christ (Advent to Easter), while the remainder is spent in what is called Ordinary Time. We are now in Ordinary Time. This is the period of the year that tells the story of the church, beginning in Pentecost and concluding before the beginning of Advent.
God is present in feasts, festivals, and celebrations but just as present in the ordinary days and things of life. Just as much when we are having our first cup of tea as that magic moment in corporate worship when we feel the chill run down our spine. And every moment in between.
God is present in the everyday. Whether we feel it or not, God is present in the ordinary. God cares about our real lives where we actually are. There’s nothing ordinary about Ordinary Time. This is a time set aside for reflecting on and celebrating our call to follow Jesus day by day.
Rev Roger
(Assistant Priest)