Is there really any ‘Ordinary Time’?

As you know, the church calendar has an ebb and flow of liturgical seasons. We began the new church year with Advent, then Christmas and Epiphany. Now we are in the first segment of what is called “Ordinary Time” (or, the Time After Epiphany).

Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John and realized that they were uneducated and ordinary men, they were amazed and recognized them as companions of Jesus. Acts 4:13 For a long time, I’ve thought “Ordinary Time” is a rather odd term for a liturgical season. However, the longer I come to experience the light of Jesus Christ in my life. I find that ‘Ordinary Time’ is the perfect liturgical term for these two large segments of our church year. During the lead up to Christmas and Easter there is a heightened sense of God’s glory and Divine Presence that breaks into our lives in magnificent and vulnerable ways. These are times that call our attention and cause us to ponder the depth of God’s love and his willing sacrifice for us. And when they are over, we seem to have a sense of relief that life can get back to normal and be simply ‘ordinary’ for a while.

Yet, as we travel through ‘Ordinary Time,’ what we experience is often so much more than ordinary. How can we say that experiencing the Holy in our work places or schools or homes is ordinary? When is feeling the touch of God calm our weeping hearts or anxious souls, ordinary? Why would we even begin to think that the connections we make with each other as we live in the Light of Jesus Christ are simply ordinary?

They are not… and that is the true beauty of ‘Ordinary Time.’ Jesus takes what we see as ordinary and makes them special, makes them more. A loaf of bread becomes the Bread of Life. A glass of wine becomes the Cup of Salvation. A broken relationship becomes a moment for forgiveness and reconciliation. An illness becomes an opportunity to reach out with compassion and healing. A heart heavy with grief opens the door to receiving care and mercy to take the next step. The hungry and homeless and disenfranchised become friends and work together for a better world. A child’s laughter and antics can brings smiles to even the grumpiest of attitudes.

As companions of Jesus in this “Ordinary Time” of life, we find so much more… so… much… more! Jesus, our Lord and our Savior, called us… simple ordinary men and women to walk at his side, to share in his life, and to enter into the glory of God the Father when our life in this earthly kingdom comes to an end. And for Jesus, that is the ‘ordinary’ way that God showers love on His people. I pray you have an ‘ordinary’ day!