Ordinary Time

Yesterday was the Feast Day of the Transfiguration. My church going friends should remember that story...where Jesus goes up on a hill with three disciples and he is "transfigured" in front of them. Moses and Elijah appear with him. The disciples aren't sure how to react. Then everything goes back to normal.

Our preist, of course, delivered a sermon on the topic. However, the sermon was not about the Transfiguration itself, but rather about the ordinary time that proceded it. In the Anglican Church year, the time from Pentecost Sunday until Advent is actually formally called "Ordinary Time". Six months of the year we steep ourselves in the story of Jesus from the foretelling of his coming to his birth and life and death and resurrection, the Ascension and the giving of the Holy Spirit. Then the other six months of the year are "ordinary".

For some reason his message really resonated with me. Life is good right now, but it is mostly ordinary. Summer ordinary. In a few week, school year ordinary comes along. A different kind of ordinary, but still a daily and weekly pulse of getting up, getting out, doing the work we've been called to do, coming home, gathering together again (doing some more work!), and being refreshed with sleep. Some might call it boredom or monotany. I think calling it ordinary is much better. Because it's not boring or monotanous. It's life. And it's good.

Peaks come. Valleys come. Hopefully in proportion to each other. Peaks are great. Valleys stink. Ordinary time is good. And good is...well...good.

Here's to ordinary time and all the things that go with it.