When you think about the church year – if you think about it at all – you will notice that for a long stretch of time there are no big festivals like Christmas or Easter. The big celebrations of the church happen from December to April (5 months) and then Pentecost pops up 50 days from Easter and then … a lot of ordinary time.
But ordinary time is really extraordinary. In the scriptures in Year A we read long sections of Genesis and Exodus, Paul’s letter to the Romans, and hear most of Jesus’ teaching from the Gospel of Matthew. In Year B & C, the pattern is repeated in ordinary time with the Gospels of Mark, Luke and John as well as more Hebrew Scripture and other New Testament readings.
Now all of this is of human origin. No one in the Episcopal Church climbed a holy mountain and received this directly from God. But it is historical in that the church has always sought to find a disciplined way to read scripture. And this is it. And it works.
I think summer as a season is a great time for ordinary time. Hopefully it is more relaxed, though there is no guarantee of that. Hopefully you have time to think and reflect on scripture, worship, and your own life. If you have the time or take the time, I think you will find it to be extraordinary.
During July and August at Trinity I will be using a book by Esther de Waal, Seeking God: The Way of St. Benedict. Much of the way Episcopalians worship derives from the practice of Benedictine monasteries from the 6th century on. Having a balanced life of prayer, work and study while being in relationship with the other people around you was an innovation of St. Benedict. His monasteries were a place of invitation into a deeper relationship with God and others. I have always hoped and worked for the church to be a similar place.
Like ordinary time, a way of worshiping that goes back 1500 years is extraordinary on its face, though it never seems to feel that way. What is well-worn can be a source of renewal.
The Rev. Dr. George Glazier
Vicar, Trinity Church, London