Ordinary Time

The hangings in the church are green again.  That may not sound all that interesting to you, but try to remember the last time they were green.  It's been a while.  They've been white for Trinity Sunday and Easter, red for the Day of Pentecost and Holy Week, and purple for Lent.  We haven't seen green in months. 

But they're green again now.  And they'll be green for a while.  That's because we've entered into "Ordinary Time." 

"Ordinary" doesn't mean it's less important or anything.  It simply refers to the fact that we're not in a titled season.  We're not preparing for or celebrating anything in particular.  We've finished the seasons associated wtih Easter and Christmas.  Now, it's just...well...ordinary.

Most people, when pondering their favorite seasons of the church year, don't consider Ordinary Time too much.  But I have a fondness for it.  That's because most of us live in ordinary time.  Our lives do not reflect the themes of the more festive seasons quite as much as they seem to be...well...ordinary.  We work, or go to school, or do our daily routines.  We pay the bills, shop, cook, clean, run errands.  Occasionaly things are broken up by trips, or illness, or unexpected tragedy, but usually, life is ordinary.

And yet God is still a part.  Our God is the Almighty not only of the dramatic and exciting, but also of the mundane and regular.  Our God is the Lord of our routines, just as much as the atypical stuff that quickens our pulses and fires the adrenaline. 

This Sunday may feel "ordinary."  Heck, lots of days feel ordinary, Sundays included.  But God is still God, working to connect with you, love you, guide you, and restore you, even when you're feeling oh-so-very "ordinary."