As promised a few weeks ago when we discussed Pentecost, I want to take a week and dive into the season known as “Ordinary Time.” This season is both ordinary and far from ordinary. So, without giving you a long, purposeless intro, let’s look more closely at the longest “season” of the Christian Year.
A Horse of a Different Color
Ordinary Time goes by many names depending on the church tradition that you might be a part of. For some, you may simply call it “Ordinary Time.” Others refer to it as “The Season after Pentecost.” This in itself is a good name. It’s direct and gets to the point. Most lectionaries will even number the Sundays between Pentecost and Advent as “such-and-such Sunday after Pentecost.”
Some refer to this season as “Ordinal Time,” which from my understanding is pretty similar to using “Ordinary.”
Another term that I have seen divides the year into cycles. So, for the seasons of Advent-Pentecost there is the term “Cycle of Light,” whereas Ordinary Time is referred to as “Cycle of Life.” I like this in how the “Cycle of Life” relates to the purpose behind Ordinary Time. This “Cycle of Life” definition is really helpful when considering another term that I was introduced to a few years ago (and even used in my previous place of ministry): Kingdomtide. While not as direct at “Season after Pentecost” this title really gets to, what I believe, is the heart of Ordinary Time – living out the Kingdom of God.
What is Ordinary Time?
In many ways, Ordinary Time is exactly what it sounds like… it’s ordinary. It’s the time in which life “gets back to normal” within the church. This doesn’t mean that life is now boring, but that there are no major high points in the life of the church and the life of Christ that have their “normal” celebration coming up on the calendar.
Now, this doesn’t mean that there isn’t anything to celebrate during this time of year. Based strictly on Christian history we do have celebration days such as the Feast of John the Baptist (6/24), Reformation Day (10/31), and All Saints Day (11/1) just to name a few. But, notice what even these few examples point out to us… these are holidays and celebrations within the life of the church, not the life of Christ (such as his birth, his baptism, his presentation in the temple, his Transfiguration, etc… etc…).
It’s these celebrations within the life of the church that really get at the heart of Ordinary Time. We have just spent roughly 6 months celebrating the life of Christ and how God has brought forth our redemption in Jesus. In Ordinary Time, we now concentrate on how our redemption works in our day-to-day lives in the world. Think of it this way – Christ has come, Christ has died for our sin, Christ has Risen for our salvation, Christ has ascended, the Spirit has been poured out and now indwells all believers in Christ as well as empowers the church to engage in the two “Great’s” given to us by Jesus (the Great Commandment and Great Commission).
These two major “cycles” of the Christian Year engage us in our normal rhythms of life – longing and fulfillment, fasting and feasting, preparation and proclamation. Now that we are in Ordinary Time, we move into a season of living in the Gospel through worship, discipleship, discipline, and prayer and then living out the Gospel through sharing the Gospel and doing ministry in the world. It’s for this reason that I really like the title “Kingdomtide.” Not because I want to be catchy and different, but because we really see the church living out the kingdom of God during this time of the year.
Inhabiting Ordinary Time
Based on what I’ve already noted above, there doesn’t seem to be a whole lot left in regards to how to “live” out Ordinary Time, but for the sake of argument, let’s look at a few things.
Worship – it should go without saying, but let me say it anyway – Worship is a key aspect to living in any season of the Christian life. Attending the Gathered Worship of your local church is the key to our weekly rhythms of life. But, now that we are in a season of being “ordinary” without one celebration after another just over the horizon, taking time to gather with your local church to worship the God who has created you, died for you, purchased you, and empowered you is absolutely vital to inhabiting this season.
Bobby Gross, in his work Living the Christian Year makes this point beautifully when he says, “The key to our weekly rhythm is keeping the sabbath. We can think of this practice as a command or as a gift. In Jesus’s words, ‘the sabbath was made for man.’ Setting aside one day of seven – for rest, for reflection, for worship, for friendship, for nature, for quietness, for beauty – aligns us with the wisdom and grace of our Creator Father. It is a day to stop our working and rehearse the work of God into our lives; it is a day to cease our worrying and renew our dependence on his providence.”
Don’t neglect the gathered worship of the church.
Ministry – while this is also a given throughout the entire year, it is almost necessary to point out the necessity of “living” the Kingdom and “living” Great Commission during this time of year.
After college, I spent a couple of years working as a volunteer coordinator for a couple of non-profits. These are worthy organizations. But a common trend for volunteers was to only be interested in serving during the holidays. Now, I’m not disparaging folks for wanting to serve, but the amount of calls and applications to volunteer would skyrocket between October and January. Once January 1st hit, interest would sink faster than the Titanic.
Ordinary Time is a season where we can become more involved with ministry outside of the church. It’s always good to be involved in ministry inside the church (nursery, children’s classes, Sunday School, care for the sick, etc…) but during this period of living out the Gospel, focus on ministry to others who are outside. Share the Gospel with someone, go on a mission trip, volunteer at a soup kitchen, adopt a neighbor on your street that no one wants to know and begin praying for them and reach out to them. Help that poor widow or widower care for their property. Go to a local laundry mat and share the Gospel while inviting folks to church (if you have a bunch of extra loose change, pay for a load of laundry or two while you’re at it… it’s just money.) The point is, get involved in reaching folks who do not know Christ and introduce them to Christ. It’s literally what He told us to do before he ascended back to the Father.
Rest/Retreat – One final thing that I thought of here… because we are so wrapped up with one celebration after another during the seasons of Advent-Pentecost, Ordinary Time is a great time to plan a vacation or even a spiritual retreat (I’d recommend both if you are able). Plan a vacation with your family, but also find time to retreat from the world, devices, tv, and blogs and go be in nature, read Scripture, pray, and recharge your spiritual batteries. Sabbath worship is this for us on a weekly basis, but trust me, doing this for multiple days (away from home) does more good than you realize.
I would recommend a monastery (if they have reopened from COVID19). Most have guesthouses where you can stay and many even have retreat programs that they offer. Take advantage of these beautiful places around those who have dedicated their lives to contemplation and prayer and are happy to teach others how to do so in their own lives.
If that doesn’t work – get an AirBnB. Seriously. If you live in the city, find a cabin or AirBnB in the countryside. Get a cabin in the woods. Pack in your food, take a few books, go fishing, and get away with the purpose of reading and prayer and meditation. If you live in a rural area… go somewhere else. It’s always tempting to think “I can do this at home for free” (trust me, I do this too) – but there is nothing like getting out of your normal routines for a few days to help recharge and recalibrate you. Plus, if you’re at home, you’re just going to do the stuff around the house that you’ve been putting off because of work.
“Staycations” are never a vacation. Retreat.
What are your thoughts here? Now that church life has “settled down” from the Celebratory Season, what are some suggestions that you might have to “inhabit” Ordinary Time?
The SouthTown Pastor 