We Journey Through “Ordinary Time”
Lower-level gardens of Roman Coliseum (May 2023)
According to the Liturgical Calendar, Christians are now walking through “Ordinary Time.”
The rhythm of the Church Calendar has become valuable in my spiritual journey. The liturgical year begins with Advent, an exciting season of anticipation for the birth of Jesus, Immanuel. Then, there is all the joy of Christmas from December 25th until Epiphany on January 6th, which commemorates the arrival of the Wise Men.
From January 7th until the beginning of Lent, which this year begins February 14th, is the first season of “Ordinary Time.” Following Pentecost, according to the Liturgical Calendar, Christians enter a long season of “Ordinary Time.”
All total, my color-coded calendar shows that more than half of my days each year will in fact fall under the category of “ordinary.”
I find Romans 12 is one of the most practical portions of Scripture to describe what “ordinary time” looks like for the “ordinary” follower of Jesus. Eugene Peterson’s paraphrase of the Apostle Paul’s instructions is written in a way that resonates. It begins:
So, here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.
(Romans 12:1-2 MSG)
An “Ordinary Woman’s” “Ordinary Time” Prayer
Dear God,
Thank you for those extraordinary events that punctuate and delight my days.
Thank you also for the predictable rhythm of “ordinary time.”
Help me remember my journey on this earth from birth to death is defined within the confines of finite time, but
You, O Lord, are infinite and transcend time.
Even though I am so ordinary, I commit to grow in knowledge, wisdom, and awe of You,
The God-Who-Was-and-Is-and-Always-Will-Be.
Provide courage and strength to travel through every “ordinary” moment.
Along the way, please expand my hope, trust, and security in You.
Amen
Blessings on you as you travel through this season of “Ordinary Time,”
